Repetition is the key to keeping up with virtual customers.
It seems like with each passing day sign business becomes less and less about face time and more and more about virtual time. Your sign customers like to feel connected to the businesses they use. With the way society is developing some people feel more connected when they are linked to a business through various forms of technology, including the internet, email and text messaging. Don't underestimate the power a strong virtual presence can have on a customer's view of your business. In order to maintain virtual relationships you need to be sure and follow the suggestions below:
- Make sure you are able to participate to the fullest in the virtual world by using software and hardware that is up-to-date and reliable. This investment is vital if you expect to keep up with your customers on the internet. Facebook, Twitter, Wordpress, WordBooker, Tweetdeck, Twitterfeed are all ones that we use here at SIGNWarehouse, among others.
- If you start down the virtual path, stick with it! Send messages to your customers as regularly as suits your business with information on specials or developments at the shop. Also communicate with them virtually to follow-up after a business transaction.
- Don't forget to be a person. It may not be face-to-face communication, but that doesn't change the fact that it is a person-to-person relationship. Don't get too formal or mechanical in your responses via email or text, and make sure you always add a personal touch!
- Be regular in your email communication. Take a bit of time each day to answer any emails from customers, or write to one you haven't heard from in awhile. Also make sure and keep your web-site up-to-date. There is nothing worse than having old or irrelevant information on a web-site to make you look like a poor player in the virtual ring.
- Don't forget about the phone. If you find that a customer isn't responding to email communication, or if you are having trouble getting your point across clearly remember you can use the phone, or even a letter, to communicate. Be flexible and learn how to respond to each customer in a way that best matches his needs.
A short email or a brief text message can get a customer thinking about your business in a less invasive and time consuming way than a telephone call. While it may take some time for older schools of business to catch up to the trend, virtual communication is a key aspect of modern business that isn't going anywhere anytime soon. Keeping up good virtual relationships with your customers contributes to keeping up good relationships with your customers, period.
