Sometimes, a company’s marketing strategy can stray a little bit from its mission. In an attempt to target as much of the market as possible, many companies end up forgetting about the customers that already make up their consumer base.
In other situations, their marketing strategy may not have enough information about their customers. In this case, their marketing approach can’t really appeal to customer needs and preferences.
Customer-focused marketing is a great way to build strong relationships with customers. It’s also one of the best ways to ensure your marketing is appealing to the people who form the core of your consumer base.
As you will quickly learn, however, you will have to put forth some hard work and strong ideas to keep a customer-focused marketing approach on track.
Here are a few methods you can use to determine whether or not your marketing strategy is focused on the customer.
1. You Really Know Your Customers
If your marketing strategy is really built with the customer in mind, you’ll make decisions based on data.
It’s not possible to know exactly who each of your customers is. That said, you should have a rough idea of what your customer base is like — including where they live, how they shop, and what kinds of products and experiences they prefer.
You can use this information to create customer personas or apply other approaches that keep your marketing strategy on target.
With data collection, you have ample options for how to approach collecting and analyzing it. For example, simple surveys can help you track demographic information.
You can also use data tracking tools on your website, or even information purchased from third-party tracking services. Some companies like to append data to what they already have, which is a great option for expanding your view of the customers.
When you combine all of this data, you’ll have the best possible picture of the customers you’re serving.
2. You Adjust Based on Customer Needs
Once you know your customers, you also need to know what they want.
You should also be tracking how customers use your products and navigate your site. Site usability testing and tools collect collect user behavior data. This can be a valuable resource on whether any aspect of your product or website is clumsy or difficult to navigate.
This information can help you make the tweaks necessary to create the most positive customer experience possible.
And with the right setup, even brick-and-mortar retailers with a limited online presence can track customer behavior data.
Modern smart product displays and product tracking systems are capable of collecting a huge amount of customer behavioral information.
For example, some smart displays can collect information from a network of apps on shoppers’ phones, providing a stream of passive data collection.
Others can track valuable shopper metrics like traffic density, customer dwell time, and product-by-product engagement.
Combine this data with the survey and demographic data you’re already collecting, and you’ll have a much better idea of what exactly your target audience truly values.
3. You’re Tracking the Right Metrics
Unless you are actively collecting data about the customer experience itself, you’ll struggle to figure out if your marketing strategy is working overall. It’s THAT important.
You’ll find an almost limitless list of tools for data collection available. That’s great for specialized niche companies. For most of us, there are certain metrics that can indicate that your marketing strategy is really focused on the customer.
Simple data collecting schemes, like well-designed surveys sent after a completed purchase, can provide great information on how satisfied your paying customers are.
You can also use data from social media to learn how customers feel about your brand.
Many modern social media analytics platforms can closely track customer sentiment and buzz. These features can give you an idea of how customers feel about your brand or products in real time.
You can also use easy-to-calculate metrics like your Net Promoter Score to determine how likely your customers are to recommend your brand to friends or family.
4. Your Marketing Offers Value
Content is a core piece of a customer-focused marketing strategy.
Your articles, blog posts, and resources don’t just show off your products. These assets also offer valuable information that your customers can use.
This value is what makes a customer-focused marketing strategy stand out. Your marketing content helps prospects and customers make better decisions and informed purchases.
This strategy also helps build trust compared to other marketing methods. How? It helps demonstrate your commitment to the customer experience, even when it doesn’t necessarily generate a sale right away.
How to Keep Your Marketing Strategy Focused on the Customer
If you want to foster trust with your consumer base, you should prioritize marketing with the customer in mind.
And to do this, you absolutely need to make data a key piece of your strategic analysis. Know why your customer is, including what they want from you and how they will use your products or services.
You can then use this data to create the most positive customer experiences possible. This includes tailoring your content marketing efforts to focus on engaging and satisfying your target audience from the very start.
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Lexie Lu
