You’ve seen them – QR Codes. They are those funny looking data-matrix squares found on marketing materials, business cards, movie posters, t-shirts, etc.  QR Codes have been around since 1997 and have resurfaced as a new found marketing tool.  In fact, my latest Brookstone catalog last month was covered in QR Codes!

 Why QR Codes Matter

• A Nielsen report  indicates Smartphones account for 31% of US mobile phone owners as of December 2010.
• EMarketer predicts Smartphone ownership will reach 43% of the US mobile population by 2015
• Morgan Stanley Research estimates sales of Smartphones will exceed those of PCs in 2012

In a recent blog article written by Ryan Goff titled Breaking: QR Code Stats Revealed, a survey conducted by MGH revealed why users would use a QR Code and that by using QR Codes, it makes your marketing to stand out from the rest:

What are QR Codes

The QR (Quick Response) Code is a low-cost, efficient technology that can be used by small business owners to market their products and/or services or create brand awareness.  There are many ways to use these Codes on your website, social media sites, marketing collateral, business cards (see mine) or even use for your Facebook or Twitter ID (not sure I like this one).  To access the QR Code, simply download a barcode reader on your SmartPhone and scan away.  My QR Code directs you to one of my YouTube videos about customer loyalty.  

Creating QR Codes

Creating a QR code is simple.  I found QRinkle which enables you to create a trackable QR Code at its optimal size of 1” to 1.25”.   Based on my research, a png or jpg file will work on most websites. However, when doing larger-scale printing, you will typically need a high-resolution image that doesn’t lose quality when resized.  According to Qrinkle, by using Google Analytics on your website or mobile website, you can specify campaign information to allow you to track each generated code within your Analytics.  Good stuff.

Question:  What ways have you used QR Codes for your small business marketing?

 What is a Microsoft Tag

A Microsoft Tag is a newer technology developed by Microsoft in 2009. It looks different than a QR Code and is customizable.  To use this service, you must register for a Microsoft account.  One plus is that the Microsoft Tags allow a much smaller size than QR Codes.  The Microsoft Tags service features built-in analytics, but more importantly, you can change the content behind the Tags through your Microsoft account.  Start an account and create your own MS Tag.  How do you decide which one to use:  QR Codes versus Microsoft Tags?  Which one would you use and why?  My advice is keep it simple.  If QR Codes are good enough for Brookstone, they are good enough for me.  Most importantly, begin to use QR Codes or Microsoft Tags to provide a richer engagement with your potential customers.  Get crazy with QR Codes!

Groupon offers subscribers a deal-of-the-day where a local business features services or products at heavily reduced discounts anywhere from 50-90% off. The catch is that the business sets a minimum number of purchases before the deal is “on” for everyone. With over 10 million subscribers at last count, Groupon is a powerful marketing tool sought out by both the biggest and smallest of business owners. From what I hear from local businesses, there is a waiting list to feature your business.

That hasn’t been a problem for most businesses, and in fact, some have been overwhelmed with the response rate. Groupon launched its first national deal this past Thursday with GAP to offer $50 worth of apparel and accessories for $25 and about 450,000 Groupons were sold.

Sounds incredible right? But what about the local small business that creates these deals. If they are barely surviving and think that a Groupon campaign is the answer, they may be sadly mistaken. Here are some things to considering using these types of services:

• Cap the number of deals you are willing to sell. Decide first how much in discounts your business can afford to accept based on your margins.
• Prepare your store. Decide who will be in charge of handling these coupon customers when they have questions about the program. Make sure that your front liners gladly accept the discounts.
• Prepare your staff. Let them know you are participating in this type of marketing and that you have their buy-in. This is the time to make your best first impression with these customers.
• Have a Retention Plan in place. What good is it if you have this rush of business but you aren’t retaining these customers? Many of them are simply looking for the deal of the day and never plan to return. Encourage them to join your mailing lists, social media sites, text messaging campaigns, etc., and give them a compelling reason to return – one being your outstanding customer experience.

