Small Business Touchpoints

A thin business card is like a limp handshake and an unanswered social media comment is like walking into a business and getting completely ignored by the staff.

Sometimes the things described above are the first impression a customer receives from your business, and these days first impressions can come from ANYWHERE... so managing your touchpoints and creating positive first impressions is what this post is all about.      

Touchpoints?

EVERY part of your business that a customer comes into contact with is a touchpoint. Your Answering machine message, brochures, email signature.... your vehicle access, choice of toilet paper and EVERYTHING in between.

If a customer sees your brand or anything about your business it means they are already SEARCHING for a product or service that you may provide.You need to properly manage these customer contacts. You need to make your touchpoints consistent with your brand AND your touchpoints need to be geared towards meeting the needs of your target audience. 

"Customers are looking for confirmation,

 that what you offer

is going to meet their needs." 

Because every business is different, touchpoint selection changes as well. An online business relies heavily on providing easy site navigation and usability, a retail store utilises in-store displays and customer service; each have there own unique touchpoint requirements. If your customer reaches a touchpoint and thinks that your business may not meet their needs they will simply walk away and purchase somewhere else.... if your touchpoints lack impact customers have plenty of other options available to them, they won't even bother to walk through your door even if you do have products that meet their needs.

Real World...

A quote from a plumber can be hand written or it can be an opportunity to display their logo and relevant promotions to the customer... and although only a small aspect of a business, with proper analysis any touchpoint can have more impact.

EG:  Your plumber comes around to do a quote on a bathroom renovation. When you receive the emailed quote a clickable promotion for kitchen renovation plumbing is found  at the bottom of the email with a few short testamonials. 

This indicates that...

• the plumber does regular renovation work
• combining bathroom and kitchen plumbing may lead to a greater discount
• the plumber has experience
• positive testimonials indicate the plumber does a good job   

The plumber also benefits from...

• greater awareness of additional services
• direct marketing to generate future sales
• click through onto the business website
• increased customer engagement

Do your emails contain links to your current promotions?  If your prospective customer is already engaged make the most of it!

A word of warning... 

Badly executed touchpoints will turn customers away. Following up a positive customer service contact with 10 automated promotional emails will undo your customer service efforts and lead to instant distrust. A hand written quote may seem unprofessional compared to a printed quote on company stationery... on the flipside... some people may perceive a hand written quote as more genuine and personal ...it all comes down to your customers perception!

Now is the time to sit down and write a list of ALL the ways YOUR customers come into contact with your brand. Analyse each touchpoint and note how a customer would perceive your brand via that point?...are your touchpoints as good as they could be? If your touchpoints don't match up to your brand its time to get to work, prioritise the list and make that first impression count. 

 What innovative ways have you used to create memorable touchpoints? 

What are your thoughts on Touchpoints for your small business? 

Feel free to comment below.     

  




       

3 quick steps to plan your social media

Placing random updates on social media is like facing Roger Federer's serve with a blindfold on... more often than not your going to miss your target.  



So establishing  structure in your social media will allow you to create better quality posts and find it quicker and easier to create and curate relevant content.

Now for those of you who are new to this blog please understand that this 3 step plan is a BARE MINIMUM  for small business who don't have a social media plan and don't have a clue where to start. It can be daunting trying to establish a starting point, but planning your social media isn't rocket science and this post is all about simplifying the process and getting SOMETHING happening, which in my opinion is better than NOTHING.  

So here it is in 3 easy steps to help those of you who are scratching your heads trying to keep up with all your social media accounts.

1. Remember the big picture

Now it should be said at this point that your social media should be a part of a larger
online/offline strategy, you really need to have a "big picture" approach to your marketing. Social media is simply another channel for communication. Your social media message should be consistent with all of your current communications or at the very least compliment them. 

Integrating your promotions across all your communication channels will provide a  more comprehensive broadcast of your current message. Imagine a choir of 30 people all singing 10 different Christmas carols at the same time, each song would be indecipherable. Now picture that same choir singing "We Wish You A Merry Christmas" together, all the voices complimenting each other to create a powerful and easily understood message. 

Your marketing is far more powerful when all the voices work together, your website should echo your current offline promotions, with your social media providing context and relevance by fleshing out your message. 

2. Break it down

Small bite size pieces makes a huge task seem easy.

1. Have a theme established for each month, this should coincide with any advertising or promotions you have going at that time (see point 1). 

2. Break each months theme into weekly topics. 

3. Each weekly topic gets broken down into its key points and VOILA... you have something to work with!

  

3. Fill the Gaps 

Now you have some structure, its time to flesh your plan out. Having a plan that determines your content allows you to focus your online search, minimising the time spent down the Google search rabbit hole and provide you with more meaningful and relevant ideas to post.  Not only that but now you may feel inspired to create more of your own content knowing that it is apart of a bigger picture and has a greater purpose than simply posting another random inspirational quote.



