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In today’s market, the bond between founders and customers is more than just a transaction. It is the basis for sustainable growth and brand loyalty. Today’s consumers demand authenticity more than ever. They find it difficult to connect with faceless beings and desire to be obeyed. people More than a business.
This shift towards personal connections in marketing stems from a saturated market where consumers are exposed to choices and advertising every day. Personal stories and authentic interactions cut through the noise of this crowded space and create memorable impressions. Consumers crave realism and transparency at a time when there is a lack of it in the business world.
So how can you deepen your connection with your target audience? Here are three strategies to turn customer interactions into a powerful engine for sales growth.
1. Customize your approach with behind-the-scenes storytelling
Selling a product is one thing. It’s another thing to tell a story and share fascinating details that resonate.
Imagine founders sharing their journey, highs and lows, through a series of behind-the-scenes content. This story is not about humanizing the brand. It’s about creating a shared experience. When customers see the sweat and tears behind your product, they’re not just buying it. They’re invested in your process and part of your founder’s story.
So how do you get started?
Peeling back the curtain on your process and posting weekly emails and social media posts will make your customers feel like they’re part of your journey. To do this effectively, start by mapping out major milestones in your company’s history or product development process. For each milestone, identify the story or challenge you faced and how you overcame it. These stories form the basis of your content.
Then bring these stories to life using visuals like photos, videos, and even simple sketches. Visual content not only increases engagement, but also helps humanize your brand.
In your communications, be transparent about the obstacles you encountered and how you handled them. This transparency increases credibility and relevance. Additionally, turn storytelling into a two-way conversation by inviting viewers to post their opinions and similar experiences through comments and direct messages.
Publicly tell people the “why” behind your products, services, and company by integrating customer testimonials and user-generated content that aligns with your story. This legitimizes your cause, amplifies the voice of your community, and makes your brand’s story part of your brand’s own story.
Just as a successful pitch deck showcases the story behind your brand, your content marketing and advertising should do the same. Bringing authenticity to your business creates credibility, and those authentic connections drive business growth. Remember, the goal is to broadcast and have meaningful conversations that build long-term relationships.
Related: 8 effective ways to connect with your customers
2. Use technology to build connections
With the rapid growth of AI tools, personal connections using automation seem contradictory. But technology can be the very tool that brings you closer to his ICP.
Consider deploying an AI chatbot that does more than just answer queries. Work with tools, consultants, and language model experts to customize your AI to chat with your customers.
Implement these chatbots on your company’s website and train them to start conversations based on customer behavior. You can also provide personalized recommendations or simply check in with your website visitors. Sometimes a simple “How are you doing?” goes a long way, and this part of the customer experience can be automated.
Of course, this approach does not replace human interaction, but it enhances it by making brands more present and active in customers’ lives.
Key? We want these AI communications to feel personal and specific, rather than just another automated message in your inbox or pop-up. This will take a little more effort to implement, but it’s worth the investment for the long-term growth of your brand and business.
Related: 6 ways connections create a sense of belonging in any workplace, anywhere
3. Create a dedicated community
Imagine a space where your customers can come together to discuss your products and share their stories, challenges, and successes.
There’s a startup called Skool that allows businesses and personal brands alike to do this. Other great platform choices like Circle, Mighty Networks, and Kajabi allow for seamless community building. These platforms not only allow you to post and support your customers, but they also give users the flexibility to post and communicate with each other.
A dedicated community for customer discussions can also take many other forms, such as a Facebook group, a Slack channel, or a dedicated forum on your website.
The goal of the community is to foster a sense of belonging and mutual support, turning our customer base into a close-knit community. Provides insider access, sneak peeks, and feedback opportunities. The more valued and listened to your customers are, the more likely they are to organically advocate for your brand.
In the long run, these communities become word-of-mouth marketing machines.