We’ve just begun to see more and more group buying websites pop up due to Groupon’s popularity. Sites like Buywithme.com and Livingsocial.com are other examples. Make sure that your customer loyalty programs capture these customers so that you can grow your repeat business. Otherwise, you could be missing out on the full benefit of increased customer traffic.

 

Norma, The Loyalty Lady,is an innovative Customer Experience Strategist, Business Coach, Blogger and Speaker. She works with small service businesses to help them build an unprecedented customer experience that will drive customer loyalty and retention. Contact her at Norma@CaptivatedCustomers.com or by phone at (480) 694-6940.

This name makes sense because I help small business owners improve customer retention by improving customer engagement.  As The Loyalty Lady, I do that by uncovering opportunities in your business to provide more value to customers and help you build customer relationships resulting in customer retention.

Customer Loyalty is complicated. But to simplify it, I’ve developed a simple equation that describes the components of Customer Loyalty. The equation goes like this:

Magic + Relationships + Value = Customer Loyalty

Magic is about creating an unanticipated, extraordinary experience that customers won’t forget. It brings to mind the experience my son just had in purchasing his Iphone at the Apple Store. First, Apple allowed people to pre-purchase the Phones so that when the pre-purchasers arrived to pick up their phones from the store, they had priority treatment with their own line. Apple also provided those who waited in line food, a drink and an umbrella to shield them from the Arizona Sun in June. It’s those special touches that help develop that loyalty.

Relationships drive customer loyalty as well. When people feel connected to you and your business, loyalty is right behind. People no longer want to be treated like sheople. Customers want to be noticed, appreciated and valued. Building these relationships takes time and are built with each experience a customer has with your business. Look for opportunities to strengthen the relationships with your customers from the first time they do business with you and beyond.

Do you provide Value through your products and services? In an MSN poll, customers were asked “what is your number one customer service expectation?” The top answer was product knowledge (over friendliness and readily available staff). Customers today won’t put up with businesses that don’t support their needs and wants. Given that, we want to be sure that our front liners have the product knowledge they need to provide value to their customers.

Customer retention and loyalty are the keys to your sustained growth. As your Loyalty Lady, I want to share with you innovative ways to drive loyalty and sales. Turn up the magic, build relationships and provide value to your customers and watch what happens. Wishing you all the success you can handle,

The Loyalty Lady

Norma Huibregtse

Norma is an innovative Customer Experience Strategist, Business Coach, Blogger and Speaker. Her goal is to inspire business owners to captivate their customers and turn them into raving fans so that their businesses can experience increased profits and more fun. Contact Norma at (480) 694-6940, by email at norma@captivatedcustomers.com or visit the website at CaptivatedCustomers.com

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As a former cosmetics consultant, I would make it part of the sales process to communicate with my new customers that I not only valued the initial sale, but I let them know that I wanted them to be customers for life.  It made a huge difference in building that customer relationship.

Just think about it for a minute.  Let’s say you went to a coffee shop and the counter person said to you as you were purchasing your coffee: “Thank you for coming in. We want you as a customer for life as long as you’ll have us.”

To boost customer relationships and customer retention in your business, tell your new customers that you want create a lifelong relationship.  You’ll be glad you did!  And when you do, tell us all about it by leaving a comment below.

Norma is an innovative Customer Experience Strategist, Business Coach, Blogger and Speaker. Her goal is to inspire business owners to captivate their customers and turn them into raving fans so that their businesses can experience increased profits. Contact Norma at (480) 694-6940 or visit the website http://captivatedcustomers.com.

Promoters are your fans and advocates who love doing business with you.  They purchase the most, they buy more, and they provide the bulk of your referrals.  Your Passivists can take you or leave you.  If a better offer comes along, they are the first to shop elsewhere.  Your Punishers are your customers who are your repeat complainers who like to tell others about the poor experience they had with you.

Our job is to take a look at our customer base and identify each of these customer segments.  Make a list of your Promoters and ask yourself how you are engaging this group.  They want to be in your VIP Club, they want special offers, they want to be part of a customer focus group.  Engage them differently and watch what happens.  They will be even more excited and motivated to tell others just like themselves that they should do business with you too.

