Online media, including social media, are essential tools to offer relevant content to the right target group at the right time. This is where many traditional companies go wrong. They may be on Facebook or other channels, but they use them mainly to send commercial messages. Or they forget to generate leads using clear call-to-action moments on their website.
Investing in the basics of a good online presence is a must in 2017. It is remarkable that many SMEs are still not sufficiently aware of this.
3. Care about your customer
SMEs often do care about their customers, but do they show it enough? In practice, a lot goes wrong in the customer experience. Last year, I once summarized my experiences in a hotel in Germany in a blog about customer experience. My satisfaction with this hotel was far from optimal, mainly because I got the feeling that the staff was not really interested in creating an excellent experience.
Improving the customer experience starts with listening to the customer. Sometimes this can be done in a personal conversation, but the use of social listening tools can also be a solution. A simple but effective tool is Google Alerts, which can be used to monitor when the company name in question is mentioned.
Satisfaction measurement can also take a very hosptial ceos mailing list simple form, sometimes simply with a question on a (literal) beer mat
A more targeted form of customer satisfaction measurement is still the survey. This survey can be aimed at measuring the Net Promoter Score ('To what extent would you recommend company/brand/product X to friends/family/colleagues?'). But satisfaction measurement can also take a very simple form, sometimes simply with a question on a (literal) beer mat. Ultimately, of course, it is about what is done with customer feedback. An authentic customer-oriented attitude and the will to continuously improve is anchored in the start-up mindset. This can serve as an example for SME companies that do not always have this in their DNA.
4. Use (almost) free tools
Startups are usually short of cash and will have to keep their cash burn rate as low as possible. This means: minimal marketing investment, maximum effect. That is a challenge. The good news is that there are a multitude of free or almost free online resources available that can help in various areas. Startups are enthusiastically using these tools. Some examples: