Making a lasting impression in business is the underlying foundation of all good marketing and advertising campaigns. When a lasting impression is made with a customer they are more likely to continue providing your business with their custom, which ultimately means more money and a steady cash flow coming your way.
How to create a lasting impression
You can create a lasting impression even from your first contact with a customer. Whether this be a physical meeting between you and them or a marketing tool whether that be custom business cards or digital posters that you employ, you should seek to make sure that that first point of contact is one that is remembered for a long time to come.
Creating the perfect business cards in a few easy steps with a professional printing company to advise you on materials is stress-free. Choosing the right materials and finish can help make your business cards pop, leaving a long-lasting impression on your clients and customers. However, if it is a face-to-face meeting then it is pivotal that you seek to portray both you and your business’s personality as best you can.
An example of this is how an undertaker business would go about greeting any potential customers for the first time: they would act in a sorrowful, undemanding and altogether low-key way in order to show sympathy to the customer and show them just how professional they are, and a lasting impression of professionalism is never a bad thing as it inspires continued confidence in your work. Other ways to make a lasting impression within the first five minutes of physical contact include: asking the customer questions and showing an interest in the stories they tell, telling your own stories and, most importantly, showing that you remember their name and their details.
But creating a lasting impression isn’t only achieved through a handshake and a smile; as previously mentioned it can be achieved through marketing tools. One of these tools could be the ways in which you correspond with customers for the first time; you could use any number of ways to do so, including: sending out flyers, handing out business cards or sending letters.
When it comes to the latter: what is just as important as the letter is the envelope that holds it. The envelope is the first point of contact as it is the first thing that a customer sees, which is why you should choose one that induces a lasting impression: a coloured envelope, perhaps? In doing so you are initiating the correspondence between your business and the customer in an impressionable way; and in business correspondence, marketing in a impressionable way is key.
And there are ways to create a lasting impression through your marketing campaigns even when you are marketing on a shoestring budget. One way is to make use of the online resources that are always readily at your disposal. In this day and age, the digital age, a business’s website is paramount to its success as it is more than likely going to act as the first point of contact between them and the customer; it is because of this reason that you should create a website for your business that provides your customer with everything that they need.
And an important aspect when it comes to a business’s website, that is sometimes forgotten, is the fact that the website needs to be up and active at at all times. If a customer seeks to access your website, only to find that it is not responding, then you are potentially going to lose their custom. To deal with this you should seek the services of an online resource, such as UptimeRobot, that will contact you if ever your website is down, which will mean you will have the chance to rectify the situation as soon as possible.
Create a lasting impression that speaks directly to the customer
“ Stop talking about your products and services. Customers don’t care about products and services, they care about themselves. ”- David Meerman Scott
When designing a marketing campaign, your message must speak directly to the customer and influence their mind. Your message should be emotional and create the impression that you care about the customer. When planning a viral marketing campaign; be sure to use words like strong, approachable, charming, fantastic, delicious, excellent, and exciting because these are keywords that influence customer action, so your marketing message must convey them.
Your message must engage your customers’ subconscious because it is in their subconscious that the buying decision takes place. The customer should feel empowered and important simply by reading your marketing message and should think about taking action right away.
“ The more informative your advertising is, the more persuasive it will be. ”- David Ogilvy
For example, just take a look at Nike’s slogan “ Just do it. “It’s a simple marketing message with a big impact on people’s minds. Nike’s marketing campaign was so successful that customers use the word “Just do it” in almost everything they do. Customers also use the floor to motivate themselves to action. So does the Adidas slogan “ Impossible is nothing. ”From the two illustrations mentioned above, it is obvious that by adding certain stylish features and emotional messages to your marketing campaign, the attractiveness and effectiveness can be multiplied. So, learning from Nike and Adidas’ experience;It is advisable to consider your overall branding strategy before developing a marketing campaign.
Use visuals to create an impression
Marketers attest to the fact that using visuals can make a person learn something faster than any other medium. As a famous saying goes, “ a picture speaks a thousand words. ”So when creating a viral marketing campaign, be sure to add visuals to the marketing message. Visuals can range from images and animations to graphics. Inserting visuals into marketing messages not only brings customers together, but also strengthens the bond and creates a lasting impression in the customer’s mind.
Another important point to note when developing a targeted marketing campaign is representations of colors, shapes and symbols. You should always remember that different colors represent different types of emotions and different symbols create different emotions.
Red and blue are colors appreciated by aggressive buyers, while yellow can catch the eye of the beholder. Green denotes health, money and nutrition, so it is mainly used in advertising of food products. Black means strength and power; that’s why it is used by Jaguar in the background and advertisement of their website. Purple denotes wealth and royalty.
The message of your marketing campaign should also reflect on your company materials; therefore, the chosen colors should also be applied to business cards, because your business card can be used to attract customers and increase emotional attachment. But colors must be used with care, as too much can ruin the campaign. The same goes for shapes and symbols.
Some shapes and symbols attract and influence customers more. Market research and analysis; a crest is the best marketing symbol, followed by a circle or oval shape. The square and triangle have the least emotional impact. You can seek professional help when selecting colors and symbols for business cards, website font, background, and logo.
Use technology to your advantage
When planning a viral marketing campaign, the application of technology can be an added advantage. The good news is that most technology options are cheap and easy to use. Examples are audios and videos that are now included on websites to gain extra attention. Just pay a visit to Pepsi’s homepage and you’ll be greeted with energetic music, the kind that instantly attracts teenagers.
To make your message more effective, welcome messages, introductory videos and interviews can be added to your website. Hearing a voice can be very touching and a feeling of attraction can immediately develop in your visitor. An example of this is the Adidas website, which opens with a video that fits its slogan, “ Impossible is nothing. ”
Conclusion
Creating a lasting impression in your first point of contact with a customer is key — remember that the next time any potential customers walk through your business’s doors!
