How to Better Leverage Customer Data

Ask anyone in the marketing industry today and they will tell you that big data is where it is at. Unfortunately, despite all we know about the importance of using big data to target customer and prospects, few companies are leveraging that data to its full extent.

The fact is, most businesses see big data as simply a way to figure out what a customer will purchase next. And while this is certainly an important piece of information, that is all it is-just one piece. Big data should also be used for a more sustainable competitive edge, namely harnessing that information to create long-term loyalty. After all, if all of your customers are one-and done-buyers, you won’t be in business very long.

So instead of asking what will compel a customer to buy, companies need to ask what will compel a customer to remain loyal to their brand in the long term. For example, if a competitor offers a lower price, what will prevent them from switching to that competitor?

In other words, big data needs to be used to help businesses understand what they can do for their customers instead of the other way around. Doing this involves asking a few questions:

  1. How can I use data to reduce my customers or prospects costs or risks? Testimonials and reviews are increasingly important to consumers. That’s because people want to know what others in their situation gained from going with a particular vendor, be it a hotel chain, a dry cleaner or a daycare provider. If I can provide those cost- or risk-cutting measure that people are looking for, then I would be providing value that other companies are not.
  2. Is there something people are looking for that is not currently available? Think of companies that have been widely successful doing something we all feel we should have thought of. No matter what you sell, there is undoubtedly a better way to sell it. One example would be insurance companies that began selling their products online. Is there a better way to give the people what they want? Your customer data will likely offer many clues.
  3. No matter how different my customers or prospects may seem from each other, is there something that they all have in common?
    Collecting information from a wide-range of customers or prospects can allow you to pinpoint specific traits of a particular customer.

What Can a Tweet Do for Your Business? More Than It Used to Do!

If your business uses Twitter to connect with customers and prospects, you probably know that you can now use 280 characters per tweet. What you may not know is what exactly that means for your Twitter marketing strategy.

Many businesses are under the mistaken impression that more characters simply allow them to say more of the same thing. The truth is, these extra characters, when used correctly, can boost engagement. The key is to know how to use them to your advantage. What follows are some simple ways to make every extra character count:

  1. Include additional information. The 140-character limit usually meant you had a choice to inform or to make an offer. Now you can do both. This makes your tweets twice as valuable to customers.
  2. Express yourself. Let’s face it, there is only so much you can say in 140 characters so your use of the language was pretty limited. The higher character count allows you to be more expressive and creative, making your tweets more compelling to readers because you are able to appeal to their emotions.
  3. Increase readability. Line and sentence breaks were once considered a waste of valuable Twitter characters, making tweets difficult to read. Now you can write in a manner that is easier to understand and one that would make your high school English teacher proud!

While you will be writing more content per tweet, you will likely find that these tweets will actually take less time to compose. That’s because trying to fit what you wanted to say in 140 characters took a lot of editing and re-editing. Longer tweets allow you to say what you want to say without forcing you to spend valuable time deciding what you needed to leave out in order to come in under the character count.

Finally, when you customers and prospects connect with you via Twitter, you can actually engage with them in a more impactful way. Since so many people use Twitter to comment on customer service these extra characters will go a long way toward allowing you to get your point across when you reply.

Longer tweets mean more visibility and visibility is what social media is all about. Twitter’s increased character limits, when used to their full advantage, will help your brand be better seen and heard by customers and prospects.