Communicating with Customers - It's the Way You Tell 'Em

Communicating with Customers - It's the Way You Tell 'Em

Written by Professional Academy Marketing Tutor Peter Sumpton

There are many ways for businesses to interact with consumers, yet some companies struggle to communicate in a way that can help persuade and convince them to make a purchase. This can be ever so frustrating as it is usually compounded by the fact that internally, the availability of persuasive facts and figures is widely known. Telling ‘your’ story and imparting valuable knowledge that your competition may not be able to replicate can go a long way in convincing an audience that you are the organisation for them. Below are some of the fundamentals that are required if you are going to reach and communicate with your target audience:

Where is Everyone?

You could write the greatest screenplay the world as every known (or unknown in this case), film it, screen it, yet if you haven’t told anyone, or at least anyone that is interested, what’s the point? No one will see it and all the time and effort spent creating it would be fruitless. This is the same for any product or service; if no one knows about it then it isn’t going to sell. Finding the right platform, where your target market resides is rule number one in the storytelling playbook. You must find them.

Finding out where your target market congregates – be it physically or virtually can save a lot of time and effort further down the line when finding yourself asking ‘why is no one engaging with me?’

Tweet it, Blog it, Sell it, Flog it

David Ogilvy once stated that ‘long copy invariably outsells short copy’ but in the age of instant news, everything, everywhere, now, it is important to choose the correct media for your style of communications, it can make all the difference.

There isn’t much point in trying to convey complicated, lengthy and detailed information over a platform that is used for short, digestible interactions such as Twitter. Similarly, will it be worth penning a masterpiece, if something can be explained simplistically?

Too Long, Too Short, Just Right

Depending on the media (be it social media, printed copy or video), it is important to get your messages across with the right level of content. For example, if you are producing a step-by-step instruction manual for a technical product, then the level of detail will be much higher than if you are promoting exactly the same products features and benefits, you may even be targeting the same group of consumers, yet one will help sell and the other will assist in usage, both valuable content, just utilised for different reasons at different times within the sales funnel.

Imparting Knowledge

Firstly, don’t treat people like idiots.

Secondly, expertise in a particular area should not be underestimated. Something that sounds simple to some, may not be as simple to others and the information we now have at our fingertips means anyone can become a ‘so called expert’ if they know where to look, but it is too easy for information to not come from a reliable source. Becoming a credible source of information can really pay off as consumers look to deal with those organisations that are open, honest and provide a good level of detail, sometimes for free, but mainly in exchange for what is most important to them, your data!

Whether you view this as a good or a bad deal, the fact that you are willing to exchange this information with an organisation highlights the fact that (in most cases) you are interested in a products or services they have to offer and therefore should be comfortable with future communications. Within a blink of an eye you are now a prospective and engaged customer. Content Marketing at its best!

Sexs Sells

Your content has to engage with the right people to make a difference and drawing attention to this is the first stage. Using keywords, written or spoken, around a particular topic can project can ignite conversation within a targeted audience, where even dull topics become engaging.

One of the most recent examples of this can be seen within the transportation field:

89% of all travel in the UK is done by road and with failing infrastructure due to the increase in traffic and inadequate investment over many years, you would think that this vital transportation and the upgrades required would be a hot topic on everyone’s lips. Sadly, this isn’t the case as it isn’t portrayed as sexy! HS2 (the proposed high speed rail link between the North and London) however, could be classed as a much sexier topic in the way it is written and spoken about and so gets far more coverage and funding, than a few ‘holes in the road’ (although only effecting 0.001% of the population compared to the two thirds that commute to work on UK roads).

Like most, I’m sure you have your own opinion on what is right and what is wrong, but the fact remains that HS2 is seen as THE transportation topic due to its positioning and the way information is presented.

It’s the Way You Tell ‘Em

So to recap, if it needs to be simple, keep it simple. If it is a detailed document, make it detailed, but above all make sure you choose the right platform for getting your messages across, by making information easy to find and digest in a way that your target market wants it.

Finally, what is your hook? Discover the keywords that spark a chord with consumers and make sure you tell your stories the way they need to be told. Remember, it’s the way you tell ‘em!

If you would like to talk to Professional Academy about Digital Marketing or Marketing Qualifications to develop your skills why not get in touch today!

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