How to Improve Communication with Customers

Marketing today is increasingly consumer-driven. To improve communication with customers, marketers should communicate in the ways that consumers prefer, and via the channels they are used to. For example, with the rise of social media marketing, brands can communicate directly with their customers to develop products that sell, making consumers product “co-creators.” 

85% of Gen Z says social media impacts purchase decisions. Hence, marketers can leverage social media platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat, to not only reach new audiences, but also build long-lasting relationships that make advocates buzz about their products. It’s key for marketers to have fans talking about their products, as people often learn about brands through friends and online connections today.

Here are a few tips to ensure proper customer engagement to build connections that will last:

Don’t Waste Their Time.

While it’s understood that too little communication can be an issue, the same goes for too much. Be cautious of the volume and type of communication you are using. The most important part of any communication is the value that it holds. Ensure that what you have to say can add value to their life and your business. It’s also important to be conscious of how often you communicate with your customers. If you send emails or other forms of communication too frequently, the message you are trying to convey will lose its impact and customers will lose interest.

Go Omnichannel.

Communicating on social media is a must today. Even though it’s not necessary to be on every platform, having an online presence on key social commerce sites is crucial for elevating your level of customer engagement and forming stronger bonds with customers. That being said, it’s important that you use the appropriate channels. Limit yourself to one or two for proper channel management and remember, consistency is key.

Moreover, social media is not the only source of communication. Secure networks provide messaging platforms for their users. For example, LinkedIn uses InMail for direct messages. It’s a great tool to reach a specific prospect directly and get their attention. Don’t neglect traditional means of communication such as face-to-face, email, printed communications, and video or podcasting. In addition, be sure that the messaging is brief and concise for all of these outlets. Whether you’re highlighting updates to current customers or promoting a new product, ensure that communication across all channels is aligned with your primary goals.

Listen More.

Feedback from your customers is absolutely critical. Take the time to absorb what your customer is saying and respond to their particular problem or request. Not only will you be able to respond in a respectful and beneficial manner but it will also give a better indication of what your customers need.

Beyond listening, put yourself in your customer’s situation. Your customer’s problem is your problem and you need to be empathetic to what they need, while also offering solutions that are a good fit for both of you. Business needs are always evolving and by listening to customers, you’ll be able to meet this need as well as build healthier customer relationships along the way.

Be Loyal To Your Brand Values.

90% of customers report that authenticity is an important factor in deciding which brands they like. Millennials and Gen Z (the majority of your audience today) prefer brands that are “real and organic” as opposed to “perfect and well-packaged.” To improve communication with customers, you need to stay loyal to your brand values.

While it can be daunting for companies to take a strong stance in certain scenarios, don’t’ be afraid to stand for something, especially if it’s a positive message and consistent with your brand. Even though you run the risk of disengaging some of your audience, as a result, you’ll build stronger relationships with those customers that remain. If you want loyal customers, you need them to care about you as much as you care about them.

In regards to all communication, it’s crucial that you determine the best venues to engage with your customers and develop a plan to deliver these messages. There are numerous means of communicating so it’s important to choose those that best suit the needs, budget, and brand story of your company. There is no one true answer on the best way to improve communication with customers because there are 100 little things that go into every circumstance. Ways of communicating are always changing and it’s important to adapt to these changing methods and technologies in order to best connect with your target market of customers.

30 tips to improve communication with customers on your website!

1. Make your value prop crystal clear.

As humans, we have short attention spans. Today we’re likely to leave a website immediately if the value proposition isn’t clear. Use a five second test on UsabilityHub to see whether or not your website headline is immediately apparent.

2. Give visitors a clear action button.

What’s the purpose of your website? What’s the #1 action you want visitors to take? Once you have those two things crystal clear, make it focal point of your homepage with a short line of copy and a beautiful button. If you have more than one call-to-action, you’re doing it wrong.

3. Use colorful, custom photographs.

A picture is worth a thousand words. Invest in photography to best communicate your brand to your shoppers. Invite a few friends (and one who has a high-quality camera) to a photo shoot for an afternoon. You’ll have great images to use and reuse for months.

4. Use live chat to convert web traffic into leads.

When visitors land on your website make sure you’re there to give them instant answers. 75% of customers expect “now” service within five minutes of making contact online. Adding live chat software like Pure Chat to your website not only adds another communication channel, but a preferred channel.

5. Track traffic sources.

The better you understand where your web visitors are coming from, the better you can craft your message to serve them. Using Google Analytics to track traffic sources is an easy choice. SmallBizTrends provides a step-by-step article on how to use Google Analytics for your website.

6. Get quick insights.

Use a tool like Qualaroo to get feedback about what’s working and what’s not on your website. You’ll learn not just that certain aspects aren’t working but also dig into why.

7. Streamline your contact forms.

Gone are the days of eight-field contact forms. By now we should all know that increasing form fields on your website will decrease conversion. Use a tool like Typeform to make the contact form process simple and delightful for your website visitors.

8. Follow up with email marketing.

If you fail to follow up after someone reaches out from your website, it’s a poor customer experience. Tools like Mailchimp make it easy to create subscriber forms and send email to your web subscribers.

9. Make it easy and delightful to call.

Although many website visitors will prefer faster forms of communication like live chat, it’s still a good idea to have a phone number clearly visible on your website. For those who do choose to call, enhance the experience and use data to make the call personal. TalkDesk provides integrations with CRMs to give you a full view of contact history with each caller and tailor the conversation to them.

10. Make it easy to engage on social media.

No matter which communication channels you provide on your website, some people will feel most comfortable engaging on social. Give website visitors easy access to all of your social channels and monitor them frequently with Tweetdeck or Respondly for support.

