Customers are the heart of your business. You’ll want to keep your customers around. It’s important to attract new customers but you also need to retain your existing customers. Your customers are more likely than ever to switch brands, whether it’s because of inflation or increased competition.
How can you increase customer loyalty and ensure that your customers don’t leave? Don’t worry. We’ve got you covered. This article will discuss our top tips to help you build relationships with customers. Let’s get started.
What is customer loyalty?
Customer loyalty refers to a customer’s willingness and ability to buy products or services from your company again and again. Customer loyalty can be affected by a number of factors, including customer satisfaction, customer service, and competitive pricing.
Why is customer loyalty so important?
Numerous studies have shown how important customer loyalty is for a company’s overall health.
According to industry data, 65% of sales are generated by returning customers. Harvard Business School discovered that increasing customer retention rates by 5% can increase profits by 25% to 95%. And, finally, 70% of companies agree with the statement that customer retention is more cost effective than acquisition.
You get the idea. If you lose a customer’s loyalty, you’re losing out on potential sales.
To make up for the lost customers, you’ll probably have to spend more on advertising to attract new customers. You’ll also need to re-establish brand loyalty with new customers.
Also read: How to Improve Telemarketing Strategy and Win Customers
How to increase customer loyalty
Here is a better way to increase customer loyalty and create relationships that last a lifetime. Are you unsure how to do this? This course will give you all the information you need about customer loyalty.
Let’s get started.
Create a loyalty program and give rewards
Customers want to feel loved. You should recognize customers who have been loyal to your company for a while and offer discounts, specials, and other benefits. This is where customer loyalty programs come in.
The Customer Loyalty Program recognizes customers and rewards them who are people who buy or interact with brands or businesses often. A loyalty program can take many forms. Some examples include:
- Customer discounts
- Freebies
- Rewards programs, such as a stamp card or point system
- Subscription services that offer great value and sometimes even a gift or two
- A loyalty tier system with better rewards and benefits for customers who are frequent customers
Loyalty program members in the United States value discounts and freebies. Statista reports that 78% of Americans consider discounts to be a valuable feature of loyalty programs. Free shipping (60%) follows, followed by free products (46%).
Your customers will love your loyalty program. Your rewards and benefits should be relevant and always changing. You can also offer personalized offers to your customers based on their shopping habits.
Do you run a craft beer store like Beermash? You notice that one of your customers is interested in a certain brand of stout. Send them a personal offer for 20% off their next order. You can also send an email to them the next time you offer a sale.
Loyalty program software is a great way to gather all the information you need about your customers. You can show your customers all you love with built-in features such as customer profiles, gift cards, and discount codes.
Make use of social media
Fun fact: In 2021, social media was used by 4.26 billion people worldwide. This number will reach 6 billion by 2027.
Evidently, social media is being used by a lot of people. You probably already knew this. How many of these people use social media to buy products and interact with brands?
In a survey from 2022, 40% of US shoppers reported that they have purchased a product because they saw it on social media. This doesn’t include social media users who discover or follow brands and then purchase products or services later (that they may not have seen on social media).
Social media marketing is not an option. It’s essential. You need to take it seriously if you want to improve your customer interaction, increase engagement, and improve customer loyalty (and sale).
So how can you use social media to engage customers and gain more business?
Social media platforms such as Twitter, Instagram, and even TikTok should be seen less as something that you need to do, and more as a chance to build a community. Do not obsess about constantly selling. Customers have done business with your company because they are satisfied with the products and services you provide. They’re more likely to do business again with you because of that.
What’s the point of social media? Connecting with customers Focus more on publishing and creating content that promotes your brand. Here are some examples.
- Get behind-the-scenes information about how your business works. This does not include boring things like showing customers how to count stock (which can be automated with POS Retail). We mean to document the entire ordering process, from start to finish, taking photos of the latest products and even introducing your staff. Customers love to see the human side. Show them!
- Encourage users to create user-generated content with your products and services. You are free to repost, share, and even remix anything that is tagged in your business.
- Create a competition that people can participate in. You could offer prizes and benefits to the winners. You can also benefit from tons of user-generated content. This should be a mutual exchange. If you are trying to make a profit from your customers, this will not be a good idea.
- Create a video or guide on how to use your products. You could also provide styling or inspiration guides.
- Get involved with product development by asking your customers. Are you unable to stock something your customers love? Ask your customers if you should restock it. Are there any new trends you haven’t yet discovered? Ask them if you’d be interested in bringing this into your business. People want to hear that you are listening. Include them in the decision-making process. It’s their business. You’ll not only increase customer engagement and satisfaction but also collect lots of data about what your customers want.
Also read: Top 10 Customer Experience Software
Encourage customers to leave feedback about your business
Customers should know you value their feedback. You are always open to improving processes, inventory, customer services, and many other things. To do this, it’s important to keep in touch with everyone once in a while.
A company that makes it difficult for customers to reach them, give feedback or complain is a red flag. Disgruntled customers who have a TrustPilot or Feefo account, or Google Reviews account will be able to make their complaints. You can be sure that if they do this, not only will they lose their business, but also potential customers who have been warned to avoid your business.
Giving customers the opportunity to leave feedback allows them to feel heard and helps you address any problems they may have. Send out surveys and ask for email reviews. You might even offer 5% off your next purchase if customers leave a review. Create an environment where customers feel heard. Most importantly, be responsive to customers and let them know that you are working with them to resolve any problems. You must keep your customers happy if you want them to stay loyal.
