Customer loyalty is best at keeping your revenue flowing. They tend to spend more than occasional customers each time they drop by your store.
The best way to drive customer loyalty is to build great relationships, which doesn’t happen overnight. Here are some marketing strategies you need to consider to fortify your rapport with customers and keep them coming back.
Customer service should be your priority, even on social
For many consumers, customer service is a reflection of how much a company values them. Providing excellent customer service is a must if you want loyal customers.
Customers keep score of every interaction they have with your business. When they interact with your staff, they are evaluating their experience and making a judgment call about the service. Whenever they wait in line, ask for help from an employee, make a return, call about a broken product, or ask a question on Facebook, your customers are keeping tabs.
Your in-store staff should be patient, friendly, helpful, and efficient. Customers need to access the support team easily and your support should be able to solve problems immediately. Work on answering questions quickly, especially on socials, where consumers expect an immediate response.
Reward their loyalty
One of the tried and true ways to keep customers coming back is by rewarding their loyalty. Your customers can choose to do business with any other establishment and they have chosen you, over and over. By rewarding them, you are returning the favour and making them feel appreciated at the same time.
Set up a loyalty program that gives your customers exclusive offers and discounts. Giving promotional gifts is also extremely effective that there are at least 10 reasons it would benefit your business.
Gather and listen to customer feedback
When your parents offered you advice in your teens, you probably rolled your eyes and called it a day. This is how businesses sometimes react to customer feedback. They ignore advice, especially if it is something the company does not want to hear.
Every business should collect feedback from customers and listen to what their buyers have to say. For one, if there are customers that complain about your store’s layout, change it up. Announce the improved layout in your store once you have completed it.
This is a great way to show customers that you actively listen to their feedback and act on it. Customers would feel that you value their input and, in turn, your relationship with them.
Improve convenience
Always think of ways to improve customer experience, even without their feedback. Streamlining the checkout process, for example, would make it easy for customers to get in and out. Instead of forcing them to go through automated menus over the phone, answer customer questions on social media.
These ways to build a strong relationship with your customers and increase their loyalty boil down to one key adage — it is not all about the money. Connect with your customers even when you are not asking them to buy from you. Genuinely appreciate and care for them and express it duly. If you emphasise this, you’re one step closer to winning their trust and loyalty.