As
we’ve intimated before, the holidays are as great a time as any to unveil your
business’s marketing programme to include launching and testing new products
and services, as well as revealing your customer relationship management
programme.
But
some businesses tend to get carried away during this time. From misleading advertising to promising rewards
and benefits that are impossible to deliver, some businesses will inevitably
leave the holidays with irreparable damage done to their reputation.
The following are a few tips for my startups
to maintain their business’s image before and after the holidays:
Be truthful in advertising – Many companies
in a bid to move inventory from the store during the holiday buzz will
conceptualize catchy customer benefits including ‘free gift/s’ with purchase of
a certain amount, or buy one, get one free or the famous ‘bait and switch’ in
order to attract more sales. In addition
to the fact that there are legal implications for businesses caught in these
situations, misleading advertising reduces trust and credibility with customers
and thereby damages the business’s reputation. As a startup, you do not want to introduce
yourself to the market with this ‘monkey on your back” --- say what you will do
and be truthful about.
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| Image courtesy of MMR Strategy Group |
The case of the ‘hidden fees’ – Hidden
fees are essentially a way to ‘trick’ customers into paying more than the
advertised amount. When you advertise the
purchase price for a product or service as the full amount; honour that commitment
to the customer. This means that activation
fees or other service charges must also be included in the advertised amount. While it is the responsibility of the
customer to read the fine print, it is also the responsibility of the business
owner to be straight forward with the customer.
A word to the wise; hidden fees do not increase profit, they prove that
your business is unscrupulous.
Use of ‘conditions apply’ – I find
that two of the trickiest words in advertising is ‘conditions apply’. For some business owners the ‘conditions’ are
a moving target. As a startup define
what the conditions are and write them in stone. Ensure that your customers know what your
sale conditions are as well. If space
allows, include them on your printed material and post them in your commercial space. Also, ensure that the conditions benefit you as well. For example, putting a timeline on your offer can control how long the conditions are in-force.
There is ‘no
risk’
– Of all that’s been mentioned, this is the one that scares me most is no
risk. Firstly, if it is a medical
product, there are side effects; if you are accessing a ‘free trial’,
particularly online, you are required to provide a credit card number; so essentially,
there is a risk! With online ‘free
trials’, customers must monitor their credit cards to ensure that they get what
they are paying for, while business owners must ensure that they deliver what
they promise.
By
no means is it a hard balance to strike, businesses and brands must endeavor to
build and maintain impeccable reputations.
It is your reputation that will allow customers to trust your business
and refer it to other customers who are looking for exactly what you offer.
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