We all want to attract new visitors to our websites, convert them into sales-ready leads and close the deal by actually selling them something. It only makes sense that we focus the bulk of our marketing efforts toward reaching these goals. But what happens after a prospect becomes a customer?
B2B customer service is a key part of an integrated marketing strategy
By staying in touch with current customers, understanding their needs and sending them educational content, you not only prevent them from straying to your competitors, you also turn them into advocates for your brand.
The inbound marketing experts at HubSpot call the process of turning current clients into product promoters “customer delight.” According to their methodology, building trust is core to customer delight. As such, it should be a priority throughout the entire sales process, not just after a buyer makes a purchase.
Delighting Customers
According to HubSpot, these three “pillars” sustain customer delight:
- Innovation – Avoiding the status quo and serving customers with the right products.
- Communication – Getting personal and communicating to help customers.
- Education – Empowering and educating customers to grow their knowledge.
Think about your company’s B2B customer service strategy. How well do you understand their current and future needs? As their needs evolve, so should your educational outreach. Also, consider how your existing customer base is responding to your engagement efforts. It is crucial to keep them interested over time. You can do this by delivering a consistently positive experience and reaching them across various touchpoints.
Because B2B buyers have 24/7 access to information, they also have more consumer-like expectations regarding the purchase process and after-purchase customer engagement. In this digital age, online reviews and social media comments have extended the reach of peer-to-peer referrals. This gives your customers the power to define your brand based on their relationship with your company. Therefore, it’s important to make every interaction of your B2B customer service outreach a part of your overall marketing strategy.
As HubSpot says, “Customers who are delighted will become promoters of your business and can help increase interest about your products among their industry peers.”
How is your B2B customer service strategy turning your clients into promoters of your brand? Let us know below.
All marketing tactics should be thought of as part of a larger whole, rather than separate pieces. By strategically integrating all marketing tactics, the marketing program becomes more effective and cost efficient. As a B2B agency, we developed B2B 360 Integrated Digital Marketing to meet this improved performance need. To learn more about B2B 360 and how it will benefit your business, download our free eBook: The Better Path to Top-Tier Tech Marketing.
Lisa Goetz is a public relations executive at Schubert b2b, where she primarily writes content and manages media relations. She brings 20 years of editorial and communications experience to Schubert b2b and holds a PhD in English literature from Duquesne University. When not in the office, Lisa likes to take excursions with her husband and hang out with her cat and a good book.
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