5 Ways to Win More Cloud Service Customers

• April 10, 2019
• Author: Jana Carlson

Improving customer acquisition is possible! As a cloud service provider, you may be faced with time constraints, limited expertise and resources, or a tight budget. The good news is that there are simple action steps you can take to grow your business by winning new customers.

1. Maximize Customer Communication

In this age of connectivity, there’s no excuse for a failure to effectively communicate with existing or potential customers. Take advantage of the multitude of online and digital communication tools available and build strong relationships with your audience.

Two increasingly popular communication channels are live chat and social media.

Live Chat

A whopping 92% of customers are most satisfied with the buying process when they use a live chat feature. A live chat feature on your website enables your business to increase customer satisfaction, enhance customer service, and engage with a wider audience.

Social Media

Don’t be intimidated by social media. It’s fast becoming a top choice for customers to engage with businesses. Connecting with your audience through social media channels by replying to comments, answering questions, and responding to complaints is a powerful tool to improve customer engagement.

Worried about negative comments? These are a valuable opportunity to build trust. By responding to complaints or issues promptly, sincerely, and professionally, you can actually reinforce a reputation for exceptional customer service.

2. Speak the Customer’s Language

Clearly communicating in a way that shows the customer your understand their specific needs will set you apart from your competitors. Don’t speak to every potential or existing customer the same way.

Becoming proficient in speaking the precise language of a particular vertical segment will put you at an advantage. Resonate with a certain market. Get to know how it works, the terminology that’s used, the issues they face, etc. Then create and highlight features and solutions that are custom-designed to meet their specific needs. Command their attention by proving you understand them and have their best interests in mind.

3. Set Competitive Prices

Before making a purchase, 94% of B2B customers conduct research online. Do your own research before pricing your products or services. Look at the current state of the cloud service market. Talk to your customers about what influences their purchasing decisions. Why did they choose a competitor instead of you (and vice versa)?

Pricing competitively does not mean your products and services must cost less than all your competitors. Multiple factors contribute to the value of a product or service. Customers are generally willing to pay for higher quality, more or better features, superior solutions, and outstanding support.

4. Add Value

Instead of focusing your marketing efforts solely on promoting products, highlight the benefits your business offers.

For example, you could fill your marketing content with the features of your all-in-one communications solution. But for more impact, you could focus on how that solution boosts efficiency and streamlines operations.

Provide incentives or rewards (such as gift cards for “loyalty anniversaries”). Offer helpful information via social media or email campaigns.

5. Leverage Customer Loyalty

An overwhelming majority of customers are influenced by word-of-mouth recommendations or reviews when making a purchasing decision.

Here are a few ways you can use this to your advantage:

• Follow up with new customers to ensure their experience with your business has been a positive one. If it hasn’t been, do what it takes to make it right.
• Request reviews or testimonials from your most satisfied customers. Do this via email with a link to a feedback form or review page to make it easy for them.
• Feature positive testimonials on your website and social media channels.
• Include social sharing buttons on your blog and anywhere you’re promoting content online.

If the products, services, promotions, and content you’re providing your customers do not offer significant value to them, it’s time to re-evaluate your strategy.  

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Win more customers by standing out from your competitors. Prioritizing effective customer communication, pricing your valuable products and services competitively, and focusing on customer loyalty are all practical ways to grow your cloud service business.

At UnitedCloud, we work hard to support our cloud service partners and resellers. We pay attention to the state of the market and provide solutions to help you adapt. Contact us today to find out more about becoming a UnitedCloud partner.