For many small businesses, competing with bigger, more established players can be a challenging proposition. What if, instead of trying to compete directly, small business owners embraced what makes them different? For most customers, it’s the personal service offered by smaller firms that first attracts them to the brand. Personal touches can make a huge difference, making a brand more memorable, more attractive and helping to build that crucial customer relationship.
So what can small businesses do to set themselves apart from the competition and build a personal, lasting customer connection?
Identify the moments that matter
“It’s really important to identify key moments in a customer journey,” says Tash Berthiaume, associate brand manager at MOO.
Finding those moments when customers are open to communication is crucial, as they offer a chance to go above and beyond your competitors. Berthiaume uses the example of the post-order email, something that can easily be “boring, very functional and transactional”, as an opportunity to make customers feel special. “We feel it’s important to use that opportunity to make our customers smile,” she says.
“This is a great time to catch people when they’re feeling positive about the fact they’ve just ordered some lovely stationery. Most of our customers are from very small businesses so it is very personal to them, they’re very excited to see that product.”
Make the most of social media
Social media has transformed the brand/customer relationship and brought down a lot of barriers. Don’t fall into the trap of using social media purely as a tool for self-promotion: it can be an invaluable way to interact with your customers and really understand what they want and what is important to them.
“The main traffic driver to our website is Instagram,” says Fiona Burrage of Lifestyle business Nor-folk. “We’re following and speaking, albeit virtually, with our customers on a daily basis, responding to their questions and understanding their behaviour, likes and dislikes.
“We love that our loyal customers enjoy photographing their children in our clothes, displaying our products in their homes and tagging us in their photos. We, of course, share their beautiful photos on our feed.”
You can also use social media to make life easier for your customers – taking bookings through online platforms, for example. Cherry Woods, celebrity facialist and owner of the Cherry Woods Skin Clinic, says: “My service is totally personalised from start to finish. I often take bookings on Facebook and Twitter, and answer text message queries. It’s so important to understand your clients’ busy lifestyles and make yourself accessible to them.”
Let your customer see the person behind the brand
In a world where corporate brands can seem faceless and anonymous, giving your business a more human touch can set you apart and encourage customer loyalty. The founder or CEO of a small business is a hugely important part of what makes that business unique, so don’t hide them away.
“New features and announcements should always come from the founder of the business. Letting customers know the person behind the brand grows engagement and offers exclusive insight the public don’t see,” says Terry Koutsios, founder and CEO of fivesquid.com.
Go beyond email
Don’t assume email is always the best way to communicate: coming up with a more creative approach can really set you apart. Giles Harris, founder of Come Round, has come up with a novel way to reward the company’s clients and demonstrate successful results at the same time.
“We organise parties in consumers’ homes for clients such as Lego,” he explains. “Our hosts and guests have a great experience with the brand and then share pictures of their parties online to generate social buzz. At the end of every campaign, we have loads of images from the parties put onto cupcakes and send them to the office of the client.”
Marianne Cantwell of Free Range Humans welcomes new participants to her online business course with a small gift.
“Each new participant gets welcomed with a surprise package in the mail with small treats, a little idea-generating book and even something hand painted by me based on each individual’s personal profile/interests,” she explains.
Make your deliveries more personal
If you are sending an order through the post, think about how you can personalise the delivery to make the recipient feel valued.
Artist Silvina De Vita quickly realised that the packaging she was using to send out her work was an important part of the customer experience, so adapted her approach to add a more personal touch.
“I love to receive presents – who doesn’t?” she says. “I started to send my orders with nice wrapping paper, beautiful ribbons and a handwritten thank you card.”
De Vita believes her personal approach sets her business apart, and makes her business more memorable in a crowded marketplace.
“People leave reviews on my online shop saying that they love the care and attention paid to the packaging, as well as the products themselves,” she explains. “I think people remember the little things and, in a world where everything is mass produced, it is nice to sometimes receive something that has a personal touch.”
Make your customers smile
Tash Berthiaume, of MOO, agrees that packaging can be used as a way to make customers smile. She says the company will often include playful little notes, jokes or anecdotes with a customer’s order. “The top business card might be an extra one with a little joke on, or it might be something that’s hidden around the packaging,” she says. “That really does raise a smile, it’s something different, unexpected and feels personal. It’s not just a bunch of corporate packaging.”
This advertisement feature is paid for and produced to a brief agreed with MOO, sponsor of the Guardian Small Business Network’s Branding hub.
