All posts tagged customers

Writing emails your customers will open

In this week’s edition of Micro Business Tips Thursday (more info), we asked the fans on the Vistaprint Facebook page how they craft emails so that customers open them.

After reading through a slew of good answers, we selected this tip from IMAGES by Ngaire as this week’s top response:

Try to be friendly, natural, and genuine. Don’t overload their inbox. Keep titles simple and to the point and you are well on to your way to success!

How do you craft your emails? Are you friendly like IMAGES by Ngaire suggests or something else? We’d love to hear below.

Be sure to tune into our Facebook page next week for your chance to be featured on this blog.

Micro Business Roundup

Happy Friday everyone! We hope you had a nice week. The weather continues to vary here in Massachusetts as we creep closer to Independence Day (be on the lookout for a special holiday post next week). In between meetings and projects we were able to identify five articles from the past week that we felt would be of use to your micro business. We hope you find something fun and exciting to do this weekend and please enjoy this week’s edition of the Micro Business

How Do You Engage Your Customers? As many micro business owners know, engaging with your customer base is one of the most important aspects of making your business a success. It’s one aspect of your business that, with hard work and dedication, can put you ahead of your competitors who may have more resources. So how do you get better?  This New York Times article takes a look at one company that uniquely engages its customers and how you can incorporate some of their ideas into your micro business.

77 Percent of Small Business Owners Love What They Do: Do You? Do you love your micro business and what you are doing? According to recent survey results we put out, and featured on SmallBizTrends.com, more than three of every four of you do. But the author takes that stat and offers some important reminders about loving your entrepreneurial spirit. We were drawn to the point that “Just because you love it doesn’t mean it’s not hard work.” Those who are parents can relate with this way of thinking.

10 FREE Sites to Help You Improve Your Writing No matter what type of micro business you are involved with, you probably notice you do a lot more writing then you may have expected. Business plans, marketing collateral and legal items are just a few items you need strong writing skills for. For those who struggle with writing, or are simply to looking to improve, check out this round-up of sites from Bukiki.com to help you improve. As a helpful reminder, it’s always a good idea to have someone else read over your writing whenever possible.

Giving good interview, or how to get a reporter to eat from your hand Has your micro business been interviewed by the local newspaper or television station? It certainly can be a nerve racking experience as you want try to balance getting your company message out while not sounding over promotional, or say something stupid. To help get you prepared for your next time (or first time), check out this post from CrowdSpring.com on how to control and give a good interview. While we like all the tips offered, we highly recommend staying in control and focused while being interviewed.

Customer Service has to be a Culture – No matter how small or large your business may be, customer service is the lifeline that helps keep your business running. Without it companies are destined to fail no matter how strong the products are services may be. This fifteen minute podcast from TECAclub.com chats about the three R’s of customer service: Repeat referrals and requests. How do you show strong customer service?

Image — Chron.com

Drawing influence from your customers

This post includes a video, please click here if you are having trouble viewing,

Customer Service Skills: Use Them

customer-service-skills

The following guest post is brought to us by the Internet Marketing Center,  which can be found at: www.internetmarketing.com

There’s a business saying: A happy customer will tell one or two people, an unhappy one will tell 10!

In the Internet age, a seriously ticked-off customer might not only tell 10 people, they might also write a lengthy rant on their blog, post comments on other people’s blogs, write a negative review of your site on a shopping website, or criticize you on forums and message boards. Or all of the above! Read more…

Sales Referrals With Great Customer Service

telling_a_secret_2174521This guest post is part of our ongoing Small Business Perspective series, and is written by Monique Wakefield, owner of Paws-n-Tails in Dallas, TX.

Some people are reluctant to go to someone new without having some information about them first. Putting yourself in the customer’s shoes, ask yourself if you would you rather go with a brand you know a lot about or one that you have never heard of. If you think about it, all the great brands have had at least two things going for them: 1) a great ad campaign; and 2) people generally say good things about, or otherwise endorse the brand. Read more…

Does debt trouble = closing?

debtCredit cards, or rather credit card debt, are something that has been a source of discussion for some time in both the main stream news and in homes across America. In this economic climate it’s something not to be taken lightly in both our personal or professional lives, but especially for the small business owner. Read more…

Utilize Internet Marketing Products

This guest post is part of our ongoing Small Business Perspective series, and is written by Monique Wakefield, owner of Paws-n-Tails in Dallas, TX.

Internet MarketingFrom my experience, the internet is one of the best and cheapest marketing resources around. As a word of advice, it is a good idea to have a reliable website. It doesn’t necessarily have to be spectacular, but it should give at least basic information, i.e., a description of the goods or services you provide, some background information, any licenses you have, hours of operation, etc. This will help draw people to your business by increasing your credibility. Read more…

How to Deliver Superb Customer Service

Welcome to the second half of How to Deliver Superb Customer Service, please Click here if you missed the first half of the discussion. Today we’ll go over four additional tips to help your company provide exceptional customer service to your customer base. Read more…

How to Deliver Superb Customer Service (part 1)

Consistently providing great customer service is a vital asset to any company. While price can be an important conversion point, customers also value their shopping experience and take that into consideration when deciding which company they do business with. Read more…

Two Small Businesses Can Be Better Than One

mindyA few weeks ago I highlighted different opportunities for small businesses to generate new customers. In that discussion was the idea of partnering with other local companies to help share marketing costs and resources to potentially acquire new customers.

With that tip in mind, Sheena Harrison recently penned a great story on CNN Money’s Small Business section  that shows examples of Detroit-based businesses coming together to help promote each other’s businesses (even when some were potential competitors). Harrison reports on some of the tactics being done in local neighborhoods to assure small businesses stay afloat and profitable.

Here are some of the highlights I took away from Harrison’s article that you may find useful as you look to partner with local businesses in your community:

  • Look for meetings to network: In Detroit, a site called OpenCityDetroit.com brings local companies together once a month to network, share stories/advice and ask questions. Read more…