Have you heard that it costs more to get a new customer than to keep the existing ones? We’ll it’s true. There is no doubt, your customers are your number one asset. This means building customer loyalty or developing a strategy to keep your regular customers happy and coming back is your number one job. Here are a few ideas to get the job done.
7 Ideas For Building Customer Loyalty
1. Say thank you. It sounds simple, but a thank you is so important. When someone makes a purchase, send them a thank you email. An autoresponder service can get the job done for you.
2. Send them an unexpected bonus. In addition to a thank you email, an unexpected bonus is a great way to let them know how much you appreciate them. The bonus could be a complement free report, a tutorial video or even a discount coupon.
3. Offer amazing customer service. Make sure your customers can get a hold of you, or someone, when they need to. Online ticket systems, 24-hour phone support or an autoresponder can get the job done for you by letting your customers know you’ve received their email and will respond to them as soon as possible. All of the customer support systems can make your customer feel valued and respected.
4. Consider loyalty programs. Customer loyalty programs make your regular customers feel as if they belong to the inner circle. You can offer gift certificates or discounts or even valuable freebies once they’ve spent a certain amount with you.
5. Host a customer appreciation day. Hold a special event for your loyal customers. Invite them to your office or storefront online or off and provide refreshments, activities and prizes.
6. Continue to provide valuable information to your customers. This requires an appropriate content strategy that you can develop based on the feedback you get from your customers. Open different communication channels and ask them how you can provide them with the best and most valuable information. Once you understand their needs, wants and desires make the effort to follow through.
7. Become more than a retailer or service provider. Become a valuable asset to your customers by going the extra mile. If you’re a service provider, become a consultant and position yourself to solve your client’s problems. If you sell a product, you can do the same thing; you can also become a consultant and advise people on their purchases or you can offer extra like free gift wrapping.
Taking good care of your existing customers is one of the best ways to spend your time, energy and money. In fact, building customer loyalty using customer retention programs offer long-term profitability. Just take good care of them and they’ll take great care of you.