Have you ever wondered why despite your best efforts, your customers don’t come back? It’s time to find out why they left and never looked back and how to increase customer loyalty.
Loyal customers are the best customers. Period! But building customer loyalty is no easy task.
If you’ve been in business for a while, you’ve most likely learned how difficult it can be to win a new customer. But, you’ve also most likely discovered that making them come back is even twice harder. You can spend quite a lot of money and time marketing to customers hoping that you’ll sell. But even when first-time customers do complete a purchase, you can’t know for sure if that person will come back to buy more.
So, when you learn how difficult it is to make customers come back, it’s also the moment you realize that the list of your customer base who regularly buys from you is the most valuable asset your company has. Loyal customers often become enthusiasts and advocates too. They’ll not only continue to buy from you but will also balance their peers’ purchase decisions in your favor. And, keep in mind that 81% of customers trust recommendations from family and friends over those from companies.
So, let’s move forward to how you can build customer relationships and keep them strong to make customers keep coming back.
Engage them
Did you know that the most commonly-cited challenge to building customer loyalty was inconsistency in marketing efforts and communication? In fact, 51% of respondents believed so, according to a study conducted with Forbes Insights.
This is such a common reason for the lack of customer loyalty because long-term customers often don’t just purchase a company’s products. They actually connect with the brand itself, which keeps them coming back. So, engagement is essential to create and increase their personal connection with your brand. If they only hear about your brand when you need to increase your sales, they might buy, but very unlikely to also transform into loyal customers.
So, make sure you keep engagement at bay through your website, social media, and email messaging. Also, use personalization as much as possible to make them feel as though they have more of a one-on-one relationship with your brand.
And, most importantly, don’t just reach out to them when you want to sell. Keep on reminding them about your business and how important they are to your brand.
Communicate
You know what they say, “communication is the key to any successful relationship.” And it is also the key to building strong customer relationships. Marketing your brand and listening to your customers is equally important.
For example, rather than just telling your customers about your business, have conversations with them about it. This way, you’ll find out what they need, and you can show that your brand is the solution to their problem.
But communication is twice more important when they reach out to you. And, that’s because they most likely reach out to you about a problem they’ve encountered with your brand. So, you’d better be there to answer them and take advantage of the opportunity to impress them.
Start by teaching your employees how to communicate with customers effectively. Otherwise, customer service may become a problem. So, foster communication skills with customers within your company. You can also have an employee policy, requiring a timely follow-up to ensure that your customers’ needs are met promptly.
When customers do reach out to you with a problem or question, make sure you do your best to make them feel like you’d go above and beyond to help them. Be polite, be understanding with their problems, and, most importantly, be prompt in finding a solution.
Pro tip: One trick to make your customers remain calm and somewhat entertained while waiting for your answer is to get hold music download and play it so that your customers know they are on hold. Music will fill the silence and keep them calm while you find a solution to their problem.
Ask for feedback
It’s challenging to get better in what you are offering to your customers and keep them satisfied if you don’t know what you are doing wrong or what else they need. That’s why you should always ask for feedback, whether customers have a bad or good opinion about your business.
When you give customers a chance to express their opinion, they will feel listened to and understood. In fact, 77% of consumers claim they favor brands that ask for and accept customer feedback. That’s because the better you understand your customers’ specific needs, the better your offering will meet them.
Show appreciation
Over 90% of companies have some sort of loyalty program in place. That’s because rewarding long-time customers is a great way to show your appreciation for being so loyal to your company.
Rewards such as discounts or gifts can strengthen your relationship with your customers as they show that you appreciate your relationship with them. For example, you can offer a loyalty program in which your customers will earn points for buying your products. After earning a certain amount of points, customers get discounts or a reward.
Keep offering outstanding customer service
While winning the hearts of your customers is difficult, losing them over is extremely easy. Don’t just assume that a loyal customer will remain loyal if you don’t keep offering the same level of quality to your products or services and customer experience.
While some customers may not turn their back to your business after a single instance of poor service, unfortunately, 33% of them would consider doing so. Moreover, 60% of American customers claim they’ll consider switching businesses after two or three instances of poor service.
But that’s not all, nearly 50% of loyal customers also said they’d switched a company for a competitor who was able to satisfy their needs better and stay more relevant for them.
So, even after you build a long list of loyal customers, your job isn’t over. Keep on making the same efforts to keep customers loyal and attract new ones.