Here you will find 4 communication tips and skills needed for a successful entrepreneur.
Gaining customers and engaging with the market is one of the greatest challenges faced by entrepreneurs, particularly when their brand name is not well known. But there are many marketing platforms that can be used and leveraged without incurring major expenses. The fundamental differentiator is in the content.
“A small business, like mine,” says Ryan Sooray, founder and manager of SaleWine, “cannot afford to advertise and market on a large scale. The margins on our products are tight, and the overheads we incur are aimed at building our business infrastructure. So I need to make use of tools that are inexpensive but effective.” Sooray founded SaleWine four years ago and in this time, has learnt some important lessons in effective communication.
Communication Tip # 1 – Be Clear and Concise
Businesses need to communicate their message effectively and efficiently to potential customers, investors and employees. Be clear and concise in your messaging, avoiding complex language and industry jargon. This will help your audience better understand what your business does, what sets it apart from others and why they should choose it.
An easy way of estimating how much material should be included in a message, whether it is about a product in a newsletter or on social media platforms, is that it should be of the length of a tweet (140 characters).
Today’s consumer does not have time to consume reams of content and won’t even engage in a message if it doesn’t capture their attention in two lines. A transparent, concise and accurate message that can be easily read and easily interpreted is more effective than a long story that takes up the precious time of the customer.
“We used to write a romantic story behind our featured wines and hope that would stir up an emotional response from our customers but in reality, all they wanted were the facts and a price.”
When communicating with your audience, focus on the benefits that your product or service provides. People are interested in what’s in it for them, so be sure to highlight the ways in which your startup can improve their lives or solve their problems.
Communication Tip# 2 – Listen Actively
Communication is not just about talking, it’s also about listening. Good communication is a two-way street. It is important to listen actively to what others are saying and to respond to their questions and concerns. Take the time to listen to what your customers, investors, and employees are saying, and respond in a thoughtful and meaningful way that shows you are paying attention and you value their feedback. This can help build trust and establish good relationships with stakeholders.
Another means of ‘active listening’ is making use of social listening and other monitoring tools – these provide great insight into what is being said about your brand, which you can use to improve customer service, product development, communication etc.
For example, by listening to your customers, you can design your weekly communication around their typical schedules. “In the early days, we wanted to drive traffic to our website, but people did not have time to click on the links and search for the prices of the product they wanted. Sending a Friday mailer is something we find unique,” comments Sooray, “ we mix up our pricing and products and add some of our more unique wines onto that because people are thinking about the weekend and are more likely to want to find out a bit more and will then click through to the website.”
Communication Tip# 3 – Use Multiple Channels
Vary your communication methods whilst still maintaining precision. People prefer to communicate & be communicated with in different ways, so it’s important to use multiple channels to reach different stakeholder groups. Theorists say that it takes six repetitions to commit anything to long-term memory, and the majority of working South Africans have access to more than one method of communication, so the information can be circulated in various ways to reach customers more than once and trigger engagement.
This might include email, phone, face-to-face meetings, and social media. By using a variety of channels, you can reach a wider audience and ensure that your message is heard.
Communication Tip #4 – Be Transparent, Accurate & Authentic
Transparency is key when it comes to communication for any business. Be open about your company’s values, goals, challenges, and plans for the future. This helps to build trust with stakeholders and can also help to prevent misunderstandings.
“Also, make sure your information is correct, there is nothing worse than being given an incorrect price and finding out later that it was higher than anticipated. This makes customers feel lied to and cheated for their attention and will turn them off your business completely with very little chance of re-engagement, so make sure your information is accurate.”
Finally, be yourself and stay authentic in your communication. People can tell when you’re not being genuine, and it’s important to build trust with your audience. Communicate in a way that is consistent with who you are as a company.
These 4 communication tips are simple yet effective ways that entrepreneurs can reduce marketing costs and retain those customers that will generate profit into the future and maintain a public presence without spreading their efforts far and wide.
For more information on communication tips for every entrepreneur to use and how to talk with different people, visit our website www.seedacademy.co.za