The majority of individuals are capable of discerning whether a consumer experience is positive or negative through intuitive means.
A technical support representative who abruptly terminates the call, a barista who neglects to acknowledge your order or a website that entices you with a complimentary trial only to charge you upon clicking “subscribe.” These are all negative experiences that are certain to leave a sour flavor in the mouths of customers.
In the interim, we are also aware of when we have had a positive customer experience instinctively. An interaction with a business can leave us feeling satisfied, informed, valued, or occasionally, all three.
Customer experience can be broadly defined as the manner in which consumers perceive a brand. This impression is established by the numerous interactions that consumers engage in with a company.
The term “customer experience” refers to the numerous actions that brands take to prioritize the requirements and preferences of their customers.
All, Not Just First, Impressions Last
Our perception of a business is shaped by our interactions. In numerous instances, a single interaction is sufficient to establish our perception of a brand. A rude barista has the potential to discourage customers from frequenting their preferred coffee establishment. In the interim, a fitness trainer who is pleasant, cheerful, and supportive can motivate customers to maintain their gym memberships.
Before, during, and after a purchase, there are numerous sites of contact between a business and its customers in the digital space. The following are consumer contact points:
- Your social media posts
- Blogs
- Paid online ads
- Conversations with the company’s representatives
- Product feedback surveys
These prospective touchpoints offer a plethora of opportunities for brands to enhance the customer experience. Nevertheless, it is imperative to execute the task correctly. In the alternative, these touchpoints could also present opportunities for consumer dissatisfaction.
There are numerous benefits to utilizing positive consumer experiences in your content marketing strategy. As per a report by PwC:
- Customers are prepared to pay an additional 16% for products and services provided that they have had an exceptional experience with a particular brand.
- If customers have had a positive experience with a brand’s product or service, they are more likely to endorse it on social media and make repeat purchases.
- Customers are more inclined to try other services or products from brands if they have had a positive experience.
- Approximately 63% of consumers indicated that they would be more inclined to provide their data for a service or product they valued.
Conversely, brands are frequently unable to address negative customer experiences, which results in a rapid loss of customers. In the same PWC report, it was discovered that:
Approximately 59% of U.S. consumers will cease to patronize a business or product they adore after experiencing multiple negative incidents, while 17% will abandon it after experiencing only one negative experience.
Improving Customer Experience Through Customer-Centric Marketing
According to a report by the Small Business Administration (SBA), there are approximately 33.2 million small businesses. Standing out can appear to be an impossible endeavor due to the overwhelming number of companies competing for consumers’ attention.
However, this is not necessary. By implementing a content strategy that prioritizes customer experience, you can differentiate yourself from your competitors and retain existing customers while attracting new ones.
Brands frequently commit the error of emphasizing their own strengths: the exceptional quality of their products or services, the distinctiveness of their businesses, and the distinctions they possess from other businesses. Although some of this is essential, particularly during the final phases of the buyer’s journey, it is advisable to adopt a more client-centric approach. The primary objective of your CX marketing strategy should be to establish a relationship with your customers and satisfy their requirements.
Content can and should be customer-centric. In reality, content marketing is only genuinely effective when one comprehends their audience’s pain points, needs, values, and objectives.
As a component of a CX marketing strategy, your content addresses the needs of your consumers, addresses their inquiries, and simplifies their lives by resolving their concerns or assisting them in overcoming their obstacles.
The only way to enhance the customer experience and guarantee that the content you provide transcends their expectations is to integrate customer-centric content into your content marketing strategies.
We have demonstrated the necessity of customer-centric content in order to enhance the consumer experience. Nevertheless, the catch is that the development, execution, and monitoring of content marketing strategies that are specifically designed to enhance the consumer experience are both time-consuming and difficult. This necessitates a client-centric approach to content, as well as content writing expertise and experience.
This is why it is advisable for brands to engage a content marketing strategist or service provider to assist them in utilizing customer-centric content. A content marketing strategist can develop a personalized content marketing strategy and supervise the administration, creation, editing, and publication of client-centric content. The assistance of a content marketing service provider will facilitate the enhancement of the consumer experience through content-based touchpoints.
Types of Customer-Centric Content
Here are a few content categories that can be incorporated into your customer-centric marketing strategy to enhance its customer-centricity, as well as some recommendations for maximizing the potential of these materials.
Reviews
By collecting evaluations and emphasizing the importance of customer feedback, you can establish a more customer-centric organization. Reviews are beneficial to users because they help to clarify the nature of your business, the services it provides, and the manner in which you interact with your consumers.
Brands derive additional benefits from reviews. They contribute to the establishment of credibility by offering social proof of their legitimacy. Additionally, the information obtained from evaluations facilitates a more comprehensive comprehension of your clientele. Consequently, this enables you to customize your content marketing strategies to the highest degree possible in order to satisfy and appeal to them, thereby enhancing the consumer experience.
