7 Things Every Marketer Should Know About Their Best Customers

7 Things Every Marketer Should Know About Their Best Customers

Are you hard at work on next year’s marketing strategy?

If so, there’s a critical first step you should take for a more effective marketing plan: A thorough assessment of your best customers.

If your company is like most, you have a core group of customers that drive a large percentage of your sales. Here are seven things you should know about your best customers in order to develop a smart marketing strategy:

1. Who are my best customers? Database analysis can help you find out who your best customers are. Identify the characteristics they share and target your marketing to similar prospects. And don’t assume that a high-revenue customer is automatically a best customer. The key measure is profitability.
2. Why did my best customers pick me? What is it about your value proposition that your best customers find so appealing? Why are you their preferred vendor? Talk to best customers to understand why they chose you and what sets your company apart from your competitors. Use this insight to craft your marketing messages.
3. How did our relationship start? Knowing the origins of your best customer relationships – the channel that produced the original sale, the offer that spurred the initial response, and the tactics that persuaded prospects to say “yes” – can help you pinpoint marketing strategies that worked in the past and are likely to work again.
4. Where can I find people just like my best customers? Most of the time, your best prospects are people who look just like your best customers. Think about where these decision-makers seek information and share information related to your products and services. That’s where your marketing messages should be.
5. How am I marketing to my best customers? Every smart marketing strategy includes tactics to strengthen and grow relationships with current customers. Use marketing to engage in an ongoing sales dialogue with your best customers that is highly personalized to their interests and preferences.
6. What am I doing to keep my best customers happy? Best customers are the ones you can’t afford to lose. Develop a customer relationship management (CRM) plan to be sure your most important customers know their value to you and never have reason to doubt their decision to choose you as a vendor.
7. How can my best customers help me sell? Best customers can be your biggest advocates. Ask them to help you tell your sales story to others in testimonials, case studies, and marketing campaigns. Their endorsement can give you credibility money can’t buy.