“You’ve got to start with the customer experience and work backward toward technology – not the other way around.” – Steve Jobs
One of the reasons Pink Jacket has many long-term clients is because we understand what Steve was saying. Real-life interactions and commerce are what we strive for, technology is the tool to help make that happen.
Building partnerships with our clients starts with understanding their real-life challenges, goals, and needs. Some clients engage with us on a project basis, and others we work with daily. The reason our relationships with these clients have stood the test of time is very simple – they are mutually beneficial. We love what we do, and our clients provide us with the opportunity to do what we love.
Do you have a successful brand? Are you taking full advantage of the landscape you operate in? To succeed you must create a cohesive presence both online and through your interactions in real life (IRL) – a user experience and omnichannel messaging that all work in harmony to reinforce your unique story and drive real-life business.
Here are five examples of how real-life customer experiences can help shape your omnichannel messaging:
- Is it useful to your customer? Perhaps you have recently had to change operational aspects of your business due to social distancing or pandemic-related caution. An example would be a gift shop that now offers Facetime or other video tours of the store so customers can order via phone, email, or online and then get curbside pickup.
- Is this even relevant? Too many businesses fall prey to focusing on issues that are not relevant to their customers or their bottom line. “My social media impressions are lower than last year.” Last year, we were in lock-down and social impressions peaked since everyone was home online and interacting on social channels. A better question would be are your sales up from last year and what are people buying?
- Do I know what my customers want? Let’s say you are working on your Valentine’s promotions. The past two years have seen a decrease with in-house dining. Rather than push for a huge in-house dining campaign, perhaps A/B test it. Go ahead and create a great Valentine’s in-person dining promotion but also offer a romantic, take-home experience. Know what drives sales!
- What are they saying about me? Reputation management can be a daunting task, but it is a necessary one. If you are not keeping track of Google reviews, social media comments/reviews, location and hours data, and all aspects of your digital footprint, you are not able to know what customers are saying or what they want and need from your business.
- Why is my competitor always being talked about on social or other online platforms and not me? There’s a good chance your competitor has a cohesive, omnichannel digital and IRL marketing strategy. Do all your social channels have the same look and feel? Is your brand speaking in a loud, clear voice on all channels? When you walk into your business in real life, is that reflected online? When someone else is doing it right, pay close attention and adopt those good habits into your own strategies.