Last Updated on October 20, 2020 by
Customer loyalty is essential for any successful business because without loyal customers you run the risk of losing sales. The question though that many business owners ask but can never get a straight answer to is how do you gain these types of customers for your business? Let’s take a look below at the different ways you can achieve this.
Give Rewards To Returning Customers
Customers love when you reward them for purchasing from you. It’s a way to say thank you for buying. For customers who keep coming back, it’s a good idea to reward them with something special to show how much they mean to you. You can do this by giving discount coupons, the subscriber first time-saving deals before the rest of the public, buy one and get one free discounts as well as an extra percentage off when purchasing something. Before deciding on any discounts it’s important to create an overall plan that helps you to know which products or discounts to give. Working through your business finances with a financial planner similar to Capstone is essential to get it right without losing too much money. Not only will your customers love this offering, but it’ll also help to drive more sales to your doors long term.
Gain Feedback From Customers
Customers like it when you show that you’re listening. What better way to do this than by asking for feedback. Asking for feedback is important. Why? Because it helps you to know your customers a little better. The more you know your customers, the better your overall marketing strategies and your long-term sales will benefit. So how do you ask for this type of feedback? This can be done in a few ways, which include, but isn’t limited to creating polls, assessments, questionnaires as well as surveys. This can be done online or you can get employees to hand these out to customers as they walk out or in your door. While it’s important to ask as much as possible, don’t overload your customers with questions as they’ll be less inclined to fill out your form. Be minimal but ask the most important questions.
Create A Customer Loyalty Program
Loyalty programs are a great way to gain customer loyalty for your business. If you think about a large business
es like airlines, grocery stores to large e-commerce stores, you’ll find that many of these generally have a loyalty program. This type of program can be very powerful when set up right as it entices people to keep on returning to your business to gain something special. When setting up a loyalty program, it’s a good idea to be creative and overall unique as possible. While rewarding customers with spending at your store, don’t forget to add larger prizes if they gain enough points. You can also have the option for people to donate their points to charity or send them to someone else. All this and more can help score and maintain customer loyalty long term.
Keep Marketing Lists Segmented
Nothing is worse than when you send a message to customers about something they already know or they’ve already bought. Doing this can cause irritation from your customers which can cause them to pull away from your business. Instead, to help improve that loyalty you’re looking to achieve, it’s a good idea to segment your current customer list based on your current customers, what they’ve purchased, what you’ve sent them previously and more. Once you’ve narrowed down the different types of customers you have, it’s then a good idea to work out the best way to get in contact with them, this may include SMS, email, phone or direct mail. Always give the option of unsubscribing or dropping out with being contacted if they choose to.
Share Company Values
For customers to learn to trust you, it’s important that you share your company values and what your business stands for. The reason why this is so important is that you need to resonate with your audience. You need them to think to themselves, ‘I also value these same beliefs and values’. While you don’t need to be shouting it to the world, it’s a good idea to have your values and what your business believes in somewhere in the store or on your website for customers to see.
Provide Exceptional Customer Service
For any business, customer service is so important because it can make or break whether people return to your business. If you’re unsure as to how your customer service is currently working for your business it’s a good idea to check online reviews to see what people are saying about your business. Some ways to make sure customer service is in top form is by making sure any deliveries are delivered in the shortest time possible, make sure your staff are polite, courteous, and always listen to the customer, as well as making sure customer satisfaction is at an all-time high. Don’t let your eye off your customer service as one small mishap can affect your business greatly.
Be Available On Social Media
Social media is powerful and is a great way to gain and maintain your online customers. Setting yourself up on major social media platforms is a great idea to help keep interaction with your customers alive. When interacting with your customers on social media don’t forget to always try to respond to customer queries in a reasonable time, when responding try to avoid harsh comments even if a customer is being rude, and try to be helpful to any complaints (remember that your other customers are watching how you interact with your other customers). Once you have a large online following on social media, it’s important to nurture your following to help make it grow to keep customers loyal.
Exceed Expectations
Exceeding customer expectations is another important key element in keeping customers loyal. How do you achieve this though? You can do this in a few ways which include, but aren’t limited to, following up with something within 12 hours instead of 24 hours, getting items delivered in half the time that your competition takes, add a personal touch to each order with a personalized thank you message, as well as follow up with your customers a week later to make sure they’re still happy with their product. By exceeding customer expectations, it’s a great way to really boost customer trust and loyalty long term.
Admit If You Make A Mistake
While you may not like to admit that you made a mistake in business, owning up can actually help generate more loyal customers overall. By showing that your business is accountable for small mistakes that may occur, it shows you’re a trustworthy business. Before admitting anything though, it’s a good idea to understand the situation first, determine whether you’re at fault, and then work out the best course of action. This will show leadership and can show your customers that you do care about the problem at hand.
Conclusion
Customers are the gold mine of any business, without regular or repeat customers you run the risk of losing out on business and possible long-term sales. Whether you’re a large or small business, it’s a good idea to try to build customer loyalty over time to help you improve and boost the success of your business long term. So are you ready to implement any of these tips above?