So, let\u2019s not<\/strong> talk about how you can make more sales. Instead, let\u2019s talk about how you attract great leads, build long-term relationships, and get customers that will stick. Here’s what you’ll find in this article. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Let\u2019s face it, no business is going to appeal to everybody. The first step is to identify who your target customer is. Marketing folks call it – creating a buyer\u2019s persona – but it really is all about understanding what your customer looks like so you can figure out how to sell to that customer. Here are a few questions that can help you to determine your ideal customer. Once you\u2019ve got a decent idea of who your target customer is, you can think about how you can create a marketing plan that can efficiently reach them. Maybe you\u2019re a dental practice whose target demographic is families with children. You can emphasize in your marketing how much experience your practice has serving families. You can also start thinking about how you can deliver a quality patient experience that leaves the whole family happy. Even just putting toys in your waiting room can make your patients want to come back for more. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Of course, this isn\u2019t a strategy that only dental practices can benefit from. Regardless of your business, start by thinking about your ideal customer. Next, find out how you can deliver value for that ideal customer across every touchpoint. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In order to make sure that your customers are sticking around, it\u2019s important to understand how they feel about every touchpoint with your business from the moment of first discovery. <\/p>\n\n\n\n At Birdeye, we think of customer experience in four steps. While this is obviously a simplification, it\u2019s helpful to think about how you can improve your efforts in each one. The first step is to make sure that it\u2019s easy for customers to find you. Unfortunately, lots of businesses are not taking the right steps to be found. That includes but is not limited to having a business website that\u2019s mobile and voice-search friendly, and having accurate listings across the Internet. The process of selecting a new business can be time-consuming and maybe even a bit unnerving. Whenever customers are dealing with a brand that they\u2019re not already familiar with, there\u2019s always a fear that they\u2019re not going to get their money\u2019s worth. That\u2019s why it\u2019s important to provide social proof to your potential customers. Once a customer has decided to choose your business, it needs to be easy for them to reach out to you. Make sure that accurate contact information is displayed on your website and business listings. Be sure that you\u2019re engaging with your current customers so that they come back for more. Remember, the aim should not be to make a sale. Instead, you should be aiming to create loyal customers for years to come. So how can you do that? The answer is to provide superior customer experiences. By delivering value on every touchpoint that your customer has with you, whether it\u2019s making a purchase or contacting customer support, you\u2019ll leave them with a positive perception of your brand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That\u2019s why it\u2019s important to collect and closely monitor customer feedback. This feedback will allow you to understand in what areas your business is coming up short of customer expectations. With the right platform to manage your CX you can learn how to make changes in your business operations for maximum profit and efficiency. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n Want to start attracting more customers to your business? In this section, we\u2019ll share some steps that can help you through every touchpoint of the customer experience. Some of these tips will help you get discovered by potential customers, while others will make sure that you\u2019re building stronger relationships with your existing customers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Every business, no matter what size they are, should have a website. That might seem obvious to some of you, but studies show that 40% of businesses<\/a> don\u2019t have a website. While there are many paid options, you can easily create a free site on WordPress or Squarespace. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Nowadays, it\u2019s important to take two extra steps. First, make sure that your website is mobile-friendly. Studies show<\/a> that the majority of online browsing is now done on mobile devices. Then, make sure that your website is optimized for search engines (more info on this in our next tip). <\/p>\n\n\n\n Once you have a killer website, make sure that you\u2019ve optimized it for search engines. The more visibility you have, the better chance you have of attracting customers. While there are pages and pages that you could read about SEO (Backlinko<\/a> is an awesome resource for this), we\u2019ll give you some quick tips. First, make sure that you\u2019re doing keyword research to find relevant keywords for your business. (Ubersuggest<\/a> is a great free tool). Then, make sure that you have a page designed to rank for these keywords. These pages should have short, descriptive URLs and relevant meta-tags (the data you see in a Google search result). Then, make sure that you\u2019ve got tons of internal links to the pages that matter on your website. Internal links show search engines like Google how important certain pages are. Next, make sure that your business is optimized for voice search. More and more customers are using voice assistants like Alexa and Siri to discover businesses. That means customers are often using more conversational search queries such as \u201cWhere can I find a barber in Palo Alto?\u201d A great way to optimize for these searches is by having an FAQ page on your site for conversation keywords( ex. \u201cWhere can I get orthodontic surgery in Orange County, California?\u201d). For more tips, check out our complete guide to optimizing for voice search<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n There\u2019s one factor that matters more than anything else when it comes to getting discovered on search engines: your Google My Business profile. It looks something like this. The first step is to claim your Google My Business profile<\/a>. The process takes a couple of weeks, as Google may need to send you a postcard to verify that you are the owner of the business. Once you\u2019ve received the postcard, you can verify your profile and start making changes. Next, make sure that you\u2019ve optimized your Google My Business listing. Make sure that you have high-definition photos that highlight your business\u2019s service. Make sure that all your contact information is correct so that it\u2019s easy for potential customers to find you. For more tips and tricks, check out our complete guide to Google My Business<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n While your Google My Business profile might be your most visible listing, it\u2019s definitely not your only listing. Customers are also looking at your business\u2019s profile on sites like Google and the hundreds of industry-specific sites on the Internet. Accurate listings will prevent customer confusion and make it more likely that your business ranks higher on search. Google checks to see if your information is accurate by looking at your listings on other authoritative sites. If your name, address, and phone number is accurate across the Internet, you have a better chance of ranking high in search. While not every business can afford it, it\u2019s worth exploring online advertising. While there are tons of different sites on the Internet that offer paid advertising options, there are really two sites that stand far above the competition: Facebook and Google. It\u2019s been estimated that these two sites make up 70% of all digital ad spending<\/a>. It makes sense. These two sites get enormous amounts of attention from consumers all over the world. Make sure that your copy is short, to-the-point, and gives customers a reason to want your service. Then, use a visually-striking Facebook image. A great image can help make your ads more effective. Google Ads work slightly differently. When a customer looks up something like \u201claw firms in my area\u201d they will see a few results. Chances are that some of them will be paid results. For more information on how to get more customers on paid search, check out our guide to Search Engine Marketing<\/a>. \n
Understand your ideal customer. <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
Understand the customer experience. <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\nBe Found <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\nBe Chosen <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\nBe Connected <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\nBe the best <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
How to get more customers <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Build a great website <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Optimize your website for search engines<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\nMake the most out of your Google My Business profile <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n![\"GMB](\"https:\/\/birdeye.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/GMB-profile.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\nMake your business listings accurate <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\nPaid online advertising <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"Mike](\"https:\/\/birdeye.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/Instagram-Mike-Bloomberg.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n![\"Webchat](\"https:\/\/birdeye.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/Screen-Shot-2020-03-17-at-3.42.19-PM.png\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/birdeye.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/9-unique-ways-to-grow-your-business-with-business-text-messaging.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"