Start-Ups & COVID: 3 Tips to Build Customer Relationships
For so many reasons, this pandemic is rife with cause for anxiety, fear and uncertainty.
But few are feeling the pressure more than the entrepreneurs who only recently got their start and began to grow just before everything ground to a sudden halt.
For these start-ups, the advent of COVID-19 brings with it an array of challenges and risk, from losing early momentum to finding ways to stay relevant without appearing tone-deaf to the realities of the time.
But what if there’s another angle? Perhaps this moment can also offer an opportunity for a young business to pause, revisit and strengthen the ways they build relationships with target customers now and down the road.
Far beyond offering your goods or services for free during the shutdown (which is great, for those who can manage it) there are a number of smart and targeted ways that start-ups can use this time to build up customer intimacy in a way that a typical market climate would never allow.
Here are just a few:
1) Reframe your mindset
2) Revisit your target audiences
3) Refocus on the post-COVID era
Read on for more detail and some thoughts on how you might be able to quickly and easily put these into action for your business.
Step 1: Reframe your mindset
First and foremost, take a moment to shift your posture toward your customers. Try to embrace a philosophy of “ask, don’t sell.”
History has shown that in times like these, brands and companies have a chance to show what they are really made of. Consumers expect more authentic commitments during times of adversity, and what better way to strike the right tone than to listen more actively?
This could be a great moment to reach out with a survey or message asking how customers are doing, enlisting their biggest concerns related to this moment, and opening a dialogue about what the future may look like.
By showing that you are listening, you not only engage them in topics above and beyond your traditional dialogue, but you begin to get direct guidance from your most important stakeholders about what is top of mind and what they are most interested to hear from you. Deeper engagement and loyalty can only grow from there.
Step 2: Revisit your target audiences
Marketing 101: Do not treat everyone the same. This principal is widely understood, and yet it is understandably overlooked when business takes off and you are scaling quickly.
Segmenting and targeting your outreach to meet the preferences and behaviors of your audiences is hands down one of the very best ways to build customer loyalty for the future. While formal segmentation can be a complex and lengthy process, there are a number of ways small businesses can quickly revisit the way they’ve segmented and develop a framework for more personalized messaging.
Even if you already have a system for segmentation, set it aside and take a moment to work through these questions with a fresh eye toward your marketing activity:
Who are you talking to?
Make a laundry list of the typical audiences you are trying to reach with your marketing efforts and quickly note the basics about them: Are they current customers, potential customers, past customers or potential partners? What is the spread of how much you are focusing on each of these groups? Who are you NOT reaching and how might you describe those audiences?
What do you know about them?
Take a look at your list and take it to the next level. What do you know about these audiences in terms of their demographics and traits (age groups, geography, lifestyle, job title or purchase authorization) and behaviors and preferences (online or in-store shoppers, loyalty or one-time buyers, motivated by discounts or focused on quality, prefer to connect on social media, email or phone) and make note of how they tend to find you, engage with your content, or look for solutions like what you offer.
How can they be categorized?
Now look for a way to break these audiences into useful segments that can focus and target your outreach. Set aside sales-oriented interests for the moment and think about the information and relationship aspects of these segments. For marketing purposes, useful categories tend to be based on traits like buying behaviors, information consumption, or relationship with your product/offerings.
What is your relationship goal?
Once your segments are defined, outline your goal for those relationships at the current moment and for the future. Where do you want to maintain, grow, initiate or perhaps even reclaim your customer relationships? Which topics do these segments care most about (in general, related to COVID, and as it relates to your business specifically) and where can you offer insights or support in those areas?
You’ll want to set your messaging strategy and your organic and paid social activity in relation to those targets. Email marketing offers a great opportunity to tailor messaging to those groups and get instant feedback.
Step 3: Refocus on the post-COVID era
As you build out your segments and marketing goals, this is also the right time to make sure you are focusing increasingly on the world beyond this crisis.
Your customers will eventually be focused there as well (if they aren’t already) and you can provide a sense of relief and support by demonstrably focusing on how you can add value in the new world order. As you’re developing ideas or looking for inspiration, use your well-timed active listening to engage your customers in the thought process.
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This is certainly a time of change and pressure like most of us have never seen before. But for small companies looking to steel their business for the future, this can also be a time to build and deepen customer relationships that will help you drive growth after this crisis – and beyond.
Captivating Consulting is happy to be offering free coaching sessions for small businesses during this challenging time. Check out our contact us page and send us a note if you’d like to chat and you think we could be of help.