How to Get Your Customers' Attention

Are you searching for more ways to get your customers' attention? There are a few things you need to know before you make decisions, especially decisions involving spending your hard-earned dollars.
First, people tend to look online instead of the telephone book. Most people look for online sources and recommendations first. Printed copies of the Yellow Pages are out-of-date the moment they leave the printer's business; people are now trained to look online for everything; most businesses advertising in the Yellow Pages fail to give a reason for choosing them over a competitor.
Old habits die hard, however.
There are effective ways to stay in contact with your current customers and to entice new customers to come through your front door. The way you communicate with your potential customers makes a difference in how and who you will attract. One key to attracting attention is to tell stories. People love stories, stories are more interesting than a sales event, and stories set you apart from other businesses.
If you watch television, you'll see that the company Drivetime is running new commercials that tell stories about their potential customers. These ads grab your attention because they are different: instead of promoting a sales event, they promote problem solving for ordinary people. People who need a car but have some trouble in their financial background. We get caught up in wanting these folks to get what they need so they can go to work. We get involved whether we intend to or not because the story is compelling. That's an effective use of television air time.
You can use similar methods for finding new customers. Being creative doesn't have to cost a lot of money; but it does require a fresh look at how to use your resources wisely.
Need help with some communications?
Send me an email and let me know what you're thinking.
Have a terrific day!
Patricia

Keeping Up with the People Next Door

  When you want to share something with your customers, do you consider what your competitors or other business owners are doing? It is an exciting time to keep in touch with your customers because you have many choices that you can tailor to your own taste. For instance, if you want to use social media to connect with people on a more casual and frequent basis, you can use a few techniques or go full out and hire a social media manager.
  You might want to just send a Tweet every day or week, or post some updates on a Facebook page. You could start a blog to share your musings or educational or technical information. I follow a blogpost for writers in a writing community. This helps inspire me as a writer and it also leads to additional book sales for the author.
  You could be a plumber who wants to teach people about the use, or not using, drain clog cleaners. You could instruct people on how to shut off water in their house or apartment in an emergency, or how to find the main shut-off valve outside the house. These are quick ways to stay in touch with people while passing on useful information.
   Monthly newsletters are a terrific way to send a soft touch to your customer base. The newsletter doesn't have to contain anything about your business other than your name. The best way to ensure people will pay attention to you is send them something to brighten their day, make them smile, give them a little bit of information in a generic form, and offer a special event notification.
  Staying in touch is crucial to your business. If you need help or more tips, contact me. I will be delighted to help you.
Have a terrific day!
Patricia