All businesses, brands and industries will notice their client base evolving as time flies by. In the same way that we evolve as people as we get older, your client base evolves and changes over time. This is something you should be paying close attention to as client likes, dislikes and priorities could alter. If you don’t keep up with the evolution of your client base and evolve with it, you could fail to offer exactly what your clients are looking for.
When your customers evolve, you need to evolve alongside them. By doing so, you are making sure that your clients’ needs are always being met. If you do not evolve at the same rate, you could fail to provide exactly what your target market is looking for and this could drive clients towards competitors.
So, how do you evolve alongside your client base?
Focus on key customer touchpoints
As your client base evolves, it’s likely that your customer touchpoints will also change. But, what are customer touchpoints? A customer touchpoint is every time a customer comes across your business; every small interaction or encounter is a touchpoint. This includes seeing your business on social media, receiving a marketing email from you, visiting your business in person, and seeing that their order is out for delivery. Every customer touchpoint is a crucial part of the customer experience, and these can evolve alongside your client base. For example, there are a greater number of customer touchpoints centred around social media scrolling than there were ten years ago. Therefore, a growing focus should be placed on these touchpoints. After all, there is very little point in focusing on ‘in-store’ customer touchpoints if the majority of your customers encounter you online.
Embrace a growing interest in social media
There is no denying the popularity of social media, and it is where a large number of your clients are likely to find you. Gone are the days of walking down the high street and coming across your new favourite brand – many people are now stumbling across companies that spark their interest via social media posts and advertising. This is why embracing social media, and finding the platforms your audience is interested in, should be a key part of your evolution. This is especially important if you have a younger target market, as younger generations tend to use new and exciting platforms that are just coming out. You can find out everything you can about Snapchat and TikTok and make sure they play a part in your marketing strategy if your key audience is 16-24.
Understand who your clients are
As your client base evolves, your ‘ideal’ client is also likely to change. This is why it’s important to always know who your target client is and how they are evolving. You can do this by regularly looking at client data, analysing your demographics and understanding their persona; for example, do they still shop in the same way they always have and has the way they find you changed? Whereas some aspects of your client base will evolve, some others will stay the same. It’s important to understand how your client basis is evolving and how this changes them. Then, you can make the necessary changes to reflect this.
This applies to all businesses and all clients, not just those in a specific industry. If you have a regular client base, you should always be on the lookout for subtle changes and big evolutions. By staying up to date with your client base, you have the best chance of providing exactly what they are looking for and ticking every box. It’s a key part of keeping your clients satisfied with the service you provide.