There could be several reasons why your Passivists are not loyal.  Make a list of these customers, the ones who do business with you sporadically.  Find out why they haven’t been purchasing from you as they did before.  Determine which of their needs aren’t being met and fix what you can.

The third segment is your Punishers.  We’ve all had them.  They complain frequently and they return products often.  Get in front of these customers and have a conversation about their needs.  Often, you can convert these dissatisfied customers straight to Promoters if you can resolve their issues. Sometimes the best thing you can do is to let them go.  But take the high road.  If you know of someone else in your industry that would be a better fit, be willing to arrange an introduction.

Customer engagement includes knowing your customer segments. Your goal should be to identify these segments and follow this plan:  keep your Promoters engaged, fine ways to move your Passivists to Promoters, and move your Punishers to Promoters or move them out.

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1)      Introduction Video – Create a video that allows you to personalize your message about you and your company.  Let them see who you are as you tell them about your products and services.  Remember that people do business with people, not companies.

2)      How-To Videos – These videos tell your customers how you can get more out of your products and services.  For example, one of my carpet cleaning clients is creating a video about “How to Prepare for our Visit” that will explain to her customers how to prepare the carpet, which furniture to move, how long the appointment will take, etc. This video will be included in the appointment confirmation email she sends to customers.  Once an appointment is completed, another email will be sent that shares tips for after-care.

3)      Facilities Tour Video – To increase anticipation (or reduce anxiety) over a visit to a new service provider (such as a dentist, chiropractor, or veterinarian), allow your customers to see your facility before they arrive.  Let them know what it will be like when they walk in that front door, what they can expect to experience and how they will be treated.

4)      Event Videos – Rev up the excitement about an upcoming event that you are having with video.  Recently, I participated in a Social Media event that included video to market to potential participants.  It was an interview format and allowed the host to share the details about the event in a fun, engaging way to audience.

5)      Video Testimonials – We all know testimonials help us build credibility about ourselves, our products and our services. Taking it to video is even stronger.  Being able to see and hear a customer share their positive experience they had with you is invaluable to your business.  Guide your customers as they prepare a video testimonial.  Ask them to use the P.S.S. system which is to share the problem they had, the solution, and the savings in time, money, etc.

Post these videos on your website, social spaces such as Facebook, LinkedIn, and others.  Create a YouTube channel where your videos can be seen by others.  Through video, your customers will feel more in tune with your business and will help spread the word about their wonderful customer experience.

Tell us how you are using video marketing in your own business?

Last week, I held a “Where’s Walda” contest on Facebook after being inspired by one of my Facebook friends. I told my fans that I hid Walda on one of my website pages and that the first person to find it would receive a gift card from me.  My goal was to have my fans learn more about my business by driving more traffic to my website and rewarding one of them for doing so. It resulted in a 150% increase in site visits from the previous day and a 6-fold increase in the average time on site.  WOW!  One happy fan found it and said that she was so impressed that she was going to try it too.

I’m convinced that fans just wanna’ have fun.  Customer engagement happens when you create the unexpected and extraordinary in your service experience, both online and offline. Walt Disney said it best when he said:  “Do what you do so well, that they will want to see it again and bring their friends.”

What are some of the ways that you have engaged your connections/customers on your social media spaces?  Post a comment and you could be featured on my Facebook Page.

1) Being ignored by sales staff (hey, I’m over here!)
2) Staff that have little to no product knowledge
3) Not standing behind your products (do I really need to buy a warranty?)
4) Putting people on the phone, help line, etc. whose English is hard to understand
5) Offices that aren’t available during lunch time (dental, medical, what are you thinking?)
6) Long waits on the phone
7) When a sales person says “it’s not my department”
Lengthy phone trees (is there a live person anywhere?)
9) Putting a caller before a live person (answer the phone, put them on hold, and deal with me)
10) Having to repeat myself to multiple service representatives when I have a problem

Can you sympathize with any of them? Is your company guilty of any of them? These customer service mistakes can be costing you sales. Now keep in mind that only 4% of your customers will complain directly, 96% just go away and 91% WON’T COME BACK.

