The marketing world is extremely competitive. Today, being innovative is no longer enough to create value. In this context, how do you stand out in the face of hyper-competition ? How do you react to a market in which every product or service is faced with numerous alternatives that are cheaper or have a higher perceived value?
Be proactive!
Proactive marketing is a solution to this problem. It allows marketers to use accurate data in real-time and in a flexible way to adapt to changing customer needs. Following trends is good, but if you really want to make a difference, you need to be more forward-thinking. It is essential to always try to anticipate the needs of your customers and prospects , to respond to them before they become tangible, and especially before your competitors do. But the one area where you can always innovate is in the service and the degree of personalisation you offer your customers.
Proactive marketing covers all forms of marketing and focuses on developing strategies based on a thorough understanding of the target audience. This includes delivering your marketing message when a potential customer carries out a relevant search on the Internet, contacting a user who has abandoned an item in their shopping cart without completing their order or predicting the likelihood of engagement and willingness to buy of a particular segment.
The benefits of proactive marketing
By being proactive, you will increase customer satisfaction and loyalty. As a result, you will receive fewer calls from unhappy customers and increase your customer retention rate. Being proactive is also a way to keep control of the communication around your brand. This is because if you are proactive, responding to comments and reviews about yourself on social media, you have the opportunity to participate in customer conversations and engage with them in a way that puts your business in the best light.
Proactive customer service creates the opportunity to meet and exceed customer and prospect expectations. It also strengthens relationships and increases the value of your customers because they will be more engaged with your brand.
How do you do it?
Being proactive isn’t just about having a contact page on your site where customers can find your contact information if they need it. It’s about anticipating customer or prospect problems and dealing with them before they arise. This can take many forms, such as FAQs and forums or instructional videos.
To do this, you need to detect negative aspects in the customer’s experience with your brand as early as possible. Remember that the driving force behind a proactive strategy is to put your customers first.
Reinvent the “one-to-one” and ultra-personalisation of the customer relationship. Go beyond the transactional to induce reciprocal commitment and trust. Be available and reachable on multiple communication channels. By allowing users to contact you through the channel of their choice, you offer them a more efficient service.
The customer-centric approach should not just be a concept but a foundation of your brand. It should not only be in line with the DNA of the brand but also with the general structure of the company, which should be reflected in its overall strategy and, therefore, also in its marketing strategy.
Finally, help your customers to help themselves. By making it easy for them to find answers to their questions, you empower them. For example, you could alert your customers to existing problems that they can solve themselves with a step-by-step guide.
Every customer is likely to share their experiences with others. So you need to make sure that these experiences are positive. Turn your customers into ambassadors by being proactive.
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