Loyalty is born out of certain actions. Actions that cause a customer to buy from your business no matter the rest.
As a business owner, it’s your job to give customers the best experience so that they don’t have to look anywhere else. Your job is also to focus on maintaining old customers than stressing over new ones. If current customers can stay loyal, your revenue will skyrocket in ways you can’t even imagine.
In a competitive market, loyal customers are all you need to survive. However, the fact is, how do you increase your loyalty? Now that you already have customers, how do ensure they don’t run off to the shop next door?
To start this, here are tips to increase your customer loyalty
• Give amazing customer service
If you want loyal customers, give them the best customer service. The interactions you have with a customer says a lot about your service. When a customer calls in to complain, how you react towards them determines if they stay loyal. Do you react angrily towards them, or do you apologize and resolve the situation? Do you make your customers wait or do you attend to them quickly? Keep in mind they are taking note.
To achieve the best, your customer care representatives must be friendly, empathetic, and efficient. They should be helpful and able to solve problems easily. They must be available and active to answer every single queryy
• Ask for their opinion
This is best applied on social media platforms such as Instagram. Pop a question to get a customer’s view on your product or something. “Should we bring more of these?” Or, “would you use this product?” can be one way to ask. Or maybe “what changes would you suggest for this product and so on. In case customers complain about how terrible the product is, fix it and get back to them with an improved update. It reveals to your customers that their opinions matter and you’ll act on them.
• Be transparent
If you’re the type of business owner that loves to hide everything about their business except the final product, you may not get that many loyal customers. We are currently in an era where transparency is everything. Transparency means being able to show customers both the good and bad sides of your business.
So, for someone that’s so secretive, how do you open up to your customers? Start little by little show them why you chose a specific ingredient for your product, what makes it special, why a product is priced the way it is, and all. Engage them on how you like to spend your weekend, basically share with them a little about your business especially something they didn’t know about. All of this is what makes you transparent and customers will be willing to support you long term.
• Recognize regular customers
While it’s true that current of longtime customers is the most important, regular customers matter as well. They contribute just as much as long-time customers if taken care of. Recognize them for their contribution because they too have been supportive.
• Reward them
One of the best ways to keep customers hooked is by rewarding them. Start by giving them discounts, especially those who normally buy from you. Or maybe send them as surprise gifts. Hang out with them either virtually or physically and offer to buy them coffee or lunch. This technique works because people naturally want to feel special and appreciated. See it as a thank you to them for choosing you amongst many other customers.
• Outsourcing call center handling
Hire customer care representatives from a renowned facilities management company with the aim of them increasing customer loyalty for your business. Hire representatives that are persuasive, empathetic, know-how speak positively, can communicate clearly, have self-control are patient among other things. These qualities are what will help bring in loyal customers.
Remember you don’t want to hire people who will ruin your business reputation but rather make it better.
• Connect with them, not just for money
Customers are well aware that your business’s sole aim is to make money. Even if you don’t ask for it, they know it’s what you want, so quit over asking for it. Right there should be days when you want them to buy something. However, on other days simply connect with them to invite them to say for an event to show your gratitude, share with them helpful quotes or articles, and just publicly thank a customer for being loyal.
Connect with customers every day but not just for money reasons.
• Be reliable
Reliable people are the best people they offer help when you need it the most. They also get to create deeper relationships and make more friends. To increase customer loyalty, only make promises you can keep. Don’t promise to deliver a product or service and do otherwise. Customers won’t trust someone that says something and acts another way. They will start to wonder if maybe your product is as you say it is. Respect customers and be ready to meet their expectations as promised.
• Offer your expertise
Your expertise shouldn’t be kept a secret. You need to show customers that you know what you’re doing. On this journey, expect to receive questions concerning the business. Be ready to answer anything right from how you get your products, for restaurant owners, how the food is prepared, ingredients, and all. Know your facts and explain them, they will see your expertise.
Take it a notch higher by creating how-to-videos, create articles, Q&As, YouTube videos, and send informative emails and descriptive social media posts. Ensure to share this information on other people’s channels to reach a wider audience.
To conclude…
Loyal customers are good for business. They are probably one of the main reasons your business is still running. Use these tips to cultivate the relationship you already have with them in order to increase their loyalty.
