Take a minute to think about how the consumer decision-making process has dramatically evolved over the years. Never before have consumers had such a degree of information so readily available to them. Looking for a new car? Google your favourite brand and get a complete vehicle synopsis with thousands of reviews and recommendations. Looking for a deal on the hottest new gadget? Simply go to a store, snap a photo of the product and upload it to Amazon to get the lowest price and have it delivered to your doorstep by the next day. Talk about the power of online shopping. Today’s consumers are more educated than ever and armed with a vast arsenal of resources.
On the flip side, this can be both a blessing and a curse for businesses vying for customers’ hard earned dollars as one mishap can mean losing a sale to the competition. So how can you stand out and prove you’re not just a run of the mill operation? Simple, keep reading!
One of the best and easiest ways to be recognized is to give your consumers one of the most powerful tools: information. Information from industry experts does wonders in that consumers get to receive free information on a product or service that you could potentially provide for them down the road. What this does in their mind is it establishes a sense of trust that helps you leapfrog other contenders on the totem pole. Thus creating a line of communication between you and the consumer.
Useful information is important, but access to that information is crucial. All of the information in the world won’t do potential customers any good if they can’t find it. The key is to have that information ready the second someone needs it. So how do you do this? Online marketing. Sending content out across your digital mediums is the number one way to increase the chances of users seeing and accessing your content. One more thing, platforms such as social media are a great way to spread your content’s reach, but as a rule of thumb your content should originate from your website. The reason behind this being that it’s much easier for users to get in touch with you via your site and now you have them on your radar using your website’s analytics.
Educating consumers is great. Being accessible is essential too, but if you really want to see results you’ll need to make the road map between you and your consumers as short and simple as possible. The worst thing that could happen is that a consumer finds your information, but gets frustrated along the way because it’s taking too long to get to the actual content so they retreat and go to one of your competitors. The key is to remember that, just like you, people don’t like to waste time so having information ready for when they need it is paramount.
With so many options available to them, today’s consumers can be finicky, impatient, commitment phoebes. However, one thing that 99% of people respond to is a brand that can provide helpful information when and where it’s needed. If you implement these simple tips you’ll be sure to see results. Just remember to not get frustrated if it takes a while for consumers to start noticing you, the consumer hunt takes plenty of patience, savvy and a whole lot of determination!