How To Leverage Reviews To Improve Customer Experience
In a 2021 report by Podium, nearly nine out of ten consumers indicated that evaluations are a factor in the discovery of new businesses. Additionally, a BrightLocal survey discovered that 49% of consumers place the same level of trust in online reviews as they do in recommendations from friends and family.
#1. Review Generation
The most effective approach to guarantee that you have an adequate number of reviews to satisfy your target audience is to incorporate review generation into your customer-centric marketing strategy. Review generation is the process of proactively soliciting consumer testimonials, as opposed to anticipating that they will provide feedback independently.
In order to generate reviews, it is necessary to persuade previous consumers to submit customer testimonials. There are numerous methods to communicate with consumers about the necessity of reviews, including sending reminders via email and text. Additionally, you may establish a landing page that is dedicated to reviews in order to facilitate the process of providing feedback for your consumers.
#2. Review Response
Ensure that you respond to each customer testimonial that you receive. Your company’s treatment and appreciation of its consumers are significantly influenced by the speed and quality of your response. Nevertheless, it is important to bear in mind that contemporary consumers are able to identify when a response is predetermined, and they are not fond of it. Preference is given to responses that are courteous, and personalized, and take into account the content of the reviews.
Currently, the ability to respond promptly to feedback and compose nuanced, helpful responses necessitates both time and writing skills. Consider enlisting the services of a content writing agency or service provider to expedite the process and guarantee optimal outcomes.
A content writing agency is responsible for responding to your customers’ feedback, whereas a content marketing strategist is responsible for your customer experience strategy in relation to content. Simultaneously, the content writing service provider will guarantee that all responses submitted in your organization’s name are consistent with your brand image, guidelines, and tone.
Customer Surveys
In order to ensure that your consumers have an exceptional experience during all of their interactions with your brand, it is essential to identify the approaches that are effective, those that require modification, and those that should be eliminated from your customer experience strategy. Sending consumer surveys is an established method for obtaining this information.
Surveys of customers enable you to monitor their satisfaction levels. They enable you to obtain data regarding your consumers’ opinions and sentiments regarding your brand and products at different stages of their journey. Your consumer experience strategy can be optimized by utilizing this worthwhile data.
Furthermore, client surveys assist in the identification of your “brand promoters.” By including the Net Promoter Score (NPS) query in your survey, you can identify customers who are loyal to your brand and are likely to recommend you to others.
“How likely are you to recommend this company to a friend or colleague?” is the standard NPS query. Then, customers are able to evaluate their responses on a scale of one to ten.
Promoters are individuals who respond with nine or ten. Passives, or consumers who are satisfied with your services but may consider switching to a competing brand, assign a rating of seven or eight. In contrast, your business is rated six or lower by detractors, or customers who have had negative experiences with your business or offerings.
The NPS query also assists in predicting the probability of repurchases, in addition to referrals.
Consider employing email marketing professionals to enhance the likelihood that your customers will read and respond to your email survey request. They will assist you in developing an email customer experience strategy that enhances customer satisfaction and provides the necessary data to enhance your CX marketing.
Designing a CX Survey
Numerous survey templates are accessible for free online. Nevertheless, it is still advisable to customize your survey to align with your objectives. Initially, you will need to inquire: “What information is necessary for my brand to understand the emotions and thoughts of my customers?”
The following questions may be beneficial to include in your survey:
- How frequently do you utilize our products and/or services?
- In your opinion, how did you find our customer service department?
- To what extent did our products or services satisfy your expectations?
You may also request that your customers rate their satisfaction with particular features of your products and services, including reliability, value for money, and quality.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
It is imperative to establish a page that contains frequently inquired questions and answers in order to improve the customer experience. It is convenient for customers to seek a solution on an FAQ page before contacting customer service. This is particularly advantageous if your target demographics are Millennials or Generation Z, as they are notorious for their aversion to telephone contacts.
To guarantee that your consumers have a positive experience upon arriving at your FAQs page, it is advisable to implement the following best practices:
List Questions Your Customers Usually Ask
It is advisable to avoid overcluttering FAQ pages, as an excessive amount of information can be perplexing and may discourage users who require prompt responses. Alternatively, take into account the questions that your customers frequently pose and respond to them in a manner that is as explicit as feasible. Additionally, the inclusion of direct responses to your FAQs increases the likelihood that a search engine will select a query and answer to serve as a featured snippet.
Leverage Content Writing Services
A content writing service provider will assist in guaranteeing that your frequently asked questions are succinct and easily comprehensible, without omitting critical information. Additionally, a content writing agency can optimize your FAQ page for search engines by composing meta descriptions and incorporating keywords into the copy.
