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It is well-known that it costs more to acquire a new client than to retain an existing one. It is good to grow, but remember that keeping customers is better for your business. According to SumAll research, companies that have a 40% return customer base generate nearly 50% more revenue. This is a lot of income!
How can you make your customers want to come back to you and continue to do business with you? It’s much easier than you think. Customers want to be valued by the companies with whom they work. The reciprocity you show your customers will make them feel valued and help to extend the value of your business.
Here are some ideas to get you started.
Include Customers in Your Content
You can show your fans that you appreciate their loyalty by highlighting specific customers within the content you send to them. This will turn them into some of your most loyal fans. What do fans do? They will share their stories, which can help you grow your business. You can include customers in your content or reuse their content that features your products.
TheSkimm’s listing of readers with birthdays that coincide with the release dates of the daily newsletter is a great example. TheSkimm goes a step further and notes which readers are ambassadors – their brand ambassadors.
This tactic works for any size company. Small businesses can engage customers by highlighting customer content.
Engage as Friends
A brand that appears robotic and rigid will drive customers away faster. Your customers will be more appreciative if you treat them like human beings and humanely engage with them, not just as a brand and merely interacting with the customer. Customers will not become fans if you only interact with them on a transactional basis.
When your customers reach out to ask for help, you shouldn’t simply point them towards customer service. Stay with your customers throughout the entire process. Listen to their problems and try to understand them. Customers get frustrated when they feel they are being passed from person to person for a simple solution. Do not do this.
By taking the time to have a real conversation with your customers, you will make them feel respected and valued. Remember that word-of-mouth is not only for positive experiences. It can also be used to share negative ones. According to a study by ZenDesk, people who have had bad experiences with customer service are 50% more likely than those who have good experiences to share their stories on social media.
Add A Personal Touch
You can offer a more personalized experience to your customers if you know more about them. If you know the birthday of a customer, you could send them a card or offer a discount as a way to acknowledge their special day. These small touches are important in gaining customer loyalty. Even though we’re constantly bombarded with electronic messages, those that have a personal touch stand out and create a memorable customer experience.
Send them a gift they didn’t even know they wanted. Look at their social media to see what they enjoy, and then send them something you know they will love. Do not choose something obvious. Do some research and spend time to find something unique. You’ll be rewarded for the extra effort.
Helping your customers to do what they love is a personal approach that’s still different. Sponsor your customer’s projects to show that you appreciate their efforts. In 2013, dollar Shave Club launched a campaign entitled Sponsor Your Thing. The idea was simple: customers would email DSC about their “thing,” and DSC would assist in any way possible, whether it be by sending money or putting music from a new band on their podcast. The concept was simple: customers could email DSC their “thing,” and the company would help in any way they could, whether that be sending money or using a new band’s music on their podcast.
Be Convenient
As a business, your goal should be to make the lives of your customers better in some way. You’re not likely to sell products you believe will make life worse for the people who purchase them. It’s important to make your customers feel comfortable. This can be done in many ways, and most of them won’t cost extra.
Allow your customers to try on your products at home without any extra cost. Rent the Runway and Warby Parker are two companies that do this very well. Customers can choose from up to three pairs of eyeglasses to be shipped directly to their homes so they can try on the glasses and find the right fit.
In the second option, customers can choose two sizes for the same dress and have them shipped directly to them. This way, they know they will get the perfect fit. Both cases involve the return of the product, so the cost for the company is minimal. However, it eliminates any worries and makes the process super simple.
Consider the actions of your customers and users to eliminate any obstacles. You can make your customers’ lives easier by offering recurring billing, automatic orders, refills, and reminders.
Focus on Quality
No matter what the thing is, people like to think they are the best. When customers believe they are getting the best possible product, they will do more than talk about it. If you provide the best viable outcome for your customers and keep improving it, you will have many loyal customers. Combine any of these strategies with the others, and you will be a force.
Brand loyalty is essential if you want to increase the value of your customer base. Brand loyalty, like all assets, is not free. To make yourself difficult to replace and impossible to forget, you’ll need to go beyond what mass consumers expect. You’ll be glad you did.
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