Separate yourself from the competition by crafting a personal image for your business!
While the internet and social media has brought us closer together in many ways, sometimes it feels like today’s world – especially the business world – has lost its human touch. As a small business owner, it can be difficult to separate yourself from the competition if your business seems faceless and cold. How can you turn an impersonal image into an inviting one?
Build Deeper Relationships
It all starts with putting a human face to your business. If customers think of your business in terms of the human beings who work there instead of just a name in the Yellow Pages or search engine listings, it opens the door to more meaningful and lasting (and profitable) relationships. Consider adding a page to your website with the names, photos and short biographies of your staff so customers can match a face to the person they talk to on the phone or by email.
When you interact with customers, share a little about yourself and try to learn something memorable about them. Sharing your hobbies, interests and past experiences can create deeper connections between you and your customers. They don’t necessarily have to be your best friends, but try opening yourself up a little bit and putting in the effort to learn something about your customers. Customers will be encouraged to return to your business if they feel you care about them on a more personal level.
Try Some Transparency
One good way to open yourself up is to be as transparent as possible about what goes on in your shop. You can take advantage of social media to give existing and potential customers a behind-the-scenes peek at your day to day activity. This will give your customers a better understanding and appreciation of what exactly goes into decorating their products, and it’ll help you demonstrate the capabilities and limitations of screen printing.
Showing off your finished screen printed products is also a great way to open your customers’ eyes to design and product offerings they may not have existed. For example, posting a video of a successful special effects print or unusual promotional item can pique the interest of customers who might otherwise have settled for only basic t-shirts.
Host an Event
Another way you can give your business a human touch is by hosting an event. An open house or workshop is a good opportunity to show your customers the ins and outs of screen printing in a fun, laid-back setting. Hosting a barbecue or throwing a party to celebrate the anniversary of your business can give you a chance to spend some quality time with your customers and learn more about them.
In addition to hosting your own events, it’s also a good idea to attend events organized by others. Being present at trade shows and other industry gatherings will show your customers (and competition) that you’re serious about keeping up to date with the latest trends and technology. Participating in community events will give you a chance to network with other local businesses and organizations and increase the visibility of your company.
In order to be as successful as possible at your screen printing business, you can’t allow yourself to just be another face in the crowd. You have to make the effort to stand out and cultivate strong relationships, and the best way to do that is by giving your company a human touch.
Looking for other ways to make your screen printing business stand out? Check out this blog post:
Make Your Screen Printing Business Stand Out from the Competition
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