Have you ever thought about all the content you can reap from your FAQ section? When customers ask you questions, you have material that you can turn into social media posts, blogs, videos, or other ways to represent your brand online. So why do so many businesses disregard their FAQs?
By: Christopher Tompkins
As with most lackluster elements of a company’s website or marketing efforts, whenever I see a poorly done FAQ, I can tell it’s because the business thought of it as a task rather than an opportunity.
An FAQ is a line directly between you and the customer. Why, when such a direct path to conversion is presented, would a business owner not do everything in his or her power to capitalize on it? Here are a few ideas to help you get the most out of maintaining your FAQs and boost your customer strategy.
Turn FAQs into Content
Not everything is content, but everything has the potential to be content. Be sure to mine your FAQ section for every usable piece of information you can; it will only benefit you.
Scenario: you’re a gardening company and you are getting a lot of questions regarding topiary. From here, you can do one of two things. One option is to respond thoughtfully to the questions and hope maybe the customers come back next time they have a gardening-related query. But that’s not what I would do.
What I just described is a dead end. You gave the customer the answer they were looking for and you sent them on their way. What I would do is have my copywriter produce two 500 word blogs on different aspects of topiary and recommend them in the answers section of the FAQ. This leads customers to your blog where they can then be led down a rabbit hole of reading your content.
Now you’ve helped the customer and helped yourself. You’ve given them an in-depth resource that answers their question and you’ve driven traffic to your website.
Speak to Your Customers Like a Friend
As you have questions coming in, pay attention not only to the information they're requesting, but also how they’re being asked. While “vibe” isn’t a term you’d expect to hear in the professional world, that’s essentially what you should be noticing. How are customers phrasing their questions? Are the answers you’re providing too technical and full of industry jargon?
Respond to your audience with the same tone they’re using to talk to you. With so much competition out there, a company can sink or swim based on how well it forms a community around itself. Studies have shown that emotional and mood changes like stress and happiness can be contagious, so set a positive tone. From there, consider factors like audience demographics and emphasize community-focused marketing tactics. A good barometer for how to begin a community around your brand is thinking about how you like to be treated when you’re talking to customer service. Do you want someone who points you vaguely in the direction of the bread aisle or someone who offers to show you where it is and asks if they can help you find anything else?
FAQs provide a valuable bridge to your customers. They’re coming to you for answers, so seize this opportunity to give a good impression and retain them.
Establish Yourself and Your Brand
If your customers are asking you questions, it’s because they believe you hold the answer. So make sure that you do.
Having detailed answers to your customer’s most niche questions goes miles towards establishing you and your brand as a leader in your industry. When I plan and produce content, I’m not thinking about why the audience should come to me for answers; I know I’m an expert. So my strategy is to produce content that doesn’t give my audience the need to go anywhere else but my blog, podcast, or FAQ.
Gaining credibility isn’t a Herculean task; it just takes the forethought to put work into all the right corners of your online presence. An FAQ that’s stacked with knowledge both general and highly specific is an asset to your company and your personal brand because it prioritizes you as a leader in your customers' eyes. It’s not work, it’s setting yourself up for dividends.
Two things that will instantly help you garner a loyal audience: clout and quality customer service. There are few places for customers to get expert advice and be made to feel like they’re a valuable part of a community. Corner that market, and you’ll ignite in your audience the one thing that’s proven to make a repeat customer: trust.
Christopher Tompkins is the co-founder, head strategist, and CEO of The Go! Agency.
