With Yelp, Facebook Reviews, Google Reviews, the Better Business Bureau, and everywhere else reviews for your business can be made it is important to know how to make your customers happy.

Here are 6 tips we think are important for making a happy and satisfied customer.

1. Know your Clients Expectations

Better yet - remember the expectations you have advertised about your business. What are the main things you have stated you provide for your customers or clients? Always keep up with the standards you have set for your brand. Know who you are as company and always provide that to each of your customers or clients.

2. Be Prepared to Solve Your Customers Problems

Know and be prepared for the common (and not so common) problems your customer tend to have. Be one step ahead, so that your customer's experience runs smoothly. Have procedures in place for the different issues that could occur and make sure your co-worker/employees are trained on these procedures. For example: if you're a wedding photographer and you know every wedding there is always an issue with brides being able to gather all her family members after the ceremony for the portraits. The solution/procedure: Give your bride a worksheet to fill out well before the wedding of all the portraits she wants taken on her wedding day. Then provide printable cards she can have her bridesmaids give to the family members needed for portraits explaining where they need to meet the bride and groom after the ceremony. Simple! Something that is very stressful for your client is fixed by you = happy client!

3. Have AMAZING Customer Service

None of us are perfect, we all make mistakes. There will be a time when you will have an unhappy or unsatisfied customer. Whether that customer's complaint is legitimate or not doesn't really matter. You need to try and make that customer happy and right your wrong IMMEDIATELY. Listen to your client's complaint, show sympathy, admit fault, apologize, even ask the customer how you can fix this for them. Again, have a plan and procedure in place and make sure everyone working with you is trained on that procedure. Nothing can take down a business faster than bad customer service.

4. Thank Your Customers

Make sure to thank your customers at the time of purchase. And it is also a nice touch to send past customers/client a note, email, or text (however you contact them) with a thank you and add a coupon or discount code with it! It will remind them you are still there while making them feel appreciated. 

5. Ask for Feedback

You will never grow as a company if you do not listen to your customers/clients. Provide a place where they can leave anonymous  feedback ~ it will be more honest that way. The best way to know what your customer wants or needs is by asking them.

6. Listen to the Feedback

If there are things that your customers are not happy with ~ change it! Like we said before nobody is perfect, you will always need to adapt and change things within your business to provide the best experience for your customer or client.

The bottom line, when a customer has a great experience they will want to return. If you exceed your customer's expectations not only will they want to return they will recommend you to others. 

We hope this helps! Let us know (we love feedback)!! Also, if you are struggling to find more customers browse through our other articles for marketing tips.  You can look through our shop for webinars & workshops too ~ we have so many topics to choose from!  WCE also has an upcoming webinar on  5 ways to make your Marketing more Inclusive that can help you grow your clientele!

Any questions or concerns? Email us at wearewce@gmail.com!

WCE had the pleasure of interviewing Krista McDaniel owner and founder of Kreative Media a Digital Marketing Agency in The Woodlands, TX.  Learn all about Krista, why she chose to start her own business and what sets her & Kreative Media apart from the others! 

~Tell us a little bit about your business and what you do

Kreative Media is a full service digital marketing agency. We specialize in website design, logo design, social media management, SEO, content creation, ad campaigns and all things digital.

~How or why did you decide to start your own business?

Before Kreative Media, I owned an upscale women’s clothing boutique for 10 years. I grew it to one of the top in the industry and had 2 locations before I started a family. I did this through innovative and creative ideas that no other boutiques were doing at the time. We were featured on ABC The Bachelor and on the news multiple times. I noticed a niche in the market for someone to actually help grow these businesses and think outside of the box. There’s a lot of digital marketing agency but I know what businesses actually need since I have been on the “other side” of business. All businesses really want is ROI and growing their brand. I am here to help you propel your brand to the top of your industry. 

~Tell us about you- the business owner/owners so we can get to know you personally

I graduated from the University of Miami in 2012 (Go Canes)! After college, I moved back to The Woodlands where I started my clothing boutique and in the meantime met my husband. We have been married for 5 years and have 2 little girls who are 2 and 4 years old. When I am not behind the computer designing and working, you will find us out and about in The Woodlands.

~Why did you choose this business or industry?

My major was in Public Relations and I have always loved the digital design aspect. I love watching my client’s businesses grow and being along the journey with them. All of my clients, I consider my friends and we talk multiple times a day about new ways to market, content creation, email marketing, website updates and events that we could do. 

~Did you have any major setbacks or obstacles getting started?

I knew the biggest challenge would be getting my first client. Surprisingly, one of the first clients I reached out to started right away. I have been blessed with the clients I work with and happily can say that every client I have started has stayed with Kreative Media. We have now expanded to help all industries from retail, real estate, law firms, med spas and more! 

~What differentiates your business from your competition?

