The health and wellness industry is a great one to get into right now if you’re thinking of starting your own business. More people than ever before are taking their health, wellness, appearance, and weight very seriously, and there’s always going to be a market for products and services that can help people feel like the best versions of themselves.
But with so many healthcare and wellness brands cropping up, how do you make sure that yours is the one that customers return to over and over again? The key to success is going the extra mile. The definition of going the extra mile means making more effort than is expected of you. In other words, it means to do much more than customers actually expect; surprise them in various ways that will make them decide your healthcare brand is their favorite. And that’s why they’re going to come back.
Here are some ideas and suggestions for going the extra mile.
1. Create Informative Content That Gives Your Customers Something Useful
Today, customers want more than just products and services from the brands they shop with. It’s become the norm for businesses to provide most of the content that’s online, from funny videos to infographics and lengthy, serious blog posts.
As a health and wellness brand owner, you’re in a position where people will look to you to help them improve their health. Along with the services or products you sell, you can do this by creating and publishing educational content. Not only does it help to strengthen your relationship with customers because they see you as an authority brand that really knows its stuff, but you’ll also get noticed by search engines, who reward good content with better rankings. It’s a win-win!
2.Reward Your Customers for Choosing You
Many brands take the attitude that their product or service alone is the reward that customers get for shopping with them. But you know that isn’t the case. You know that your service or product is great, but the market is so competitive, it’s highly likely that customers have other options. So reward them for choosing you. You don’t have to go all out; this could be something as simple as a heartfelt thank you note in a package or a small discount off their next order.
The truth of the matter is, customers have a wealth of options to choose from. Simply having a great product or service doesn’t cut it anymore, because there’s so much choice.
3. Notice a Need
Really getting to know your customers and understanding their wants and needs is essential to go the extra mile, providing outstanding customer service, and making customers want to come back to shop with your brand again and again. Do your research on your customers and engage with them regularly; social media is a great place to start with this. You could start a Facebook group for your customers, for example, where they can form a community and discuss your products or services and how they relate to their health.
This kind of thing is great for brands because along with being the facilitator of a community and providing your customers with new online friends, you can also closely monitor the group to see if there are any particular common themes that crop up often, and then come up with a solution to these problems. For example, you could show your customers the various benefits of making their own supplement capsules at home if you see a lot of complaints about shop-bought versions that don’t have the desired result.
4. Always Make It Right
Don’t just leave going the extra mile for customers who are satisfied with your service already; they’re already committed to your brand. It’s the customers who are unhappy that you really need to focus your energy on. How a business responds after a customer complaint is made can literally make or break the future relationship with that customer. If you don’t respond at all, your customer is going to think you simply don’t care about them. If you defend yourself, they are going to get annoyed - even if you know you are right, it doesn’t matter, they are the customer and they are always right.
When things go wrong, going the extra mile can save your skin. Rectifying things with a customer over the phone or in-person can prevent them from leaving that terrible one-star review screaming ‘AVOID’ that they were already writing in their head. One nice conversation, with somebody who’s empathetic towards them and apologizes for whatever they’re upset about, could ease their frustration and by the end of it, they might be mentally writing a five-star review instead. Even better if you offer them a generous discount off their next purchase or money back off their last one.
5. Act on Feedback
All too often, businesses send out customer surveys and ask for feedback - and then completely forget about what the customer said. Not only is that a completely pointless exercise, but it also tells your customers that you don’t really value their opinion. When it comes to communication with your customers, it’s got to be a two-way street. Make sure that your customers know that you want to hear from them and demonstrate that you really do value what they say by making as many adjustments as possible based on the feedback that you give.
What makes customers choose one brand over another, even if the products and services are exactly the same? It’s the feeling of being valued. A customer is always going to choose a brand that they feel takes a genuine interest in them and their needs and pain points, rather than one who just sends out the surveys to look busy and throws them in the trash afterward.
Whatever health or wellness service or product your business sells, going the extra mile for your customers will set you apart from your competitors and help you do well in an extremely busy, saturated industry.
No comments