Understanding your customers is essential, but what about the flip side of that equation? How well do you let your leads understand you through effective email and direct mail communication?
To customers, companies have voices and personalities that are as distinct as those of people they know. Think about how different brands resonate with you, and you’ll have an idea of how persistent those qualities are.
Explore how well you know your own company’s personality, and you’ll learn how best to express it to your audience. When combined with data enhancement that tells you more about your audience, you’re able to align yourself with them more closely and understand their needs.
Listen Well
If you pay close attention, you’ll hear from leads exactly what they want from you. The challenge you face is that not all of them ask directly. Most, in fact, offer subtle behavioral cues rather than telling you outright. Lingering on some pages longer than others, clicking on subject tabs in your blog, and downloading more information on certain topics are strong signals of interest that tell you precisely what leads want to learn about from you. Paying attention to these non-verbal signals sets you apart from competitors who are more concerned with telling their own story than in listening to prospects’ needs.
Create an Authentic Connection
While you can’t be all things to all leads, you can become indispensable to some of your prospects by understanding them thoroughly and demonstrating it through relevant content. Here’s where data science and customer service intersect to form real connections: By learning more about your leads, you can join them on their buying journey, walking alongside them instead of barging ahead and hoping they follow. You might, for example, approach cost-sensitive leads with marketing that emphasizes economy while describing your high ROI to outcome-sensitive prospects. You’re still telling an authentic story, but you’re framing it in different ways to connect with these segments.
Stand for Something
Your company philosophy can be a powerful draw to prospects who share it. By letting your customers know what you consider important about what you do, you encourage them to see the bigger picture too. For non-profit groups, this is especially important, but most companies can benefit from being better at communicating their values to their audience. When leads opt into a shared philosophy and not just a transactional relationship, they’re making a long-term commitment.
Share Testimonials
People like to put their trust in those who have proven themselves trustworthy with others. Testimonials are an excellent way of demonstrating the faith other customers have had in you. A great testimonial is about more than burnishing your reputation; it’s a signal to leads that people like them have seen the value in what you have to offer. Matching testimonials to market segments helps you show your organization to its best advantage.
Being your organization’s best self is an art that demands a good understanding not only of your company’s values, but also what leads admire most. Data enhancement that fills in the blanks on prospect records can give you the lead knowledge you need to meet them on common ground.
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