All of my clients appreciate that I have been on the other side of the business. I understand the struggles that brands go through and help to avoid those by being proactive and staying on top of the industry trends. I know what consumer’s want in a website and what works. I go above and beyond for all of my clients and work 7 days a week to make sure everyone is successful.

~What are you most proud of about your business?

I am truly proud of my clients and what we have been able to accomplish. Every one of my clients have grown 100x since I started working with them. I am proud of the start ups that I do a full package for which includes logo design, full website design, branding and social media management. I love watching their vision come to life and take off on their own. I love seeing the smile on my clients face when a campaign works and receiving online sales. I would say this industry has a lot of reward but you have to be ready to put in the work. I am here to do the “dirty” work to grow your brand while you focus on what you truly love.

~How has your industry changed in the last few months and how do you see it changing in the future (or will it)?

I believe people must go digital these days. If you don’t have a website or some type of online presence the brand your brand will be left in the dust. Brands must make it personal, people want to see who is behind the brand and get to know you!  My business has grown 10x during these past few months because people understand the importance of being digital. 

~Please share any pricing info of products or services

Our packages are completely customizable. We do everything from start-ups that need our full package (logo design, website design, branding and social media) to already established companies who just need SEO or a little push to take it to the next level. No project is too small or too big for us to handle. 

Please Krista & Kreative Media for all your marketing needs:

Website: www.kreative-media.com

Instagram: @Kreativemediagrp

Facebook: @kreativemediagrp

Who's excited that October is in just a couple days?! We are!! And we are super pumped to give y'all the Social Media Post Idea Guide for October!

For those that don't know WCE puts together post ideas for each month of the year to help you streamline your social media marketing! You may not use all of our ideas, but we do think it will get your brain moving and help you think of ideas that relate to your business! 

So, without wasting too much more of your time ~ you can download this guide for free HERE!

We really hope this helps! Don't forget to browse around our other articles to find more business tips & other free downloads!

If you haven't noticed the world is slightly obsessed with videos - on youtube, facebook and just about anywhere you look you can find people streaming videos. 75 million people watch video everyday! So, the question is - Have you considered how beneficial videos could be for your business? We have done some research and found videos are important for the growth of your business. Here are some reasons you should add video to your marketing strategy!

1. Video Can Explain Your Message!

Text and image marketing are great, but it can be difficult to get your message across. Think of it as a TV commercial compared to an ad in a magazine. Another thing to keep in mind - viewers retain 95% of the info they watch on video! The average retention for reading text is only 10%!

2. Videos are more Engaging & Encourage Sharing

Videos on Facebook increase engagement by up to 33%.  But, studies have shown that keeping the videos up to only 2 minutes get the most engagement. Videos are more likely to be shared on social media platforms too, actually they're 12 times more likely to be shared than text and images combined!

3. Google loves Videos

Embedded videos on your website can increase your traffic by 55%! To optimize your videos for SEO you need to make sure that you have good titles and descriptions otherwise google won't find them.

4. Videos Can Build Trust

Video give your customer a better understanding of your company and your product/service which gives them confidence to buy. 77% of consumers say that videos gave them more confidence to purchase online. Videos also have shown to increase revenue - marketers who use videos experience a growth revenue that is 49% faster than non-video users.

5. It Can Boost Email Marketing

Simply mentioning email in your subject line can increase your email open rate by 19%! Which is big in the email marketing world! The average click rate for email marketing is 15-20% so you are significantly increasing your reach by adding videos links to your emails.

All in all, videos can do wonders for your business. A lot of us shy away from videos because we don't want to be in them or don't know how to do them! If you want to learn more about making videos for your business you can join us at our workshop  How to Make Professional Videos with Your SmartPhone on October 8th! 

If you have any questions please don't hesitate to contact us! 

Are you thinking about starting a business and don't really know where to start? A good place is estimating how much the startup will cost be! Knowing your expenses is extremely important even for a seasoned business owner. 

When figuring your startup costs you need to take into consideration your physical assets, your one-time costs (or irregular costs), your monthly production costs, and your operational costs.

Physical Assets are things that you buy that are long term in nature ~ they are your tangible assets. These include your equipment, building, etc.

One-Time Costs or irregular costs are the costs that don't have a monthly fee. Which include your attorney fees, formulation fees, graphic designer fees, insurance, permits fees, etc.

Your Monthly Production costs vary with your production volume, so the more you sell the more your production costs will go up. These costs include materials, shipping costs, labor, etc. 

And finally your Operational Costs which are your regular monthly expenses that will rarely fluctuate. These are your cell phone bill, rent, web hosting, bookkeeping, etc.

WCE has put together a very simple Startup Cost Worksheet that will help you breakdown your physical assets, your one-time costs, your monthly production costs, and your monthly operational costs. You can find the worksheet HERE!!

