In the digital age, customers can come in contact with your business in many different places – Facebook, Google, Instagram, Pinterest, Website, Amazon, Facebook Groups, Review Sites, your email newsletters, in store, brochures, conferences and events. The list goes on.
We call all of these “Touchpoints”, some people call them “Channels”.
Every business wants to increase sales and keep customers longer. To do this, you need to understand how the customer interacts with your business – at every touchpoint. And make sure they have a great experience – at every touchpoint.
From before they know about you, right through to recommending you to others, there are a lot of potential touchpoints for your customers.
Some touchpoints are really obvious – your website, social media pages or your store.
Others, you may not think about as often – online reviews, an ad in the local paper, a shopping centre directory, the product packaging, a customer service call or website chatbot, a survey they have filled in, or an email they received with your latest offers?
7 Steps to Reviewing your Touchpoints:
We recommend you review all your touchpoints on a regular basis. Here are the 6 steps to do this.
Step 1: List out all the places customers come in contact with you. Think broadly, think like a customer.
Step 2: For each touchpoint, think about why the customer uses that touchpoint. For example Facebook – to ask you questions, to get inspiration. Website – to research your products, to find out your contact details, to buy from you. Also think about what part of the sales process this is most relevant for them. Is it when they are researching, buying or after they have bought from you?
Step 2: Look at each touchpoint from the customer’s point of view. Does it look good? Does it answer their questions? Is it relevant to them at that stage of the sales process? For example, does your email newsletter have products that are relevant to your customers or is it about you? Does your website have all the information they need in easy to find places?
Step 3: If you have Google Analytics (or another web analytics tool) go to the “Referrers” reports to see how people get to your website and the pages they visit. Any surprises?
Step 4: Ask new customers how they heard about you.
Step 5: Brainstorm with your team the other places (online and offline) where your customers might be. Ask yourself – should we be doing something there. For example, is your target demographic on Pinterest and you’re not?
Step 6: Make a list of where you need to improve – then improve!
I believe there are 6 things small businesses need to do in order to sell more and keep customers longer in the digital age:
- Know your Customer
- Understand their Journey
- Provide relevant Content
- Use multiple Touchpoints
- Collect useful Data
- Install efficient Systems
When they work well together, you can maximise the Lifetime Value of your customers.
If you would like to know more about ways to increase the Lifetime Value of your customers, join our Facebook Group – Digital Marketing for Bricks and Mortar Businesses. Use this forum to ask questions and receive regular updates on how to grow your business through digital marketing.
