How to Get to Know Your Customers Better

As a business owner in a hugely digital and internet-centric world, it’s never been more important, or more easy, to get to know your customers better. Not only can it help to drive sales and draw in new customers, but it also, and arguably more importantly, acts to retain the customer base you have. But why should you get to know your customers better and how can you execute those methods to deliver meaningful results?

Why is it important to get to know your customers?

You might be thinking why it’s so important to get to know your customers better, and you’d be right to think that given that you have so many other aspects of your business to worry about. But there are several reasons why you should consider taking the time out to get to know your customers.  For example, 83% of customers cite excellent customer service as an important part of their consumer experience, according to Khoros. You can only tailor your services to your customers if you know and understand them better. 

Something else to consider is that 73% of customers expect a company to understand their wants and needs and to, therefore, exceed their expectations, states Salesforce – another reason to get to know your customers better. But how can you do that effectively? Let’s take a look.

How to get to know your customers better

This is an important part of owning a business. You need to know and understand your audience, together with what they want, what they’re looking for and what they need. However, in a world where online shopping is more prevalent in society than it ever has been, with 2.64 billion people worldwide shopping online in 2023 so far, according to Oberto, it can be difficult for business owners to get to know their customers. But there are plenty of ways to do that, including using the following methods:

Get active on social media

Social media is incredibly advantageous when it comes to getting to know your customers better. Make sure you take a scroll through your Facebook, Instagram and Twitter pages, together with other social media networks you might be signed up to, paying particular attention to any comments or recommendations made. See what people have tagged their friends in and then tailor your operations to what your customers, seemingly, want from you. Not only will this help you to retain existing customers, but it will encourage new customers also.

Ask customers to fill out a survey

Among other methods of getting to know your customers better, asking customers to fill out a survey is a highly-effective way of learning how your customers think and what they expect from your goods and/or services. The great thing about a survey is that you can devise the questions yourself. 

Ask your customers the questions that you want answered the most. Which ones would offer the best-yet-most-beneficial insight? It’s recommended that you put your survey together online to make it easier for customers to find and then fill out to the best of their ability and knowledge.

Read your reviews & respond appropriately

Reviews offer a valuable insight into exactly what your customers think about your goods and/or services or even what they really think about your business in general. They’re a raw, real-life account of what your company offers and how it operates and so you need to use those to your advantage, even if they’re negative. What you need to do is pick out everything that needs working on rather than emphasising what’s already going well f or you. 

In addition, you should reply to your customer reviews, no matter their content. This shows that you care about what your customers are saying and that you’re working to ensure their experience will be better the second time around. This helps to win customers back who didn’t enjoy their experience last time as well as reel in some new ones. You’ll also learn more about what your customers’ needs and wants are without explicitly asking them.

Plan & host an event

Planning and hosting an event, no matter what it’s for or what’s involved, will be beneficial for bringing in your customers, both existing and new. Use the event as a way for your customers to know and understand exactly what it is you offer, whether it be goods or services. Whilst the event is being held, make observations about those who are attending. Where do they gravitate to the most? What do people look to be most interested in? What do people enquire about or ask questions about most commonly? Use the answers to those questions to target people more whilst also making a great impression by hosting an excellent, fun and positive event.

Try a customer loyalty scheme

A loyalty scheme is an effective way of ensuring your customers keep coming back to you. There are a number of ways in which you can execute a customer loyalty scheme, such as a stamp card every time someone makes a purchase, or giving someone money off their next purchase after they’ve spent a specific amount already. Think about what your customers would find most attractive in terms of rewards and use that in your loyalty scheme plan.

Hold a competition

Competitions are a great way of getting people in the community talking. Not only are they excited about the opportunity to win something amazing, but they’re also talking about your business – the person holding the competition in the first place. In addition to that, if your prize involves something that you sell, whether it be a product or a service, then the winner gets the chance to experience what you offer and that could bring them, and their friends and family by way of recommendations, through the door again, of their own accord. This is why a competition would be essential to get the community talking.

Kumo is a digital marketing agency with over two decades of experience in the industry. We have a team of SEO specialists, PPC professionals, expert content writers and dedicated website designers. We have developed a wide range of skills to propel your business into the spotlight, setting you apart from your competitors. For more information about how we can help you today, get in touch with a member of our friendly, knowledgeable team – we’re always pleased to hear from you.