We hope this helps you get one step closer to achieving your dreams! Another thing to consider when thinking about startup costs is getting funding for you business! You won't want to miss WCE's next webinar What You Need to Know About Venture Capital!  You can find this and all our other upcoming webinars and workshops in our Upcoming Events!

We would like to introduce Lindsey Kasprzak founder of the Lone Star Local Guide and Sponsor for Everything You Need to Know About Text Marketing to be Successful Workshop!

Lone Star Local Guide is your Montgomery County fully digital community magazine and marketing company. We help the average small business get their name out to the public by promoting them not only in our magazine but also through our social media outlets that reach an average of 30,000+ a month. We understand that marketing and promoting your business can get expensive which is why we have prices any small business can afford.

~How or why did you decide to start your own business?

Being in the advertising industry for over 16 years, I saw how it was hard and expensive it was for small businesses to advertise. A lot of that has to do with the cost of print.  We live in a digital world today and print media is no longer the only game in town, but it’s also now not the most beneficial, cost-effective, or useful.   This is why I came up with the fully digital magazine. Again, people use their phones now more than anything else so this media is much more effective.  Plus, it has the added benefit of data analytics and targeted marketing- with digital and online media, you can see how often people visit your website, how long they are there, and what pages they spend their time on.  You can also tell generally where those visitors are located.  With print, you pepper an area and hope people look at or read your material.  Most likely, they nowadays just throw it away.  With my pinpointed marketing, you reach your targeted customers directly and, more importantly, you know you did. 

~Tell us about you- the business owner so we can get to know you personally:

My name is Lindsey and I am so proud to not only call myself a Texan, but also a Houstonian.  My family history is not only deep in the heart of Texas but deep in the heart of Houston since I’m a direct descendant of the Allen Brothers. I’m therefore very proud that my digital publication represents the area where I live and where my family is from. I am passionate about my community and the small businesses within it and I love helping them reach their local market. I graduated from the Art Institute with a degree in Graphic Design and Advertising.  I spent several years designing ads and formatting a local phone book and then several additional years providing similar services for a local print magazine.  I started Lone Star Local Guide in 2019.  The pandemic has been hard on small businesses; I think my more than 16 years of experience can be a great asset to anyone trying to get their name out. 

~Why did you choose this business or industry?

I love to help people and have always been a big proponent of supporting local.  Graphic design attracted me because I also have an introverted creative side.  Lone Star Local Guide is my way of marrying the two together. 

~Did you have any major setbacks or obstacles getting started?

LOL! What business doesn’t? When I started I knew I wasn’t going to be have a problem with the graphics and designing part, it was going to be getting businesses to trust me and know that I'm here to help and to support them. I want my customers to know that no matter what, they can come to me with any questions any time and that they’ll get the support they need.  Advertising is a difficult concept for people to understand and they want immediate results immediately.  Part of what I do is try to set and manage expectations from what you should expect from your advertisement.  Yes, of course, we all want business.  But, the only way to get that business is to be seen on a regular basis from the people most likely to utilize your service or need or want your product.  That’s where I excel.

~What differentiates your business from your competition?

Personal experience, affordable pricing and a support system. I spent a great deal of time networking myself and have amassed not only a fairly large sized following, but have made relationships with many other business owners.  I am always looking for ways to get my customer’s names out there, whether that’s by finding a way to schedule an interview with you for the radio, by alerting you to a networking event, helping film and produce a commercial, or by cross-marketing synergistic services and products, like a bounce castle rental place with a cupcake baker.  All my customers have my personal cell phone and it’s not uncommon for me to get a text asking how to make a good facebook post or “Hey can we make a promotion video for my upcoming event?” When someone decides to advertise with me, they're not just a number, they’re a friend.

~What are you most proud of about your business?

Everything! I get compliments all the time on how beautiful my magazine is and how clean my ads are.  We’re proud of how user-friendly the app is (I taught myself how to make the app) and how functional the whole thing is.  For instance, I’ve programmed it so that there is a hyperlink to the business website directly embedded in the digital ad.  All you have to do is click on the ad and it takes you to that business’s website.  I’m most proud of the successes we’ve had with our customers, especially the ones who couldn’t afford expensive print advertising and were struggling to get their names and businesses known.  The love and gratitude they have is humbling.  Finally, I absolutely love  all of my customers.  I support their businesses everywhere I go and with everything I have.  Their success is very important to me. 

~How has your industry changed in the last few months and how do you see it changing in the future (or will it)?

Oh boy! Thanks to COVID small businesses are struggling.  That affects not only them, but their families, and by extension, their communities.  We’ve had to get creative with our processes and strategies.  I’ve been trying everything I can for my customer to help keep them afloat by thinking outside the box. Again, this is the key thing that sets Lone Star Local Guide apart from others- I’m here to help my customers no matter what and if it’s me helping them think of different ways to market, then that’s what I’ll do. I read a few months ago another company say “their customers need to think outside the box” well in my opinion it’s not the small businesses job, it’s my job. 

