Satisfied, happy customers are the foundation of a profitable business. Not only are they more likely to recommend your business to others, but they are also more willing to provide valuable feedback to improve your products or services.
Establishing strong customer relationships should be a crucial part of your business strategy. Think of it as a process to gain trust and loyalty from your customers, which will lead to repeat purchases and positive word-of-mouth recommendations — essentially free marketing for your business!
Many businesses recognize the importance of being customer-centric, yet many of them still struggle to grasp how to build and maintain good customer relationships. Whether you’re a seasoned marketer or an aspiring entrepreneur, you can never go wrong with the basics: producing compelling copy, creating quality content, and maintaining constant communication. We may not have a “secret guide” that teaches you the A-Z of building customer relationships, but we do have a few effective and reliable copywriting tips that you can work with!
1. Know your target audience
A lot of brands make the mistake of wanting to appeal to everyone in order to generate more sales, but like the old adage goes, “If you’re selling to everyone, you’re selling to no one”. Make your brand stand out from the crowd by approaching customers in a way they can identify with. Knowing who you’re targeting is key to building your brand and a solid customer base.
Here are some questions to guide you in creating your ideal client personas:
- Who is my target audience?
- What is their demographic (age, gender, income level, location, occupation)
- What are their wants and needs?
- What challenges and pain points are they facing?
- What are their behaviors and tendencies?
Asking these questions helps you keep your audience’s perspective in mind when you create marketing materials for them. Interesting and authentic content helps to build trust among your customers, whereas inconsistent content leaves them confused and portrays your brand as untrustworthy.
2. Use the right kind of content
It’s important to use the right type of content to demonstrate how your brand can support customers in achieving their goals! Irrelevant content will turn potential customers away, as it makes your brand seem unprofessional.
How do you determine what kind of content to create? Consider what your audience values: if you’re running a health and wellness brand, you want to sound credible and casual at the same time. You can simplify industry papers and turn them into simple infographics that are easy for your readers to understand. If your business sells coffee beans, you may want to consider long-form content, such as blog posts that explain bean types and brewing methods in detail.
Here are other types of content to consider:
- Infographics
- Charts and graphs
- Blog Posts
- Podcasts
- News articles
- Videos
- Soundbites
3. Craft stories to form an emotional connection
With an increasingly saturated online marketplace, it can be difficult to set your brand apart from the crowd. No two brands are exactly the same, but the question is: how can you differentiate yours?
Use storytelling to showcase your brand. Appeal to readers by crafting a unique narrative that aligns their interests with your brand’s value proposition. When you tell your own story, it lets your readers see the real person behind the brand, which plays a significant role in building trust.
Here are some actionable ideas to incorporate storytelling into your copy:
- Conflict: Introduce a problem or challenge that your customers can relate to.
- Characters: Develop relatable customer personas that your audience can connect with.
- Plot: Craft your copy in a way that follows a narrative arc to take readers on a journey.
- Emotion: Use emotive storytelling to evoke a strong response from your customers.
- Descriptive details: Use vivid language to help customers visualize the experience of using your product
4. Be relatable
How can you speak to your audience with (written) words? It all boils down to one thing: personalization.
Use your copy to speak directly to them in their language by using their jargon, terms, and preferred trends. You can search for these on social media to understand how your targeted audience talks and learn about what they need — it makes them feel like your brand image is in line with their preferences and beliefs!
Here’s a great email newsletter from Birchbox, a New York-based online beauty subscription service. They use fun and casual terms to relate to their predominantly young female consumers, who have preferences for fuss-free and interesting beauty experiences.
Want to give your brand an advantage? Talk about current events and trends by trendjacking your marketing copy to make it relatable to your audience.
Take a look at this Domino’s ad — it’s got game! The brand trendjacked the highly anticipated release of the PlayStation 5 in 2020 with a social media post that cleverly used creative copywriting and PS5 imagery with a pizza box.
5. Let your customers speak for you
Sometimes, the best way is to just let your customers do the talking.
People will actively seek out reviews and testimonials before they make a purchase. Stay ahead of the game by including customer reviews, testimonials, and case studies on your website. But testimonials work best when they showcase specific results. Avoid simplistic testimonials that only mention “it was good” or “amazing product!” and do not provide insight.
Pick testimonials that illustrate how amazing your product or service is, such as
- “This oven cooks 2 dishes at once; it makes cooking so much easier!”
- “A sturdy bag that fits all my items, including a 15-inch laptop, a bottle and more!”
- “I saved $100 of gym fees a month, thanks to this convenient workout plan that lets you exercise at home!”
A picture speaks a thousand words too: you can also demonstrate how effective your product is by using photos and videos! No matter the content, make sure you choose your testimonials wisely and ensure they highlight the benefits of your service and products.
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Building strong customer relationships is similar to forging romantic relationships. The more you communicate with them and show them your appreciation, the more likely you are to keep the love alive!
The average business is able to retain up to 80% of its customers if it practices good customer relationship management. Your brand is able to increase brand loyalty, sustain sales growth, and, most importantly, save costs for customer requisition if you keep your customers happy.
With the right copywriter on your team, you can create quality content that keeps your audience engaged and turns them into loyal customers. Our wordsmiths are ready to help you craft a unique brand voice, drop us a message to learn more!
