Customer retention is about securing loyalty from your first-time customers. When they buy from you once, you want to do all you can to ensure they return to you again and again. It’s not easy, especially when you are also focused on your marketing efforts to acquire new customers, but to stand a greater chance of success in business, customer retention needs to be high on your agenda.
There are a number of strategies you can use, and we will explore some of them here.
#1: Deliver excellent customer service
This is a no-brainer, but it really is the most effective way to earn customer loyalty. Excellent customer service includes fast and efficient communication, politeness and respect of an individual, and keeping promises you make on your website. There are tools to help you, including CRM systems and live chat, so don’t overlook this area of your business, as customers will take offense and ditch your business if they feel you have overlooked their needs.
#2: Begin a customer loyalty program
Sometimes, customers need persuading to come back to a business. A customer loyalty program is a great way to do this, as there are all kinds of incentives you can offer to ensure their repeat custom. You might give returning customers special discounts, for example, or a first-look at your latest stock before other customers get the chance to buy. It’s about making the customer feel special, and while you may resist the idea of giving away too many discounts, know that you won’t make a loss when the customer continues to return to your business because of the royal treatment you have offered them.
#3: Stay in touch with your customers
There are all kinds of ways you can stay in touch with your customers. Provided you have something interesting to say to them; you can use email, social media, and the good old-fashioned telephone. While you shouldn’t pester your customers repeatedly (you will quickly alienate them), there is still value in making contact when you haven’t seen them in a while. Let them know about changes to your business, update them on the latest products you have in stock, and offer discount codes as an incentive for them to come back to you.
#4: Use customer retention apps
There is an app for nearly everything today, including those that are useful for retaining your customers. Apps such as Smile.io will assist you with your customer loyalty program. Postingly will alert your customers on social media to the latest products you have in stock. And MailChimp will automate your email communications to ensure your customers don’t forget about you. Pick and choose from the apps available to you, or use them all, to maximise the chances of customer retention.
Final word
Returned custom means greater profits for your business, so use the ideas we have given you today to improve customer retention. And if you have any ideas that we haven’t covered here, and if you know of any other useful apps and software tools that will aid our reader’s efforts to retain customers, be sure to let us know.
