How To Build a Customer-Centric Marketing Strategy

Introduction

As the name suggests, ‘customer-centric marketing’ is all about customers. They hold the top priority. Each customer has a story, and the marketer has to listen to it. At the same time, the marketer needs to weave themselves into the customer’s tale. Customer-centric marketing is not just on a professional but a more profound, personal level with the customer. One can say that the customer-centric marketing strategy is the most human technique to gain loyal customers.

By adopting customer-centricity, a marketer can forge long-term relationships with the customer. Better understanding of customer behavior can help businesses to customize their product and service that will satisfy the customer’s needs. Thus, the company undergoing this massive shift in its structure can become more profitable and gain credibility with more customers. It is found that companies adopting customer-centricity have 60% more profit than companies that don’t.

Priorities of a Customer-Centered Marketer

A few aspects must be considered if marketers and the business want to grow alongside the customer’s needs. These aspects will help them plan their strategies and campaigns for the long run because the customer-centric marketing strategy is not just about putting money in the business’ treasury. It’s about gaining trust and bonding with customers by adding valuable experiences to their lives.

1. Customer Success

A business that decides on a win-win situation for them and their customers is not concerned about pushing a product or service. When the business understands how to make the customer thrive, growth as humanity is inevitable.

2. Customer Advocacy

Businesses using this strategy must be ready to help customers intrinsically and extrinsically. Help might be done in several ways, like aiding them professionally or socially. The relationship between the company and the customer concerns not just a product or service in the market but is also about shaping friendships between those who help each other up in times of trouble.

3. Long-term

Customer-centricity is not pitching a product. It needs to be developed in a systematic, elongated way. If the beginning is done carefully, there are better chances that the customer will remain associated with the company for a long time. Long-term customer relationships can be beneficial to the business in numerous accounts. The customer might one day be ready to test new products or collaborate with the company if deemed suitable.

The 3 Steps to Build a Customer-Centric Marketing Strategy

A strategy can only be done with planning. Remember that melding the steps together is as important as following them for a customer-centric marketing approach. All the steps have their similarities as well as their sensitivities. With a wise blueprint, symbiotic growth can be achieved for the business and the customers.

1. Know Your Customers

It’s not about just learning the basic contact information. Try to evaluate your customers on a deeper level. The following research methods can be carried out:

• Explore the Market: Conduct interviews, form discussion groups, host surveys, and distribute questionnaires to learn more about your customers and their needs.
• Analyze Social Media Trends: Trends on social media are purely based on demand. Look out for what products or services gain more attention. The number of likes and shares can teach about a specific product or service’s popularity. Reviewing the comment section can help you better understand the customers’ thought processes.
• Observe All Customer Interactions: Notice how your customers interact across all forms of communication, whether through emails, your website, or social media handles. Their opinions can be understood better, and the specifications of your product or service can be altered if required. Utilize email testing tools for better results.
• Leverage Intent Data: Use intent data so that you have an idea about whether your customer is actively searching for a particular product or service. An additional benefit of using this data is for scoping out the competition. With it, you can anticipate your customer’s apprehensions and veer them toward your business.

2. Add Value to Every Customer Interaction

Whether it’s informative, entertaining, or advice, see if you can provide something of substance every time you interact with a customer. They should be aware that they are gaining something from the interaction. Strengthen the bond with the customer by doing so. Let’s learn how value can be added to customer interactions:

• Listen: It seems easy, but many find it difficult. Good communication should be at the top of any marketer’s skill set, but no interaction can feel good if it’s one-sided. The customer shouldn’t feel like being lectured about your product or service. Their needs, apprehensions, and requests all deserve to be heard. It is found that 66% of customers expect businesses to understand what they need.
• Respond: After patiently listening, it is imperative to respond. Whether it is related to email communication, social media post comments’ replies, or feedback forms on sites, you need to answer any questions your customers have. Your replies and answers showcase your conviction and improve the business’ reputation.
• Personalization: Do not generalize your customers. Sending mass emails is alright, but only for the first step. Without personalization, customers might feel that your responses are automated and without human touch. Your customer’s individuality can be acknowledged when you use their name while communicating online and during other conversations as well. Categorize them according to their needs. This way, they feel seen and heard.
• Provide Tailored Content: A customer’s time is saved when you provide content according to their needs. Unbeknownst to them, you are valuing their time and helping them budget it for any additional conversations if required. Content regarding more specific details of a particular product or service will educate them and help them in their business journey with you.
• Offer Exclusive Rewards: A customer’s faith in your business will be enhanced when they are rewarded for their loyalty with reasonable prices. By giving apt discounts, their faith in your business will increase, which will help you in the long run. They might become repeat leads, and their word of faith might bring more like-minded customers.

3. Leaders Must Be Involved

The company’s top leaders’ involvement is mandatory for a customer-centric marketing strategy to work. This way, customers feel reassured that they are the core of the process. Since leaders are the ones responsible for the entire flow of the organization, they will be the ones who can guide its culture toward customer-centricity. Businesses with a customer experience mindset bring revenue 4-8% higher than those in their industries. Let us find out how leaders can integrate their involvement:

• Showcase Customer-Centric Values: Leaders cannot simply force employees to establish customer-centricity. Leaders need to show the values of the business through their actions. The importance of the customer needs to be understood by everyone at the business. If leaders embody such values, these values will surely bleed throughout the organization. They will be absorbed by everyone in the organization, not just marketers. Hence, leaders can make it easier for the business to function as a unit.
• Encourage Collaboration between Departments: If the departments in a business have invisible walls between them, customer-centricity will be impossible. Marketing, sales, customer service, and product development - everyone can be involved in the customer’s journey. Together, they can focus on the central entity – the customer.
• Urge Open Communication: The entire business is working towards a sole goal – to gain the customer’s faith. Improvement can be done if all the employees are encouraged to voice their thoughts and opinions. The marketing plan can be tweaked to garner better results. Since everyone is unique, ideas can be thought of from different angles. Versatile ideas might lead the business to new avenues.
• Arrange for Adequate Training for Development: Investing in your employees is bound to empower your business. Training employees is essential. Workshops can deal with aspects like how to empathize with customers. Courses can be conducted on how to design user experiences. Previous customer interactions can be used as practice resources. Employees new to the business can sit in on conversations done by senior employees to get a better idea of the workings of the business and its customer-centric marketing strategy.
• Identify and Reward Accordingly: Keep your eyes open; notice if any employee is demonstrating customer-centric behavior. Such passion for customer-centricity needs to be appreciated and rewarded. If leaders value hard-working employees, they, in turn, inspire other employees toward the path of customer-centricity as well.

Conclusion

The customer-centric marketing strategy is unique indeed. When analyzed step-by-step, it is a fundamental part of business. If you learn more about your customer, you can cater to their needs with less trouble. This strategy brings about the holistic development of the business-customer relationship and can give rise to long-term deals. If leaders put more effort and get involved at the customer’s level, the customer will feel a closer bond with the business. Collaborations can be encouraged more, and profit is guaranteed.