Communication seems to be a recurring theme that I keep hearing about; so let’s see what we can do to address the communication issues in Prince Albert.
Communication with your clients is very important. Prince Albert is a small enough community that news travels fast whether it is good or bad. So how can you keep a positive image of your business in our community?
Consistent and encouraging communication works the best. How can you do this? There are several ways that can be effective. One of the easiest is through a Facebook page, which I covered in my last post.
A Facebook page is the most inexpensive form of advertising that can benefit your business. By writing a few Facebook posts a week you are keeping your business name in your clients Facebook feed, which is what you want. When you post things that are relevant to your business and are positive in nature you will have a greater chance that your clients will visit your store and by being positive - statistics show that clients will spend more money with you over your competition.
A website. If you are a small business a website seems like a huge expense. That is a fallacy. An inexpensive or free site can be set up with Weebly or Wordpress. Check out our new Samuel McLeod Business Awards website that was set up very easily with Weebly. Your website is where your customers can go for more detailed information about your products or services. Studies indicate that many consumers do their research online before they ever step through the door of your business. If they can’t find the information online they will shop somewhere else.
Email lists- do you own a business that could benefit from keeping your customers informed on a weekly or monthly basis. Mailchimp is a free and easy program that you can use to keep in contact with your clients. Because of the recent Canadian laws concerning email marketing you must have your clients permission before you can add them to an email marketing list. What a great way to find out evaluations of your product or service, have your customers answer a survey, notify of upcoming events or promotions. Email marketing is only effective if it is not overused. Do not send random messages, pick a day or date and stick with it. Your clients will then be looking for that email, which is what you are trying to build and develop. You can also link your email marketing to your Facebook page so that your clients can sign up via Facebook or just read your email on line. A win, win situation.
There are a lot of opportunities to keep your name out in the community, you need to pick one and start working on it today. Of course, the best form of communication is word of mouth. Once people use your product or service and have a good experience that news will spread. As a business owner you represent your business 24 hours a day, compromises can have a huge impact on the sustainability of your business.
Want to learn more? Check back weekly for more Business Tips & Tricks!
Carolyn ~ Communications Coordinator
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