Be Extra Picky This Valentine’s Day

It’s Valentine’s Day (almost) which means love is in the air and on our minds. If you are out on the dating scene, you might get advice that you should stay picky and not settle for less than you deserve. This same high standard should be set for your customers in your business too. Wait, what? Aren’t all customers great? Isn’t all revenue a positive thing? Maybe, but maybe not. The key, just like for the single on the dating scene, is finding quality not always quantity. Dating cliches aside, let’s dig deeper into why customer quality matters and how we can ensure our customer connections are, well, worthy of our time!

Why finding the right customers matters to your business success:

• Customer acquisition costs are rarely low! It costs a lot of money to acquire a new customer.
• A square peg won’t fit in the round hole! If your product or service doesn’t fit a certain customer’s needs, they are not going to be loyal to your brand.
• Resources are always scarce. Your not-so-profitable customers take your resources away from your target customers.

How to put yourself out there and snag those “quality” customers:

1. Understand your type. They say everyone has a “type” and your business is likely no exception. Develop a persona of your best customer based on data that you most likely have at your fingertips such as acquisition cost, repeat buying behavior, brand loyalty, social media influence, cross-selling potential, etc. Understanding who your target customers are will let you serve them better (and retain them) as well as attract more customers similar to them.
2. Create a strategy that attracts that specific type. Once that persona is developed, it’s time to create a strategy to attract that persona. If your best customer type spends all of his or her time on social media, your marketing strategy should optimize that channel.
3. Put extra effort into hanging onto the good ones. The best customers for your business to connect with possess three characteristics. They are loyal, profitable and willing to pay more for your services because they have brand-love. Customer experience often wins the brand race with these coveted customers. In fact, American Express recently conducted a survey that showed 60% of customers were willing to pay if they had a better customer experience. These loyal customers were also shown to stay with their main squeeze, err brands, if they felt appreciated and taken care of! Your customer acquisition cost is almost always higher than the efforts required to retain current customers, making this a bit of a no brainer.
4. Be overly analytical. In the world of dating and romance, too much thinking can be a bad thing. In the customer connection game, however, analysis (and lots of it) are the key to success. Using data and analytical tools to keep an eye on metrics that will help you find, acquire and retain target customers. In addition, your hawkishness will help you take note and pivot when changes occur.

Having an understanding of who your target customers are and applying your marketing strategies toward wooing, impressing and retaining those customers will not only make your heart happy, it will lift your bottom line. Just like in matters of the heart, it’s good to be a bit picky.

Need help getting to know your best customers? I can help you get started!

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