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Photo by Jason Goodman on Unsplash
Leaving a good impression on your audience is key if you’re going to attract new and returning customers, but it’s often difficult for new and small businesses to achieve that. With limited resources, finding the best places to invest those resources can be quite stressful, as making the wrong decision could mean a lot of trouble for the future of your business.
Even so, leaving a good impression on the people in your audience is ultimately what is going to lead to a sale, so you need to be thinking about ways you can do that right now, with what you have. Every business model is different, so there’s going to be a method for your business that won’t necessarily work for another.
Go big on marketing
Impressing your audience with your products and services is important, but first, you need to make a big enough impression that you’ll gain those customers in the first place. Without marketing, your business is going to struggle, and there are very few business models that can survive without effective marketing being put into use. You need to be creative, you need to show your audience something they haven’t seen before.
Record your marketing videos differently, use a drone, have a script, and go to a stunning location. You can click here to learn more about how to make your marketing videos more impressive, and in time you’ll be leaving a great first impression on your audience.
Offer promotions for new and existing customers
Everyone likes a surprise when it involves saving money and offering these promotions to your customers to incentivize their loyalty will leave a great impression on them. While they may have come to your business with the expectations of spending their money, and soon finding out that that they’re going to save a decent chunk of that is going to be something they won’t forget. It’s always good to reward your audience when you have the opportunity because it shows that your business values their patronage. They’re a part of your success, and it’s a great idea to acknowledge that.
Let the customers decide
On the topic of showing your audience that you value them, letting them have some say in the decisions your business makes can also leave a lasting impression. Collect feedback from your customers, and use it to help make your business more adapted to the market you’re in. You’d be effectively tailoring your products and services to what your audience wants, and they would feel listened to.
Of course, listening to your audience can be tricky, and you mustn’t be too hasty with the changes you make. Listening to a small minority may alienate a large portion of your audience, so take your time with collecting the feedback and don’t make any decisions until you know what is going to have the biggest positive impact.
Focus on what your customers see first
As mentioned before, it’s about the first impression that you leave that will often lead to a sale. It’s not just about your marketing, though, as many customers will decide to check out your business after they’ve heard about you – or while looking for a product or service that you’re offering. If they come to your website to find that you haven’t invested any money into a nice-looking website, it’s going to make your website look cheap, and may even call into question the legitimacy of it. Your website needs to leave a great impression, just the same as your marketing, as it all reflects on your brand and your audience’s perception of your business.
Then there are things like social media pages and blogs. They’re great tools, but you need to take great care to ensure that they’re only improving your reputation and helping your business to look great for the audience. If prospective customers stumbled on your business’s social media page today, would they be convinced that your business is the right choice for them? Do you often interact with members of your audience, or is it completely about promotions and products that you have going on right now?
Many businesses are giving their social media page a personality. It’s not just about corporate speeches, and it’s shown that oftentimes customers will respond better to accounts they can relate to. If it’s being run by someone who can relate to your audience, you may more likely have an easier time impressing and attracting customers and followers. Don’t miss out on the opportunity to find a quality social media manager for your business.
Respond to criticism
Much like using feedback to improve your business, you should also consider using negative feedback and criticism as a great way to show off your customer service. As a small business owner, it can be difficult to receive overly negative feedback in the public eye, but how you respond to this criticism can work wonders for your reputation. Remember, public and online interactions are going to give your business traction, and you want to make sure it’s positive traction.
Letting emotions have control over how you respond to customers online isn’t going to look good for your brand, so always be respectful and professional, and your audience will see that and attribute it to the standards of your business.
Host events
It’s not always about impressing your customers when it comes to your audience, and some of the time you’re going to want to focus on potential partners and investors, too. Impressing these people can take a lot of work, and throwing a corporate event can be a great way to do it. It’s about showing everyone a good time while you promote your own business, and it may be a great way to find some beneficial partnerships while you’re at it. This can be a great way for your business to network and grow, and you shouldn’t miss out on the opportunity to attend these same events if you ever get the chance.