Why can’t all customers behave the same?
Believe me, I know! You don’t even have to be a business to experience this problem. We all have that friend who sends you an iMessage one day, a WhatsApp the next, and an Instagram direct message the following day. Then you have no idea where they sent you that funny meme!
For a business, it would be so easy (and used to be easy!) to have one channel to manage all of your sales and related conversations. But for the customer, it’s easier for them to engage on whatever channel they’re most active on e.g. Instagram, Email, Facebook, etc.
Therefore, it’s important that you can meet them there.
In technical terms, this is called omnichannel engagement. It means that a customer can interact with you on their preferred platform. Let’s break it down into demographics. You’re audience aged 20-29 would reach out to you on Twitter, but those 50+ will more likely message you on Facebook.
You’re right to think it hasn’t always been this way. Up until now, multi-channel engagement was the norm. This meant you were active on multiple online channels, but from there you’d guide your customers to a location i.e. if a customer came to your Instagram page, more than likely they would go to your website if interested. But nowadays, 86% of online buyers hop between shops, therefore your presence alone isn’t enough to bring someone through the art purchase journey.
Therefore, ease and joy of experience is essential. If you can give a potential buyer the attention they’ll love and remember, not only is it easier for them to go ahead and buy that piece of art, but they are 5 times more likely to make a future purchase because of that positive experience.
You might be wondering “Most of my buyers are intent on buying my work anyways. Why would I need to engage with them when I can rely on those who visit my website themselves?” This is true, and this can be your approach as well.
But imagine a person who is moving into their new home and they have a list of artists they would love to buy from to decorate their home. How they spend their budget could vary depending on the collections available, but they will go with the experiences that give them the most joy and ease in the end.
This means, a quick first response, getting to know the person through a quick chat, and guiding them towards the piece that aligns most with them is an experience they’ll appreciate and won’t forget.