~Can you please share any pricing info for those interested in your services?

We offer packages for everyone’s budget. From a simple business listing on our website at $50 a month to us promoting them with paid sponsorship ad on social media. What’s also great about Lone Star Local Guide is everyone that advertises gets a full page ad! This helps us track the ad when someone clicks on it to go to the advertiser’s website.  We never want someone to say they can’t afford it.  I’ll do my best to customize an affordable package for every single business.  I’m absolutely confident that If we can’t find a way for you to advertise within your particular budget, it’s not possible.   

~Please visit Lone Star Local Guide here to download their guide today:

www.LoneStarLocalGuide.com

www.facebook.com/Lonestarlocalguide

www.instagram.com/lonestarlocalguide

 

As business owners we are always looking for new and better ways to market our business. We know that social media is amazing for making connections to not only customers, but other business owners. The problem we always face with social media is that we are not in complete control of it! You might argue - "yes, I am! I finalize all the content that goes on my platforms!" That is true, but you are not really in control of who sees those posts and that is the most important thing! Even if you have the best product and the most beautiful content if nobody sees it ~ it's all for nothing.

Text-based Marketing is a form of marketing that you can be in complete control of and be able to connect with your customers on your terms! Here is an article by Content Marketing Institute that gives 13 reasons why text-marketing is something you should try!

https://contentmarketinginstitute.com/2018/09/text-based-marketing/?fbclid=IwAR2fFHu2o5OzYcuw_XjI0EcTWaEmSMfIFjcJwA7f96aZ1u0a8gdqf3Y9o9w

If you think text marketing is something you want to try, but don't know where to start join our Everything You Need to Know About Text Marketing to be Successful Workshop on Sept. 10th! You can go here to register: https://www.wearewce.com/event-3894638

We really hope this helps! Search our other articles for great tips and some free downloads too! And check out our all of Upcoming Events & and in our Shop for more resources that can help you grow as an entrepreneur. If you have any questions please don't hesitate to contact us at wearewce@gmail.com!

September is around the corner! With all the craziness that COVID has thrown at you this year WCE wants to make your life easier! So, here is our September Social Media Post Idea Guide to help you save some time and your sanity!

You can find it right HERE !

If this guide helpful come back at the end of September to find WCE's October Social Media Post Guide!

And don't forget to check out WCE's  upcoming events! You won't want to miss our text Marketing Workshop!!

Remember WCE always has your back ~ if you need help or have any questions never hesitate to contact us at woodlandswce@gmail.com!

Continued learning and staying inspired is very important when you’re entrepreneur. A great way to do this is by reading!! 

WCE found an amazing list of books for entrepreneurs from The Success Mountain. This is list is broken into great categories, such as, books for online entrepreneurs, personal growth, fighting anxiety, for women, routines, even books on psychology of personalities all geared towards entrepreneurs! 

Here is the link:

https://thesuccessmountain.com/best-business-books-for-beginner-entrepreneurs-gift-guide-2018/

Let us know what you think! Have you read any of these, which one is your favorite, and if you would add any to the list.

Don't forget to check out our Upcoming Events and how WCE can help you grow as an entrepreneur!! ✨

For some the new year is when they set goals, but here at WCE we are strong believers of setting small goals throughout the year. Coming up with goals can be the easy part planning and implementing them is the hard part! 

We have created a simple Goal Worksheet for you to use to help organize your goal and break it down so that you can easily achieve it!

Before you download the Goal Worksheet ~ which can be found HERE ~ we want to walk you through the worksheet so you know what each section means!

At the top of the worksheet you are going to simply write your goal down. You will also include a due date. This can be an estimated date, but you want to give yourself a deadline so you have a date to work towards.

After you write your goal down, give yourself the reason why you want to achieve this goal! This is important because it will remind you why you need to stay focused and your purpose. 

Onto the brainstorming section! Some things to get your brain storming ~ What will you need to reach your goal? What are some routes to take to get there? What have done in the past that would help with this goal? Brainstorming is important for planning out the next two sections, so grab so extra paper if you need it!!

What you will fill out next is your contact and resources that can help to achieve this goal. Who are some people that can help you? Where are some places you can go for help?

Now you will be making your Action List! This will be pulled from your brainstorming list ~ what are the the small steps you need to take to reach the ultimate goal? Write each small step down, create a due date, and don’t forget to check it off when it is done!

We suggest after you fill this out hang it near your desk so that you see it everyday. You want to be reminded of the small tasks you need to do to reach the goal you have set. 

We really hope this helps! Search our other articles for great tips and other free downloads and check out our Upcoming Events & and in our Shop ~ WCE just might be the resource you’re looking for to achieve your goals!!!