EXPERIENCE is everything to the customer. They don't say it out loud, unless they are extremely satisfied, or dissatisfied. Most importantly, and consistently, though, they say it with their shopping habits. People's' loyalty to companies cause small and mom pop shops to become international empires that supply goods and services throughout the world. Yet, focus on the customers' experience is often lost as the company becomes more focused on profits and planning. When a company has forgotten customer experience, the company may soon see a loss of customer loyalty.
As small business owners know, or come to learn, we are the first representative of our companies. Our actions, beliefs, codes of conduct, social media pages, internet search results, and associates have some kind of reflection on our business. This can be a great things, if we have been angels all our lives, and have never improperly expressed ourselves on a social media site or even shared some bad feeling you had towards another person for whatever reason, this can be associated with your business.
We have to think? Will the consumers I am seeking be comfortable doing business with the person I am presenting myself as on social media?
The transition of going from employee to self employed to business owner causes a difference in mindset and approaches and loyalties to a company. As an employee, I was taught, when you clock in, all that shuts down, and the only thing that is important is where I am and what is going on around me. It becomes different when you can work from home or become. There is so much more freedom and an undisciplined atmosphere one forgets the front they need to put on to get into clock-in character. Self-employment or virtual side jobs gives one the ability to do most business from home has decreased in need of in person experience, and attention to details of the given project receive the most focus. The business owner or client experience is usually based on a person to person basis and the practicing of professional ethics plays an important role in whether one was to receive positive reviews, referrals and repeat business.
In this e-commerce business world we are all seemingly transitioning to, we seem to forget that even an Amazon purchase gives a customer experience. It's not really included most business plans, yet customer experience takes strategy. Maybe in the subconscious mind, one desires customers to be happy with the product and or service, and buy it, but not many write down how I expected the customer to feel when they walked in the door, tried the product, let alone what they would feel when they'd look at my website or social media. Because Igre up with the internet, I don't take social media and the internet content so serious that it determines whether I do or do not do business with them. I think of things that Facebook and Instagram as a big game to play and now it's getting all serious on me.
I'm going to admit some flaws that I am currently working on in my personal self development to help with my own business development. My online personality is not considered a very nice person and it's usually because of my dramatic or tell it like it is personality. I'm a introvert, and straight-forward pacifist, most of the time my sarcasm is mistaken for sincerity and vice versa which inadvertently makes me a condescending, sassy, asshole. It makes a great nature for a comedian, which I am as well. Yet this as a business owner and representative of a company is rough. In real life, and most people who know me know that I'm a very compassionate person who cares about people a lot and have expectations for perfection in everything I'm involved in. They even ask in the passing why don't I know how to convey this caring, passionate, nurturing nature on the internet. My heart and passion for people is why I got into providing services that help others. I just don't know how to show that without ruffling some feathers.
In addition to being very sensitive, and most times I come off as this mean internet troll because someone has done something that has offended me, yet no one else seems to be bothered by it. I noticed these things about myself after transitioning from employee to business owner. I had to ask myself, what experience are people having with me online? Although I am being "myself" is there a better or more professional "self" that will not make the customers go find another service that may not be as great as mine? Even further questioning is DO I REALLY NEED TO INVEST TIME INTO INTERNET MARKETING? The answer is yes.
I would enjoy doing business with people who I know and can actually build real life business associations and alliances with. I know the dangers of believing a total 100% online company!!! RED FLAGS!!! Why? Because I'm a 80's baby and I believe the what you see is what you get. So to avoid the experience of being scammed I stay away from certain things. Yet, on the other hand people use the internet as a part of the verification process. They believe that the internet will further explain your business, life, and everything else they'd like to know. I desire to be as thorough as I can when it comes to my business, yet it's one of my biggest weaknesses. How do I solve this problem? The answer in fact, is I need to hire a Social Media Marketer for my customers to interact with. My issues, personal beliefs, and personal life is not to be apart of my social media front, so I need someone distant from the my personal life as possible.
Approaching this aspect of customer service through creating an positive social media customer service experience must be done with attention to the business and marketing plan. All of your internet customer experiences should reflect your marketing plan. Your marketing manager and your social media manager should develop a very tight knit relationship and their work should consistently reflect each other and should be clearly conveyed by the graphic designer. That's four different positions that most Small Business Owners and Entrepreneurs try to do themselves. Being the owner, marketer, social media manager, graphic designer, and customer service representative can not only become overwhelming and confusing, but it will show through in your social media networking.
There are so many people in your area on social media looking for what you have to offer, how does your social media pages help or hinder your business? Could hiring a social media manager help you cultivate business? The potential customer's social media experience can make or break your business.
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