Want to grow your brand? Think about building a seamless customer experience

Congratulations on your clever advertising campaigns. Well done on your memorable social media posts. Big up on your innovative PR. Now, why isn’t your brand growing? Unfortunately, or fortunately, depending on who you are, no matter what you do, what happens on the web should mirror or surpass real-world interactions, as this is the future of advertising and what matters most to your customers. 

In the world we’re living in, consumers are spending the majority of their time browsing the internet. It is a goldmine for marketers, and those that utilise this space to their advantage know very well the benefits it can bring to both your business and marketing goals. 

The professionals tell us that effectively organising and managing customer experience (CX) can result in a 20% improvement in customer satisfaction. Yes, you read that right, a whopping 20%! Most brands would be thrilled with much less than that.

What’s more, is that a good customer experience can result in a 15% increase in sales conversion. This just goes to show that people seek physical value from the products and services they’re after, but more so, the actual event is the emotional and psychological connection they have with the brands supplying them. 

In a sea of brands all vying for the same customers' attention and retention, the customer experience, both offline and online, is what sets brands apart from their competitors.

Sasaol’s Head of Digital Communications, MJ Khan, attributes some of his organisation’s success stories to the close collaboration between the brands and its agencies. This is no mean feat; Sasol uses more than 15 different agencies to help them accomplish their goals. 

A common thread 

MJ Khan says that despite the necessity for unique messaging across multiple audiences, both for B2B and B2C, there must be a common thread that runs through all communication. Whether in a social media post, an ad campaign, or through PR, that common thread has to be experienced on the ground. 

So how does Sasol ensure that every customer, whether they are a business or an individual, has the same experience when dealing with the company?

According to MJ Khan, the company’s common purpose guides how the organisation does everything, thus ensuring that customers experience a seamless and consistent interaction with the brand, no matter if it's in person or online. The common purpose can be seen and felt at every customer touchpoint and helps customers trust and respect the brand, which keeps them coming back for more.

MJ Khan warns against creating self-serving content and following fads, especially on social media, as these may take you off course of your purpose and make you less authentic, which your customers will quickly pick up on. 

Instead, he advises brands to invest in customer experience rather than invest in platforms, as the latter are constantly evolving. The one constant, though, is customer experience. Depending on a platform for your CX strategy may open you up to a significant gap in your community interaction when the platform changes, as they tend to do. 

Constant measurement is key 

Sasol, along with many other successful brands, is constantly learning and making changes to their communications, measuring how well their messaging connects with people so that the brands and businesses can make the necessary changes to improve the customer experience. For this reason, MJ Khan places an emphasis on brands needing suitable feedback mechanisms so that they can remain consistent and clear in their messaging. 

Final words 

These insights come from a recent conversation with MJ Khan on Rogerwilco’s Marketing Manager, Mongezi Mtati’s podcast, The Lead Creative. This is my take on it, but you can form your own insights and opinions by listening to the conversation wherever you get your podcasts. 

This article was first published on IncAfrica.com.