3 Rules of customer-centric communications

We have examined how the sincere application of a distinct ideology drives the success of fast growing brands.

We also, briefly, looked at the pillars of modern storytelling, applicable to pretty much any public brand.

Sincerity and customer-centricity long ago moved from being “ethical” choices to becoming the only path to success in an increasingly transparent world.

Let’s look at how a sincere customer-centric ideology applies to the 3 dimensions of business: Communications, Environments and Services.

PART 1: COMMUNICATIONS

1. Don’t talk about what you want to say, but what’s most important for the consumer.

In many cases, this may drive the volume of communications down. Great; people are overwhelmed with promotions as it is. Before signing off another cookie-cutter, vacuous message, consider – is it in your consumers’ best interest to receive that information?

 

2. Find the most clear and comprehensive way of saying it, don’t rely on jargon.

In the public domain, jargon only helps people who aim to make simple things appear complex. The financial industry is probably the best example: one of the reasons for the rise of numerous FinTech start-ups is that many big banks are terrible at communicating with consumers.

 

3. Drop everything else. Seriously.

Produce less. Decluttering is one of the ongoing cultural trends; at least in the West, where people have been overwhelmed by promotional noise for quite some time. Asking for attention only when you have something useful to say both improves your chances of actually being heard and offers a fresh approach to mutually beneficial communications.

 

Customer-centric brands don’t invest in self-aggrandisement or even self-promotion. Instead, they invest in better products and services and let the happy consumer spread the word. There are never too many companies doing something exceptionally well and even a single elated review can travel very far on digital waves.

 

Stay tuned for:

Part two: customer-centric PHYSICAL environments

Part three: customer-centric DIGITAL environments

Part four: customer-centric services