Hi, Tracy here. We don’t usually publish who wrote our blogs, but something happened recently to me, that made me think about types of communication. 
 
I recently received a message from a connection on LinkedIn, which I replied to. When they responded back to me it was in the form of a voice note. I was currently sunning myself around a pool while on holiday, so obviously I didn’t want to listen to it there and then. 
 
Which made me think, if I was in the office, would I have wanted to listen to it there? The simple answer is no. 
 
If I had been in the office, by listening to the voice note, I’d have disturbed the rest of the team. I knew what the message would be about, so it wasn’t sensitive, but what if I hadn’t known. Where do I listen to it, in the hall and hope no-one is around, or when everyone has gone home. If I haven’t forgotten it was there, that is. 
 
So, this got me thinking about all the different forms of communication, with customers, prospects, or marketing communication. 
Voice messages aren't for everyone

How do you communicate with your customers? 

Do you communicate with them, in the form that suits you? Or, do you consider how they would like to be communicated with? As I said sending me a voice note, is not a preferred form of communication. It may have been done because it was easier for them, to pick up their phone and hit the record button, as opposed to typing a message. 
 
But if I don’t like this form of communication, am I more likely to ignore it? Yes! 
TJ Marketing Service’s ethos is to get to know our customers and find out how they would like to communicate with us. We have some customers that rarely communicate with us, we have others that prefer email and some that prefer to speak to us, either over the phone or face to face. By understanding their preferences, we help build better relationships with them. 
 
Communicate in a way that is convenient to your audience and not just because it’s the most convenient way for you. 
 
Yes, this can be hard, you may have to come out of your comfort zone. I prefer to speak to people, face to face, but not all clients, potential or existing want this. 
different marketing communications

What about different marketing communications? 

One of my pet hates and yes, I’m going to throw it out there. Is LinkedIn cold messages. No sooner have you accepted an invitation to connect, you receive a cold message, selling their services. Some can be a bit lower key, not so pushy, but they’re still trying to sell to me. 
 
With these I always have to fight the urge to respond with: I’m not interested thanks, but if you would like some help with your marketing, please let me know. 
 
So, I started thinking about all the different types of communication methods for marketing. There are so many, and one size doesn’t fit all. As a business owner this is something that you should consider, because regardless of your business category, no two customers are the same. 

What is the best way to communicate your marketing message? 

This isn’t an easy question to answer. In fact, there’s probably not a single right answer, but a combination of options. This could depend on the service or product that you offer. You also need to make it as easy as possible for you to be contacted. 
 
There’s nothing worse than having to jump through hoops to speak to someone, drop an email or complete a contact form on a website. Do you ask in your contact form, how the prospective customer would like to be contacted? 
 
Would they prefer an email or a phone call? Better go and change our website contact forms! 
Website Chatbots increase acessibility

Do you have a chat bot on your website? 

Some website visitors prefer this, they can get quick and simple answers when they are looking, but don’t have to physically speak to anyone. If you do, make sure it’s only active when you are able to respond. 
 

Consistent marketing messages 

One thing is definite, the tone and message needs to be consistent across all your marketing communications. I bleat on about how important it is to have a consistent brand. But that is a blog for another day, so how do you make your messages consistent? 

Tone of voice 

The tone of voice is really important. Do you communicate like that in real life if you’re sat face to face with someone? If one of your customers read your website, or any promotional material, would they recognise you from the tone. If they don’t, then you are giving the wrong impression of your business to potential customers. 
We’re friendly, a bit nuts, and really do love a coffee and a chat to get to know our customers. We also like helping people, so we’re happy to have a chat and coffee and just give some free advice. 
 
If you would like a coffee and chat, please get in touch, coffee is on us. 
 
Tagged as: Communication, Marketing
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