Real World
OK... ...lets plan December for a Florist and flesh it out as an example. 
Obviously the December message will be all about Christmas and the holidays, I've geared the weekly topics into sales type ideas, Flowers as Presents, Christmas Flower arrangements and Flowers for Parties. Lots of images to compliment each post will give the updates a more natural delivery, remember that social media is a communications channel, and keep the tone relevant to your brand.  




Week 1
Flowers as Presents

Monday: Establish the Blooming Christmas presents topic...

Tuesday: Flowers in season for Christmas...5 images 

Wednesday:Christmas promotion linked to website: Enter the draw to win $250 worth of Christmas table bouquets by simply ordering flowers as a gift for somebody else.

Thursday: Message: Delivering right up until Christmas Eve...Christmas delivery image

Friday: Message: We deliver to nursing homes...image of elderly lady with flowers 






Week 2
Flowers for the Christmas Table

Monday: Message: Christmas order deadlines...don't miss out...image of a Christmas calender

Tuesday: TOPIC: Table arrangements for Christmas...4 images of table settings.

Wednesday: Announce winner of promotion

Thursday: Beautiful table decoration ideas, picture posts all day

Friday: DIY Christmas arrangement video... 
  
   

Week 3
Flowers for Summer Parties  

Monday: Message: Last minute table flower ordering... image of the promotion winner picking up flowers

Tuesday: Message: Planning your flowers for new years...

Wednesday: Summer party ideas...8 images of summer dinner party ideas to inspire
 
Thursday: Message: Christmas delivery times

Friday:  Perfect party flower arrangements...4 images of summer table arrangements

SO...

• Planning your social media will save you time in the long run 
• Giving your social media direction and focus will develop better content, more likes and increased leads  
• Please remember this is a quick 15 minute plan its not going to be perfect...but it is better than not having a plan at all.

Do you already have a social media plan in place?

 

How do you keep on top of your social media updates? 

Id love to hear from you, feel free to comment below. 

NEXT WEEK: I continue on the Social Media trail and discuss the huge range of social media options available for small business other than Facebook.

(Image from "http://www.freeimageslive.co.uk")

"Cry Poor Syndrome"

“I can’t justify spending money on a website yet”

“Last Christmas was a slow one so we had to halve the marketing budget”

It is an epidenmic growing at an alarming rate, in fact its been present in small business for as long as i can remember...what I call the “Cry Poor Syndrome”... owners too “poor” to spend money on their business.

The other side of cash flow

Every business owner needs to control their business spending; cash flow management is a top priority for everyone. But you have to remember there are two sides to ever story and concentrating too heavily on where your money is being spent and not on where its coming from is the root of the "Cry Poor" problem. Just as your outgoings need to be managed, your revenue streams need to be managed just as meticulously.

Please correct me if I’m wrong,  but all your income is generated from your customers is'nt it? Your customers essentially put a roof over your head and food on the table...they paid for your nice car and your family holiday.  Without them your STUFFED. So you need to find a balance between being thrifty and being a tight ass to make sure they still put money in your till and not someone elses.

How do you attract more customers?

What can you do to bring in more customers?

Planning helps; a marketing plan in place allows you to know who your target market is and how to effectively communicate to them. If your not willing to invest in marketing, are you guessing your target market? Is your advertising really reaching them and making an impact? Customers can be fickle, and if your business isn’t in plain view...or cannot be heard customers will head to your competitor instead... 

"I can't justify spending money on a website..."

Thats OK your competitors already have, and they are getting the rewards.

 

If you dont have a website, or a website that is mobile phone friendly, how many people will find you?  Can you still justify not having a website while your losing sales? And im not talking about purely online purchasing here, im talking about the woman from Lismore heights looking online for a $2000 wedding photography package, or the guy from Goonellabah who is comparing $1800 HDTV's. So how much money will end up in your competitor’s pockets before you stop crying poor? 

"...we had to halve the marketing budget."

If last christmas was a bit slow, how effective was your advertising? Would halving your advertising have a positive impact on this coming christmas? If you stop communicating with your customer, they will stop listening. But then they start listening more to your competition who are still communicating with your customers; but now they have the customers undivided attention.

SO.. 

• Keeping business spending under control is very important... but a balance needs to be found in order to maintain your current revenue which is provided by your customer. 

• "Crying Poor Syndrome" can cripple your business and prevent it from reaching its fullest potential.  

 Cut too hard into the marketing budget, or skimp on your website and you will find a steady number of customers purchasing from the busines down the road.Its not because what they sell is any better or that the products are any cheaperIt's because while you have your lights turned off to save electricity, the competitors have left theirs on...and they are attracting all the moths.