Love is in the air this February and as you scramble to pay your credit card off from that super-exclusive restaurant, the big heart of chocolates and flowers you presented to your Valentine this month, another relationship you must also think about is the one with your client’s audience.
Similar to a loving relationship, a client’s relationship with its audience should be handled with care, attention and open communication. To help your client continue its positive position in the market, here are five “love-filled” recommendations to help your client receive the “TLC” from its target audience.
- Keep your promises – Nothing upsets a customer more than a company that doesn’t provide reputable services and products it advertises. Recently, the 13th annual Harris Poll Reputation Quotient released its top 10 most and least reputable companies, which included Amazon and Apple in the top five. These companies are dependable and provide exactly what they advertise – good products and good services.
- L-I-S-T-E-N – This may sound simple, but listening is crucial to establishing a long term relationship with your client’s audience. If a company listens to feedback, complaints and questions, it’s more likely to deliver exactly what a customer wants and needs, and will better prepare the company to keep its promises.
- Be honest – Transparency is key. Whether you’re in a relationship with your boyfriend, wife or customer, an honest and open relationship will alleviate any mishaps, arguments or worse – lawsuits.
- Apologize – Hopefully, after years of arguments, men have this down to a science. Apologizing is essential to keeping a long and happy relationship when you know you’re the one who messed up. If your company is in the wrong, apologize, apologize and apologize again. In Carnival’s recent mishap, the Cruise line not only took responsibility, but refunded its stranded passengers in full, offered them a credit for a future cruise and paid them $500 for their travel back home
- Be a gift-giver – What customers love more than a company that keeps its word, is a company that gives freebies. Whether you advertise through coupons, giveaways, contests, Groupon or LivingSocial, if your company has the means and funds to do so, offer a giveaway or contest. It excites your customers, you’re able to interact with them on a positive level and keeps them coming back for more.
Following these simple guidelines won’t just help you snag the woman or man of your dreams, it will also help your client snag loyal customers and repeat purchasers.









