It can be tempting to focus all your messaging around the same central point: “Buy our stuff!” In reality, when your message is one note, you’re communicating to your customers that you only have one thing to say, and they’re tuning out.
Building a relationship with your customers is about a dialogue, back and forth. When you dialogue with a friend, you want it to be back and forth, about a variety of topics, and with mutual interest in each other. When any of those elements are lost, though, your relationship suffers.
The same is true for your business. If every message is pressuring a sale, then your customers never have the opportunity to build trust, get to know your brand values and expertise, or feel safe just considering your product without being accosted to make a purchase they’re not ready to make.
If you want to keep your customers (and especially your leads) engaged, your messaging needs to serve a purpose beyond “Buy Now!” Utilize your digital signage, your social media, your content, and your publications to welcome people into your place of business, demonstrate your corporate values, and educate them about your products and relevant things related to your products.
Consider this scenario: Sales Person #1
You walk into a retail clothing store. As you come through the door, a sales person asks what they can help you find today. You let them know you’re not looking for anything in particular and walk through the store browsing. Every time you pick up an item, the sales person comes up next to you and tells you, “We only have a few of those left. You better get this now before we run out!” or “We’re running a great sale on that shirt! Better buy it now before the price goes up!”
You’re likely to run out of the store as soon as possible, because the pressure to buy is so great and there’s no room for building awareness or opportunity to consider the purchase on your own terms.
Now consider this alternative: Sales Person #2
You walk into a retail clothing store. As you come through the door, a sales person asks what they can help you find today. You let them know you’re not looking for anything in particular and walk through the store browsing. After a few minutes, the sales person comes up next to you and tells you about the product you’re holding. “That shirt is made of a high quality organic, fair trade cotton. It’s one of our best sellers. Because of the way it’s made, this shirt will last years longer and look better than your typical shirt with proper care. Let me know if there’s anything else I can tell you about.”
In this case, the call to action was for further consideration, not a pressured sale. The sales person in this scenario positioned the store as the expert on high quality clothing, and met the customer where they were in the buying process (consideration) rather than forcing them to make a decision they weren’t ready to make. As the buyer, you’re more likely to stay in the store longer, and make a purchase (even if it’s not that day) than you would have if you’d been pressured to buy.
Is your digital signage more like Sales Person #1 or #2? When you create your Retriever playlist, take advantage of the opportunity to educate and entertain your customers. There are a few simple ways to do this (and so many more beyond this short list):
- Educate your customers about product care
- Introduce your employees
- Showcase slides about community-oriented events and opportunities
- Include news headlines, weather, and clocks
- List educational and service opportunities
- Celebrate your values in creative ways
If you need to re-engage your customers, we can help. Contact us and we’ll set up a conversation!