Customer Touch Points

By Roger Buck Marketing for return on investment (ROI) means companies should utilize every opportunity to promote their products, service and brand. Direct mail, TV, radio, email and many other forms of marketing exist and may already be in your budget. However these can be expensive, so as part of your marketing plan development, it’s a good idea to look at your opportunities in customer touch points. A touch point is any communication opportunity that normally takes place with between your company and your current customers on a day to day or month to month basis. Here are a few key benefits of utilizing the marketing tactic. • Lower cost factor to implement • Works as a customer retention program • Drives account penetration • Provides opportunity for new customer acquisition • Many can be tracked to gauge response rate So how do you uncover these hidden marketing opportunities? First consider bringing together members of your company for a brain storming session. Involve accounting, sales, customer service and delivery staff. Even if you are a very small company you may have many touch points to consider. Let’s briefly look at two examples: a small retail store and a large manufacturer. Retail store If you have a “brick and mortar” location your customers and prospect may see many messages before getting to your door. Consider your store front. Does it have curb appeal? Is there ample parking? Is the parking area painted and free of trash? Do you utilize window graphics and, if so, do you change those often using high impact color graphics to pull the attention of clients and prospects? You will see quickly that your customers may receive several messages from you before even getting in the door. What message they are receiving is very important. When a client or prospect comes in how are they greeted? Here’s a very critical point. Remember, you only have one time to make a first impression. A pet peeve of mine is to walk in a store and have a sales clerk or service person ask “How are you?” I’m pretty sure they are not really interested in my health. I’d like to hope they are interested in why I’m at their store, so why not ask me “How can we help you today?” A great marketing plan can only provide an environment for a sale to occur, i.e., marketing can get the buyer in the door; however, a sales process still normally has to take place. The buying experience has many touch points that brand and sell your company. How your associates dress, speak and handle the interaction can send valuable messages to your customers that you appreciate and value their business. Likewise, prompt and accurate check out sends a message of professionalism and the common courtesy of a thank you presented in a sincere manner can have lasting impact. As you consider staff also consider you delivery team and vehicles. Company vans or trucks are rolling billboards of not just of your company name but also you image. Dented, faded paint and rust send a message to clients and drivers who may see it on the road. Do your drivers dress in company labeled apparel? Have you explained to them the sales value they can have on a delivery to a customer? From a drive by view of your store to a client leaving the parking lot there are multiple opportunity to send messages that should be explored, graded and exploited. Manufacturer If you produce goods then ship, transport or otherwise deliver goods you also have multiple customer touch points. These may start with you customer service team or website. Before your client ever see’s your product they interact with some segment of your company. If they are put on hold do they listen to loud rock and roll or a static filled talk show? Why not use that hold time to present a pre-recorded message? When they receive your goods how are they labeled and packed? Could you utilize the shipping box for additional marketing? Could you include a flyer on a new product or a personally written “thank you” from the shipping department? After the sale you have more opportunities for additional marketing in the statement or invoices sent to your customers. Could you include advertising on the statement form? Could you utilize statement stuffers to promote new products? Have you consider including referral cards to drive new business? It’s been reported that the average person receives approximately 5000 marketing messages each day! Utilizing your customer touch points in a creative and impactful manner can help your brand stand out from all the others. In most cases, customer touch points are your most economical means of promoting, branding and marketing your company. Roger Buck is the Direct of Marketing at The Flesh Company, a large printing firm, based in St. Louis, MO and a 40 year veteran of the print industry who is a frequent contributor to various publications.