Connecting with customers who are not digitally connected.
In this day and age life is all about staying connected. Whether through social media, live streams, video conferencing, emails, and every other digital means of communication. But no matter how much technology advances, there always seems to be a faction of people, albeit small, who don’t subscribe to these mediums. Many by choice and others, unfortunately, due to lack of means.
This was brought to my attention from a survey I ran of my audience earlier this year. The question arose, how do you reach a customer base that’s simply not digitally connected? An area I never gave much thought to until now.
If they continue to be your customers, there’s still hope.
Good old-fashioned customer service will be your starting point.
Before I changed careers and worked in retail management, I was taught to serve the customer from the door to the register. When done right, they rarely left empty-handed. That means you have the perfect opportunity to get to know your customers on a personal level. Find out their preferences, dislikes, what piques their interests, and their wish lists.
Go retro and start a file on them and study it for the next encounter. Surprise them with the right resources as the answer to their quests when they come around again. They’ll appreciate how much you’ve listened to them when they reward you with loyalty.
Work the phones
They may be off the digital grid but chances are they have a phone. It may seem dated and possibly awkward at first but periodically call them when you have something going on they find of interest.
Subscribe to an SMS service that allows you to broadcast text messages (bulk sends) to get regular messages out.
Setup a robocall system to also broadcast important reminders, upcoming events, and special offers. If they hear your voice they’re more likely to listen to it all the way through.
Paper will be your friend
Put some money towards professionally printed flyers or postcards promoting your products, services, and events to hand out, put in the mail, or use as bag stuffers.
There may be a plug after all
If they have a smartphone you can connect with them through email. This is where you may have to build your patience. If it’s new to them, take the time to show them how they can get a Gmail account and download the app to start receiving emails.
Each of these ideas will make you hustle, but it shouldn’t be a stretch since hustling for your business is what you do anyway. If nothing else you’ll gain a loyal, active audience that withstands the constant changes of the digital marketplace.
