If you’ve started collecting customer data and you’re efficiently managing how you store and handle this information then you’re already making great progress towards targeting your customers effectively. However, it’s not enough to just have this data at your hands, you should use it to inform your marketing and communications activities.
Here’s our 5 top tips for ensuring your customer data is being utilised to improve customer service, increase conversions and grow your business:
Understand your customers’ preferences and interests
When collecting information about your customers, you should seek to understand their individual preferences. Whether this refers to their particular needs, interests or preferred communication methods, this data will enable you to target your customers with the methods and messages that they are most likely to engage with.
Marketing is all about hitting your customer with the best message at the best time and the data you collect should help you to do just this
Maximise the impact of your email marketing
Your customer data should shape your email marketing strategy. Data about your customers’ preferences, behaviours and purchase history will help you to reach individuals with email marketing messages that will encourage them to click through. Automated email marketing can also help you to target your existing customers as they travel through the buyer’s journey. Send reminder emails about items in their baskets, discount codes to encourage conversion, or ‘thank you’ emails once they have completed a purchase.
Prioritise personalisation
If you know your customers’ names, make sure you’re using them. A great way to develop your email marketing is to refer to your customers by name. Speaking to your customers as human beings rather than a number in a list will help to make the individual feel recognised and valued. If you’re regularly sending email communications, addressing your customers by name will encourage a greater open rate than a generic subject line.
Improve your customer service
Your customer data is the best tool you have to develop excellent customer service. When speaking directly with a customer, whether it’s a query or complaint, the customer service staff should be aware of the individual’s history with the business. This could be any previous issues they’ve experienced, whether they’ve communicated directly with the business before, or any other important information that can help staff to tailor their service. Using this data will ensure the customer feels valued but will also enable staff to handle queries efficiently to maintain a positive relationship.
Get customer input to grow your business
Your customers are your greatest asset. Make sure you’re speaking to them about the ways in which you can improve and grow your business. Ask for their feedback, reviews or suggestions on new features, services they’d like to see, or potential future products. Your customers are a valuable source of information so seek their input.