11. Use positive instead of negative statements.

Remember the saying, ‘You’ll catch more flies with honey than vinegar?’ Readers on your website want to be encouraged and shown the benefit of what you provide instead of focusing on negativity.

12. Write blog posts to add additional value.

Whatever problem your product or service is solving, your blog should do the same. Providing additional value (in the form of content) for the same purpose helps educate your audience and gives them even more reasons to make a purchase.

13. Ensure everything is beautiful on mobile web.

Over 38% of web traffic now comes from mobile devices. This shift has caused Google to penalize mobile websites that aren’t up to snuff. Don’t miss out on organic traffic and ensure your website is mobile friendly.

14. Create an infographic.

While you’re busy creating better visual communication assets, why not create an infographic? It’s a great way to communicate your brand, solve a real problem for you website visitor, and present it in a truly delightful way. Who doesn’t prefer an infographic to a long block of text? Canva has a free online infographic creator that’s easy to use for non-designers.

15. Create a newsletter with great content.

A newsletter is a great way for website visitors to stay in touch even after they leave your website. Turn a one-time, curiosity-driven website visit into a long-lasting and valuable relationship adding him or her to your newsletter list. And remember, email marketing is a two-way conversation.

16. Write with personality.

People trust brands they know. If the voice of your website copy is bland, boring or cold you’re missing out on that magic connection. Use your personality to build that connection and draw people into what you’re all about.

17. Let your customers do the talking.

hoppers trust reviews and recommendations from their peers. Use a review system to share the feedback and results from your customers. A study found that 88% of consumers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations. If you’ve run out of steam talking about yourself, just add customer testimonials to your site (but make sure to include names and companies).

18. Improve internal communication.

Responding to incoming web chat requests or support tickets from website visitors requires compassion and precision. If your internal communication is broken, it may impact your ability to quickly resolve customer questions. Strengthen internal communication with tools like Slack, so everyone is on the same page and can effectively communicate externally.

19. Ask for feedback.

Consider asking your customers (and even prospects!) for feedback on your website. You can do this when you’re on the phone or chatting with them. If you’ve built up a newsletter list you can also send out surveys asking subscribers for details about what would be most valuable. Constant dialogue via surveys or product quizzes is a good way to improve communication with customers long-term.

20. Improve the organization of your site.

Card sorting is a great exercise if you want to improve information architecture of your website. Engage customers and leads in a card sorting exercise to rethink the organization of content and ideas. They will definitely appreciate the inclusion.

21. Update page titles and meta descriptions.

Have you ever been Googling something and the search result description isn’t helpful? Improving page titles and meta-descriptions on your website will ensure you’re properly communicating expectations before someone lands on your site.

22. Make the buying process a breeze.

If you’re an eCommerce website, the last place you want to introduce friction is on your shopping cart or checkout pages. To do this, limit the number of form fields required to checkout and get rid of anything that’s not mission critical to making a purchase. Your future customers will thank you with their dollars. Improving the buying process communicates to your buyers that you value their time.

23. Don’t “info dump.”

There is such thing as too much information on a website. Although you may think your website is the one shot you have to share everything you do, switch up your thinking. Consider your visitors first. Only add elements to your website that are absolutely necessary. Not everything you want to communicate is valuable at this stage of the buying process.

24. Use icons.

Icons are like mini pictures. Just like a photo is worth 1,000 words, icons can explain something in a small space. Using icons can visually communicate key points about your product or service in a delightful way. Many websites offer clean, modern icon sets for free.

25. Proofread.

As the saying goes, “Good first impressions…are good for business.” Proofreading will ensure you present your business in a polished and professional manner. No one likes stumbling across an error. It reflects poorly and may indicate your team lacks attention to detail.

26. Create a robust FAQ page.

Building an easy- to-consume page for frequently asked questions is critical to customer communication on your website. If there are any questions you’re regularly asked by prospects or customers, add it to the page. Just make sure you keep it neat and organized!

27. Use trust logos.

If you’ve had your product featured in prominent publications like Forbes, Entrepreneur or Inc. you should showcase these trust logos on your website. Including references to famous brands you worked with can significantly improve communication with customers.

28. Introduce dynamic content.

If your website content is “dynamic” that means the web copy and images displayed will change depending on who is visiting. For example, if you’ve tracked a website visitor with cookies and know they are a repeat customer, you might show them a coupon for free shipping. If someone is visiting your website for the first time, you may highlight a favorite product. Hubspot has written about the benefits of dynamic content and extreme personalization in your marketing. The more tailored your messages, the better you’re communicating.

29. Create a helpful footer.

Don’t make your website footer an afterthought, but don’t get too crazy by adding an entire sitemap to your footer either. Just include links to your key pages. Design your footer in a way that doesn’t distract from your core content, but make sure it’s clear enough for your visitors to navigate. If you do have a lot of links, don’t forget to optimize for mobile!

30. Repeat your message in different ways.

It’s very rare you get things right the first time. Consider repeating your same core message in different ways, using different language throughout your site. Different phrasing may connect with different people.

Conclusion

To sum up, effective communication with customers is pivotal for fostering lasting relationships and enhancing brand loyalty. To improve communication with customers, marketers must focus on delivering value through carefully chosen communication channels, listening actively to customer feedback, and staying true to their brand values. By adapting to the evolving landscape of customer communication preferences and technologies, businesses can ensure meaningful engagement and sustained growth.

If you struggle with your marketing strategy and seek to improve communication with customers, get in touch with Trellis for a free consultation on how to revamp your brand interactions.