Part of what makes a company successful is the development and enforcement of good communication. Show potential clients you have the talent, products and services they need, show your employees you know how to run a business, and show fellow associates that you are a credible company in your industry. When you gain the confidence of prospects, associates and team members, you position your business for greater success.
Marketing Your Business and Selling Your Brand
Think of how your communications represent your business. Your promotional advertisements, brand names and images, websites, brochures, media kits, marketing letters and loyalty programs – they all send multi-layered messages. Consider the message from the point of view of the recipient. Is it impressive? Motivating? Informational?
As you develop effective marketing communications, keep the following tips in mind:
- Tailor the content to your target audience. Make sure your sales copy captures interest and compels action.
- Use professional fonts in written documents. Some fonts evoke feelings of friendliness but don’t convey credibility and authority, making readers less likely to take your company seriously. Images and names should be designed to strengthen your brand and appeal to your prospects.
- Hire advertising, designing, and writing professionals to assist you in the development and/or improvement of your marketing communications.
- First appearances are everything. At first glance, if your target audience isn’t willing to give you a few moments of consideration, you lose the opportunity to tell your story, explain the product or make the sale.
Boost Productivity with Excellent Internal Communications
Communicate clearly and professionally in your place of business.
- Make sure your employees understand what their roles entail and how their jobs impact the business as a whole.
- Provide employees with regular feedback on their individual performance. This keeps them motivated to provide superior work and thereby increases your overall productivity.
- Set aside a time and place for employees to provide feedback and offer ideas for process improvements.
Make the time to communicate with your employees. It creates a happier, more-productive work environment and keeps employees motivated to work for you. A poor employee retention rate negates your success by costing you more time and money.
Turning New Prospects into Clients and Existing Clients into Clients for Life
In order to communicate well with your prospects and clients, you need to encourage them to believe in you and your services.
Appear confident. When you network with business associates or meet with prospective clients face-to-face, keep your posture straight and attentive. Smile and offer a firm handshake.
Sell yourself. Convince your prospects that only you can deliver the quality of service they need.
Ask questions. Address issues pertinent to your industry. This shows your prospect that you understand the requirements at hand.
Listen. Encourage your prospects to share information about their interests and ideas. Empathize with them and clearly explain your proposed solutions.
Be professional. When you effectively articulate your business, you portray confidence and competence. Ensure all written communications are professionally presented – well written and accompanied by fitting graphic design features for branding purposes.
Set expectations. Tell your prospects about your products, services or processes. This puts your new clients at ease and lets them know you are professional and reliable.
Maintain regular communication. Keep your clients in the loop at all times. Ask for their input wherever necessary and communicate critical information with complete honesty. Build trust and dependability by responding quickly to calls or emails.
Follow up. After services are rendered or products received, check in with your clients to make sure they’re satisfied. Address complaints and resolve issues. If you show that you are trustworthy and accountable, you can even transform unhappy customers into repeat clients.
Strong Communication Strategies are Essential
How do you currently represent your business?
In what areas might your communications benefit from improvement?
Take some time to incorporate good business communication strategies into your marketing plan and into your daily interactions with clients and employees.
Need help? Striking Content is here to help you formulate the right words to ensure that your message resonates with your clients, employees or fellow colleagues. Contact me today to discuss your business writing needs.