Businesses these days have to work exceedingly hard to get customers through their digital online doors and into their bricks and mortar stores, it can be a time consuming and costly exercise.
That first meeting with a new customer is just the beginning, however. The big challenge is finding ways to entice them back, again and again, creating loyalty and encouraging them to spread the word about your product or service to their friends and family.
Existing customers are a vital part of sustainable marketing. How you leverage all that potential, set yourself apart from the competition and get them coming back for more is the Holy Grail of business success. To help you reach that holy grail, we’ve provided our top three suggestions to keep your customers coming back for more:
1. EXCEED EXPECTATION
Today’s consumer is savvier than ever, we have the power of the brilliant world wide web to thank for this. If customers don’t find what they want from you, it’s easy to search and buy elsewhere. So, when a customer does purchase something from you, make the effort to exceed their expectations. That could mean surprising them with next day delivery, including a free gift or offering discounts on future purchases. Do something to surprise and delight and you’ll have happy, loyal customers.
2. OFFER MORE WAYS TO PAY
Customers love convenience! A big factor when a customer decides if they will continue to buy your products is how convenient it was to interact with your business. One easy way to improve your customer interactions is by offering a variety of ways for them to pay. Modern consumers expect to be able to buy and pay when they want, where they want and how they want.
There are so many ways to take a payment these days; instore, face to face, online or over the phone. There are also many payment methods, your customers may prefer to pay by debit card or credit card, by Contactless, Apple Pay or PayPal or with another of the options available. The more choices you can offer a customer to pay you, the more likely you are to win and retain their business. It’s worth taking the time to really look at how you currently accept card payments and ask yourself ‘Is this the best, most convenient solution for my customers?’
3. USE THE POWER OF REFERRALS
Word of mouth remains one of the most powerful marketing tools on the planet. If a close friend tells you about a really great product, you are more likely to try it out than if you’ve been bombarded with advertising from a company. The key reason for developing loyalty and engagement with your existing customers is that they can be ambassadors for your brand and products.
There are several ways that you can encourage referrals. You can simply treat your customer well and personalise their experience, then hope that they spread the word. You can use social media platforms to interact with your customers and offer incentives for sharing details of your products or by providing testimonials and reviews. Or last but not least, you can run a good old fashioned ‘refer a friend’ campaign and reward them for bringing new customers on board.
