As every business owner knows — or should know — it is much harder and more expensive to find new customers than it is to keep old ones. Yet there is always a lot of effort spent on finding new customers, and this can mean that the older, more loyal ones are forgotten about and neglected somewhat. Unfortunately, this can mean they no longer feel as though you are treating them well, and they will decide to go elsewhere to buy similar products and services.
Just because a customer has been loyal, it doesn’t mean they will stay that way. You can’t assume that once they are buying from you, they will always stay there. You need to make sure you do what you can to keep your customers loyal.
Here are some of the ways it can be done.
Ask for Their Opinion
Your customers are the ones who are best placed to help you grow your business. They are the ones with certain needs and expectations that should be met and knowing what these are will give you all the information you need about how to run your business in the best way. This is the kyc meaning — ‘know your customer’ — wherein you take the time to find out more about your customers and ask their opinion on certain aspects of your business to help you run it better.
However, asking for your customers’ opinions does more than just help you run your business in the best way. It also makes those customers feel valued, especially if you change the products that they give you feedback about. Once this happens, they are much more likely to remain loyal.
Better Engagement
Better engagement on social media is another great way to keep your customers loyal. You may have seen how other businesses do it. They show the personal, human side of their business to their customers, and this can make a big difference.
The more personality you can inject into your social media posts, the better. Don’t underestimate how important social media is for the business you are running. This is where your customers are most likely to be, so it makes sense to be there too and put your business in front of them.
The important elements of engaging on social media include:
- Answering queries in a timely manner
- Acknowledging comments (and answering them if need be)
- Using private messaging for sensitive information
- Posting regularly and relevantly
Keep in Touch
If you are keen for your customers to keep in touch by coming back to buy more goods and services, then ideally you will need to do the same. You need to keep in touch with them to remind them that you are there and ready to help them.
You can do this in a variety of ways, but an email newsletter is always a good idea. Sending out a regular newsletter that has information about your business and what you are selling, and may also contain coupons and special offers, perhaps even competitions to get people really engaged, is often extremely useful.
You can also use the blog on your website to keep in touch with customers. This is where you can showcase your business and your expertise, showing people that you certainly know what you are doing and that you can help them. Customers will stay loyal once they are sure you are the best person to help them, so this is what needs to be made clear. Here you can learn how to write a blog post outline.
