To grow a business into a highly successful brand, you will need a good client base. A huge part of this will often consist of loyal customers who give you repeat sales and referrals. But again, customer loyalty doesn’t happen overnight, and it rarely comes automatically unless you’re strategic in your marketing approach. In this piece, we shall cover a few marketing tips that can help you acquire loyal customers to give your business the explosive growth it needs. Let’s start by deciphering the meaning of customer loyalty.
Defining Customer Loyalty
Simply put, customer loyalty is the term used to refer to a consumer’s dedication to your brand. A devoted consumer will always choose you above your competitors, whether it’s your superior customer service, unequalled product variety, or a particular aspect that sets you apart. But why is customer loyalty so crucial for any growing business?
The Importance of Customer Loyalty
Loyal customers are among the most precious assets for any brand. Many studies have established that repeat consumers are more likely to spend more and make greater purchases. Below are some of the distinct reasons why brands should strive to attract customer loyalty:
- It improves sales
- It increases profits
- Helps in attracting new customers
- It helps the business achieve sustainable growth
- Can help reduce turnover
- It gives brands a competitive edge
1. Personalize Marketing Messages
In today’s business world, you will need to use more than one marketing strategy to reach out to your prospects and existing clients. This may include everything from website marketing to email marketing, social media marketing, and everything in between. A sneak-peek into the Quantum Lifecycle Marketing website reveals various statistics that indicate how today’s loyal consumer values personalized emails and text messages from businesses that understand their needs. For instance, 64 percent of consumers believe businesses should contact more often via SMS, whereas 75 percent would prefer receiving texts with special offers.
This brings us to the next crucial aspect – customer service!
2. Prioritize and Customer Service
Providing excellent customer service is critical if you want to get more loyal consumers. As far as customer experience value statistics are concerned, most consumers are prepared to pay extra for a product or service if they feel the provider delivers exceptional customer service. This should go without saying, but if you want your customers to stay, you must give exceptional customer service and endeavour to make every encounter with your firm a happy one.
Also, many customers use social media to voice their problems, ask questions, and communicate directly with businesses in today’s digital age. This brings in the need to leverage social media channels as part of your marketing and customer service strategies. Keeping an eye on your consumers and offering excellent customer service will help you build a loyal following.
3. Reward Loyal Customers
Rewarding clients for their loyalty is one of the most effective methods to keep them coming back. Create a customer loyalty program that rewards consumers with discounts, gifts, and special offers. Many customers who participate in loyalty programs consider membership to be an important element of their brand relationships.
But then again, what makes loyalty programs so effective? It’s simple, customers want to be acknowledged. After all, people have the option of spending their money wherever they choose, and they’ve chosen you. Because it was no minor act, you should repay the favour with a loyalty program.
4. Offer Convenience
Especially since the COVID-19 pandemic broke out, many people are rethinking their buying habits. Most people want the convenience of having to use their preferred device from wherever and whenever they find most suitable. This is why digital channels and possibilities that were once considered a luxury are now considered a need.
For this reason, you want to make your consumers’ lives easier, and they’ll keep coming back. Consider how you can improve the consumer experience by making it easier or faster. Consider shortening your checkout process so consumers can get in and out quickly, and provide auto-billing rather than requiring them to go through an automated maze of choices over the phone.
5. Engage Your Clients on a Regular Basis
It is critical to be digitally visible to your target and existing customers as much as you can. If you just engage with your clients when you want them to buy something, however, you’ll have a hard time maintaining them for the long run. Instead, consider how you might assist your consumers in solving problems and educating them on how to get the most out of your products and services.
You can demonstrate your competence and develop trust by educating your customers. Consumers are highly likely to buy from a company that educates them about its products and services. Here are some strategies you could use on this front:
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Blog content:
You might want to consider developing a blog to give suggestions on how to make a pedicure or manicure last longer and also send an email with those recommendations to clients who recently had their nails done if you own a beauty and spa business. When done correctly, such excellent material may demonstrate that you care and that you value your customers.
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Maintain relevance:
Another strategy to keep your business in front of clients’ minds is to show them how much you care by providing them with branded stuff that is relevant to your industry. If you’re in the fitness industry, for example, team up with another fitness accessory company to present a tiny gym face towel to individuals who have been supporting your online courses or the first set of consumers that return to your business.
6. Solicit Feedback from Customers
It’s common for clients to come and leave after just one or two purchases in a business. However, as a marketer or business owner, it is your responsibility to reduce the rate of detraction as much as you possibly can. This brings in the need to determine why your consumers are departing before attempting to keep them. It’s also crucial to consider the inverse of that question: why are your present consumers sticking around? You can ask for customer feedback through a diverse range of ways, including:
- Feedback avenues on social media
- Asking for reviews after purchase
Using customer satisfaction surveys As for reviews, you can even offer incentives to customers who post reviews about a product or service you offered on your website or alternative online channels such as social media. Reviews are especially great in attracting customer loyalty if you run a mobile app for your business, product, or service.
7. Leverage Referral Programs
You can also take advantage of referral programs to encourage loyal consumers to share the love. Referral programs and loyalty programs are commonly confused, but the two serve different purposes. Consumers that purchase from you regularly can be rewarded with loyalty programs, whilst customers who suggest their friends to your company can be rewarded with referral programs.
Referral programs serve as a link between keeping existing consumers through loyalty marketing and attracting new customers. Customers that appreciate a brand will automatically spread the word to their friends. With rewards for both the advocate and the suggested buddy, the referral program encourages this behaviour.
You could also create a referral program that rewards existing customers with one of the company’s basic products if they manage to convince five people among their friends to buy one. Here, you only need to adopt a strategy that helps beneficiaries to acquire unique referral links that they can share with their close buddies or even strangers on various online platforms. These are known as loyalty marketing referral programs, and some of the most successful companies around the globe use them.
While some companies choose to reward consumers after five recommendations or so, you may pick any mechanism that works best for your company. You can also choose whether to offer a monetary reward, provide offers, give discounts, or whatever you please.
8. Streamline the Buying Process
If you want more return consumers, make purchasing your stuff as simple as possible. If you operate an eCommerce firm, this is critical since more than two-thirds of clients are known to abandon their online shopping carts before making a purchase.
Consider adding a guest checkout option to your shopping cart so customers don’t have to register an account, which might dissuade them from completing their transaction. It will also pay to ensure your site is reliable and free of problems that may discourage purchases from customers. Also, be sure to make your return policy clear and provide a range of payment options. Keep a keen eye on the purchase process, making the necessary tweaks to ensure easier and faster checkout for your customers.
In conclusion, customer loyalty is among the greatest assets to any business owner in this digital edge. Loyal customers are fundamental in improving sales and revenue as well as growing the customer base of a business. Whether you have an established brand or are just looking to grow a sustainable business, the above few marketing tips can help you build a reliable and loyal customer base.