How to connect with customers online
Making a connection with prospective and existing customers is vital to your success. However, you have to be aware of what your customers want and need, and take care not to promote what you want over what they’re looking for.
Build connection by starting from a place of providing value. Valuable content is helpful and appealing. It answers a question, solves a need, doesn’t take more than it gives, and looks good.
In a digital environment, content value includes function. In general, this means that it is easy to access and there aren’t unwieldy barriers getting in the way of seamless access to it. You want to remove barriers wherever possible.
This means optimising your website to load quickly and without bugs on all types of web-enabled devices. It means avoiding unnecessary bells and whistles if they slow things down and get in the way of quick, easy access to content.
It also means being present wherever customers look for you. Optimise your website to be easily discoverable in the search bar, and be active and easy to find on the social media channels that your customers use. If you make it too hard for them to connect with you, then they’re likely to give up or connect with a competitor instead.
In terms of content, start by asking what your customers’ needs and desires are, and then produce content to meet those needs. It’s generally good practice to repurpose valuable content into different formats to access a wider customer base. A downloadable whitepaper can be turned into a short blog, a series of social media posts, and a video. The product or services pages on your website should include text descriptions as well as quality images and video content.
Video content helps you build a connection in a few different ways. Many people respond better to multimedia, so it can aid in communication, hold the attention, and provide a more positive, accessible and polished experience with your business.
Video also tends to rank higher and be shown to more people than other content types, making it a great way to increase your exposure and stand out from the competition for free. This is true online, on social media, and even in paid ads.
While creating video used to be expensive specialist work, the current generation of online video makers transforms the experience. You can quickly and easily create video content of all types. Take the key points in a longer article or whitepaper and make a summary or teaser video. Dive deeper into the benefits and features of your products with an explainer video maker. Communicate your brand identity, vision and purpose with a company video.
Customers form a more personal, positive connection with multimedia and especially video. Text-first content or no content at all when they go looking can feel impersonal, dry and academic. Make an effort to create valuable, engaging content that meets your customers’ needs and desires and that is easily accessed when they need it.