As a business owner, spend time out on the floor of your retail establishment or spend time listening to service calls or ask your staff about customer complaints and what they hear from customers. If you run a micro business, you aren’t off the hook. Some of these customer service mistakes apply to you too. Ask your customers what bugs them about your business.

There is no better time than now to improve your customer service experience. Need help, check out our services at http://captivatedcustomers.com. Fix it, and they will come.

Do you remember a commercial that featured a woman who just finished shopping, walks out of the store and yells to her husband “start the car, start the car”, because she thought they hadn’t charged her enough for the things she purchased?  What message does that send to the consumer?  In a roundabout way, it says that it’s okay to cheat.  What they wanted to convey is that their prices are so low, we can’t live without them. Call me crazy, but there are better ways to get the message out.

Here’s something else on my mind.  We’ve all gone to trade shows and conventions and have put our cards into drawings that promise something free.  Have you found that free isn’t really free after all?  I recently received a call from a company that said I had won $300 in free services.  But, I would have to come in and “talk” to a specialist before I booked my appointment.  So was it really free?  Not in my book.  I should be able to make an appointment and use my gift.  By the way, I never heard back from them.

This next example speaks again to dishonest customer engagement.  My online contact lenses provider often sends me emails to reorder my contact lenses.  One of the last emails they sent me reported that they had an overstock of my lenses and that they blamed it on someone in their company who had over ordered.  In the email, they specifically said they wouldn’t “name names”.  Wow!  They were willing to throw to someone in their company “under the bus” (or pretend to) so that they could sell products.  So I sent them an email asking them why they used this marketing tactic.  They kindly responded saying that it wasn’t what they meant.

I have seen more and more companies getting desperate and dishonest in their marketing.  I know times are tough but your customers deserve better.  If I were consulting with companies that do this, I would tell them to STOP, because it isn’t how customer engagement works.  We are smarter than you think and see right through these messages.  If you think I’m off base, let me know. If you need better ways to engage your customers, call me. 

Norma is an innovative Customer Experience Strategist, Business Coach, Blogger and Speaker. Her goal is to inspire business owners to captivate their customers and turn them into raving fans so that their businesses can experience increased profits and more fun. Contact Norma at (480) 694-6940, or visit the website at CaptivatedCustomers.com or email her at norma@captivatedcustomers.com

So many business owners spend quite a bit of money to attract new customers.  But if too many of your customers are leaving on the backend, what good was the money that you spent attracting them?  It’s time to stop (or at minimum reduce) the churn.  Here’s how:

 1)  Look who’s churning. 

Make a list of your top 20-40 customers by spend for the prior year.  Then, make a list of your top 20-40 customers based on their spend for this year.  Compare these lists.  Have there been any changes in the list of names?  Who has left you?  Do you know why? 

2)  Find out how much it’s costing you. 

Compare the current spending amounts of your customers to the prior year.  If you are seeing a general decline, it is understandable considering the economy.  If you see significant differences in spending amounts for a customer, it could mean that they are buying some of their products and services elsewhere. 

 3)  Find out why they left you.

Getting feedback from your customers is one of the best ways to find out why they left you.  Research company Polaris found that the most successful methods for reaching out to lost customers is to conduct phone interviews with them.   Here are a couple of questions you want to ask:

• What changed for you?
• What do you feel our competitor does better than us?
• What would it take to get you back?

 4)  Implement changes based on the feedback.

Look at this feedback as a gift.  Use it to improve your systems, products, services and customer engagement.  Here’s the good news.  According to Jill Griffin of the Griffin Group, sales statistics show that on average a company has a 20-40% sales profitability of successfully selling to lost customers.  Compare that to the fact that on average, a company has a 5-20% probability of selling to a NEW customer. 

Can we stop all churn? No, some is involuntary and some is necessary.  But if you are losing the best of your customers, take action now to stop the churn.

Norma is an innovative Customer Experience Strategist, Business Coach, Blogger and Speaker and owner of Captivated Customers. Her goal is to inspire business owners to captivate their customers and turn them into raving fans so that their businesses can experience increased profits and more fun.  You can contact Norma at norma@captivatedcustomers.com or call her at(480) 694-6940.