Social activist and Oliver Scholars CEO Danielle R. Ross is no stranger to what she calls the “forgotten middle”.
In her 2018 TED Talk, Ross says that until she was in 7th grade, she was a “middle” —neither problematic nor exceptional. Unfortunately, middles— be they students, employees, or colleagues — are often overlooked and forgotten in favor of the outliersAnd it’s typically high performers and innovators who end up getting the most attention.Unfortunately, the same can often be said for our customers. In fact, a 2020 report from Customer Contact Week Digital found that only 11% of consumers feel like brands truly care about improving their experience.
Put another way: while those making up the 11% feel like valued customers, the other 89% feel like the forgotten middle of their brand’s community.
If in marketing, we generally aim to make customers feel valued, we have a challenge on our hands.
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Thankfully, Ross’ words of wisdom can help us get our customer satisfaction rates back on track. In this article, we’lldiscuss four key takeaways from Ross’ Talk that will help you better serve your entire customer base — not just the ones in the spotlight.
1. Consider Your Customers’ Potential
In theory, most marketers know that their customers are dynamic individuals whose needs and expectations change over time.
In practice, though, it’s easy to assume that low-scoring leads and low-value customers will remain cold — and focus the majority of your attention on your current VIPs.
But, to paraphrase Ross, your customers’ current location is not their destination. As long as an individual shows some level of interest and engagement with your brand, there is an opportunity for further growth.
That said, if you’re content with keeping your low-value customers at the status quo, that’s where they’ll stay — if they stay with your brand at all.
This isn’t to say that all of your potential leads and low-value customers will end up becoming VIPs. And you should certainly weed out the non-starters as quickly as possible.
But, in assuming your low-value customers will simply stay the course, you’ll inevitably miss out on a number of what Ross refers to as “unclaimed lottery tickets” — the hidden gems that could bring a ton of value to your company.
2. Set High Expectations for Your Individual Customers
More than realizing seeing your customers’ potential, you need to ensure they see this potential, as well.
It works for Ross’ gifted students who are often unaware of just how talented they are. And it can work for your hesitant customers — the ones who don’t fully understand what they’re capable of if they were to dig just a bit deeper.
For marketers, this involves providing opportunities in terms of knowledge and skills, matching engagement intensity with their preferences, and reassessing their overall fit for your brand. Laser-focused lead scoring is vital here — followed by a segmented, highly personalized Welcome email campaign and other introductory experiences.
From there, you can use your high-value customers’ journeys to illustrate the potential paths your less-engaged customers could take — if they choose to do so.
When delivering these success stories, case studies, and other forms of social proof, relevance is crucial. More than just a generic story of a satisfied customer, the content should be tailored to a highly-specific segment to ensure it resonates with them on a more substantial level.
Overall, your “forgotten middle” customers should know they aren’t stuck in the middle. Set their sights higher from the start — or risk seeing them fade into ambivalence time after time.
3. Enable Your Customers to Reach Their Goals
In her Talk, Ross explains that her mother “made it her business to figure out how to set me up for success.”
She goes on to say that all providers owe it to those in their charge to “provide them with the tools, strategies and support they deserve to make progress in their lives.” And we owe the same to every customer we interact with.
This goes well beyond delivering high-quality products and services . True user enablement means ensuring they’re able to use these tools to their highest capacity at all times.
We came up with a few ways to enable your customers for success:
- Create a proactive, engaging, and dynamic onboarding experience
- Provide multiple tiers of helpful content and self-service options
- Offer hands-on demonstrations and 1:1 service and support as needed
If you don’t fully enable your customers you could lose them. At the very least, they’ll merely maintain the status quo, and may never reach their full potential.
To maximize the value you get out of every customer, you need to increase their chances of achieving success. The key to doing so is providing helpful, engaging experiences at every touchpoint along their journey with your brand.
Bring the “Forgotten Middle” Further Into the Fold
Ross wraps up her Talk discussing the transformative power of helping the “forgotten middle” achieve more.
She emphasizes freer communication, engagement, and collaboration and recognizing the value that all team members bring to the table.
As members of your “forgotten middle” customer base achieve more (and deliver more monetary value to your business), you want to continue providing opportunities for them to do even more with your brand.
Some prime examples:
- Delivering increasingly relevant offers and brand experiences
- Offering individualized concierge and other VIP services
- Requesting feedback throughout their overall journey to success
This last point is perhaps most important:
By understanding what made your once “middle” customers ramp up their engagement , you’ll be better able to serve those just like them in the future. In turn, the former “unclaimed lottery tickets” of your audience will easily become some of your most valuable customers.