What is making consumers tick in Phoenix? How should you approach customers in 2014? Are there some ways that you might not have thought of marketing to your customers in the last decade that can make or break your business this year? At Spotlight Signs and Imaging Solutions, we have seen five distinct trends take hold this year.
1. Building Rapport Through Frequent Contact
How do you relate to your customers? If you run a dry-cleaning business and only encounter your customers when they bring in – or pick up – their clothes, you are missing out on building rapport. The year 2014 is shaping up to be one where customers are looking for relationships even when doing business. The wall calendar or coupon you hand out occasionally is no longer enough.
Takeaway: Find new avenues of connecting. The Content Marketing Institute urges business owners to build a social media presence. Write and send out email newsletters. If these ideas are foreign to you, hire a company that will do the social networking and writing for you. A customer feels well looked after when a business – like a dry cleaner – sends out useful tips for clothing care and other suggestions.
2. Get More Visual
What does your standard advertising campaign look like? If you do little more than place an ad in the local paper and hang some tired old posters into your storefront windows, competitors who are playing to the consumer’s need for flashy but tasteful advertising will outdo you. Sun-bleached posters may have been sufficient when you were the only chiropractor in town. With the advent of competitors, you have to present yourself as modern, “with the times” and forward thinking.
Takeaway: Upgrade outdated and damaged visual advertising in and around your business. Next, think out of the box. Vehicle wraps and graphics for Phoenix business owners and service providers are one of the hottest trends currently unfolding. Get in on the action now!
3. Add Value
When your client brings in the dog for shots, she leaves with a properly vaccinated pet. Why not up the ante? When the client comes in for shots, ask if she would like a complimentary brushing of the dog. It takes a skilled veterinary technician only a few minutes to do so, but it leaves a great impression on the client.
Takeaway: Go the extra mile without losing money in the process. When you print flyers that advertise canine vaccinations and complimentary brushings, you eclipse the competition easily.
4. Spread Your Social Media Wings
We have already discussed the importance of embarking on a social media campaign this year. Market trends for Phoenix in 2014 highlight that this medium is becoming as important as never before. While Facebook is a great start, it is not the final destination. You now need to be active on multiple sites.
Takeaway: Build a presence on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and Google+. If you have no idea how to get started, get help! Ignorance is no excuse and may cost you your business. When you decide to do business as usual and leave social media to others, they will woo your customers.
5. Make Photo Opps Count!
Photo opportunities – like selfies – can be staged occasions or they can me spontaneous live shots of an event or an activity. Either way, they are great marketing tools. Make sure that your wrapped vehicle is in the background and that your photos are uploaded to your social media accounts.
Takeaway: There is no such thing as being too visual. Daily updates are quickly becoming the norm.
Need help becoming more visual in 2014? Contact us for signage and branding ideas!
Image credit: keawpiko