Make the Invisible Visible: Build Your Brand with Cheryl McCants, Your Marketing Momma

The end of the year serves as a great time to reconnect with the founding principles of your business –areas that include your mission statement and core values. Today we dive into several strategies for reconnecting to your business purpose. 

In this podcast episode, I will discuss the importance of taking inventory of current business practices, which helps you improve your processes. 

The right marketing and advertising plans can provide two very important outcomes: 1) the introduction of your brand to new customers and 2) the reassurance of your services to existing customers. That said, nothing solidifies and elevates your brand like a testimony from one customer to their network of friends, family, and associates. Personal testimonials and referrals share experiences in detail and specificity that traditional marketing can’t. Ideally, you want both –but here is how you can increase your referral business.

Most business leaders spend a lot of money to speak with customers through sponsorship messaging, advertising, social media posts, and other marketing communication strategies. The smartest companies however, know that outreach is only half of a successful equation to expand and retain customers. As we all know, marketing is an extremely important part of listening. Getting feedback, solicited or not, is also an important aspect of improving customer service. Listen in for a few considerations:

Are you paying attention to what your customers are asking for beyond what you provide? Sometimes we are locked into what we believe are products and services delivered. There are many cues in their requests to serve them even better. I talk more about how to listen to your customer in my today's podcast. Tune in!

You can best serve your customers by knowing who they are. In a future podcast, I will discuss specific tools to help elicit customer feedback, but in this episode, I want to discuss the importance of understanding your customers and their behavior and how that aids you in providing them with the best customer experience and service.

Growing your business doesn’t mean focusing just on size. It’s important to look at all aspects of your organization in terms of how you manage your brand, your customers, and your team members. As we celebrate Customer Service Week this week, check out today's podcast focusing on the importance of creating a spirit of customer service throughout your entire company.

Customer service is one of those business terms that everyone takes for granted: All customers expect good customer service, and all companies say they deliver it. The challenge, however, is that what customers expect and what companies deliver can often be at odds. So, what is customer service or more importantly, what is GOOD customer service?  Listen in for details.

One thing for certain in 2022 is that every business’ marketing strategy toolkit must include a strong social media presence. I know ...  As a fellow business owner, that isn’t ground-breaking news. And we both know that remaining current and consistently posting on social channels may take up most of our time. From content creation to regular customer engagement, it’s no secret that social media success depends heavily on a well-implemented plan. Success doesn’t happen overnight and that’s why I’m here to tell you to stay committed.

Partnerships are a great strategy to advance your business. Before your sign an agreement, however, make sure you have an exit strategy -- like a business prenup. There are many successful partnership examples, but there are also many that don't work. It's important to have a strategy in place in case it doesn't work out.