Gaining new customers is always nice, but attaining loyal customers is even better. After all, they are the ones who will buy from you time and time again while happily recommending you to their friends. Naturally, you want as many of them as you can! So, how do you go about building a lost list of loyal customers? It takes consistency, patience, hard work, but the results are undeniably worth it. Here’s how to build long-lasting customer loyalty.
Provide Excellent Customer Service
The first step is to be there for your customers whenever they have any questions, complaints, or general needs. It doesn’t end there, though; you must also be polite and friendly with every interaction, even if the customer doesn’t provide you with the same level of respect. To up your customer service game, reply to all feedback, improve your communication methods, and work on active listening.
To go a step further and be there for your customers at any time of the day, use Virtual Headquarters. They answer your calls from customers, providing them with friendly, helpful advice by pointing them in the right direction. Not only will it satisfy your customers, but it’ll also free up your time!
Use Email Marketing
For customer loyalty, you need to make sure everyone who buys from your business remembers your brand. One way to do that is by using email marketing. Ask your customers to sign up to emails for a percentage of their first order, and you’ll quickly grow an email list full of people already interested in your business. Don’t just send out repetitive, boring emails, though – use it as an opportunity to show off your knowledge while providing loyal customers with rewards and offers.
Post Regularly on Social Media
Many customers follow their favourite brands on social media. To become one with plenty of loyal followers, you have to do more than setting up a page – you must also post regularly. Think about what sort of posts your audience wants to see; for example, if you’re a tech company, you could share posts about the latest tech developments or some cool new gadget on the market. The more consistent you are with your posts, the more your audience will remember you, thus increasing the chances of gaining their loyalty.
Stick to Your Values
Customers often become loyal to a brand because their values align perfectly with their own. If a consumer has finally found a skincare company that both works for their skin and is completely cruelty-free, for example, they are unlikely to stray from them. However, once you’ve defined your values and started building a group of loyal customers, your values mustn’t suddenly sway.
Improve Your Products and Services
It’s not all about friendliness, marketing, and an online presence – you still need to focus on perfecting your products and services if you wish to have customers coming back over and over again. Luckily, this will likely already be one of your goals, so just keep working on it to keep those customers happy and loyal.
Reward Loyal Customers
What’s the point of being a loyal customer if it’s not rewarded? Of course, your customers could always shop somewhere that does reward them, so make sure you offer plenty of incentives to shop with you, following you on social media, and signing up for regular emails. There are plenty of ways you could do this, including offering a percentage off orders, sending out samples, and free trials.
Reply to Reviews
Your customers want to know that their voice is heard, and replying to reviews is a way to show them that it is. Whether a person has left a review on Google or your website, it’s good practice to respond politely with either a thank you, apology, or advice. It doesn’t matter how the feedback is worded – even negative reviews should be responded to in a friendly manner! It’ll show your business is respectful and can take responsibility for mistakes.
Always go the Extra Mile
One of the best ways to build long-lasting loyal customers is by always going the extra mile in everything you do. For example, if you’re an online seller, send out a small, well-packaged sample with the order. If a customer has a question, don’t just answer it; make sure that they are completely looked after. By consistently putting in more effort, your customers will be more than happy to keep using your services.
Once you have a group of loyal customers, you’ll find the ball keeps rolling due to word of mouth. So, perfect your customer service, reward loyalty, and never settle for minimal effort.