As small business entrepreneurs, we put in a lot of effort to attract new customers. However, customer retention is equally, if not more important. Existing customers are likely to spend 31 percent more on average than new customers and can become your best word-of-mouth marketers. At Wootalk, we work closely with entrepreneurs nationwide to implement effective marketing solutions with a professionally designed and quick-support interface for quick communication. We are delighted to share these five strategies that can help boost your customer retention and create lifelong regulars.
Connect with Your Customers through Social Media
According to studies, 64 percent of customers say they are loyal to companies that share their values. Combine this fact with the fact that consumers spend more time on mobile devices and social media than ever before, and you have a simple recipe for connecting with them. To begin with, identify the values that go into the products or services you offer, such as quality, ease-of-use, individuality, sustainability, and enjoyability. Next, come up with creative, engaging campaigns to showcase those values on social media. For instance, create short “Behind-the-Scenes” videos that showcase the passion you put into your business, do a “Fact-of-the-Day,” highlight a fun detail about a product or service, or write a social media post about industry-trending topics and seasonal content.
Provide Top-Notch Customer Support
Customers want to know that you care about their experience, regardless of where they interact with you. Many small businesses excel at face-to-face interactions but neglect to consider online environments, such as review sites and social media. With so many consumers online now, this is a sure way not only to lose a disgruntled customer but also any potential customers who see a damaging review. Train employees who interact with customers in-person or over the phone on proper customer service practices. Assign someone you trust to be in charge of responding to negative reviews and complaints online, and follow the best practices for responding to negative reviews.
Engage Your Customers to Encourage Loyalty
Customer engagement takes customer service one step further. Rather than reacting to issues that arise with the customer experience, you’re proactively reaching out to customers to see what they want and what you can do better. You can do this by creating polls on your business’s social media pages to see what new products or services customers would like you to add or asking customers to post their favorite photos of your business online and tag you. You can incentivize the campaign by offering up a free deal or award to a random participant.
Implement a Loyalty Program
For many business types, a loyalty program is a perfect way to keep your customers coming back frequently and spending more when they do. With modern digital customer engagement platforms like what SpotOn offers, it is quick and easy to set up your loyalty program that utilizes mobile technology rather than old-school loyalty punch cards. Create different tiers of rewards, including an easy-to-achieve reward to turn first-time customers into regulars and then more lucrative rewards for VIP customers. Get creative with your rewards. In addition to offering freebies and discounts, you can devise personalized rewards, like letting a loyal customer pick a menu item or get exclusive VIP access to special events.
Use an Automated Platform to Do it All
As a small business owner, a dedicated marketing and social media team may not be feasible. Therefore, it’s essential to take advantage of available technology such as marketing email services and social media management software. As a company founded by small business entrepreneurs, SpotOn has created an integrated customer engagement platform that streamlines everything: social media campaigns, marketing emails, review management, and loyalty. By putting everything in one intuitive dashboard and utilizing time-saving automation tools, it allows you to effectively do the job of an entire marketing team in minutes and for a fraction of the cost.
In conclusion, happy customers lead to lifelong, loyal regulars. Hence, it’s important to incorporate strategies that can help boost customer retention and ensure that your customers are satisfied with your products and services. At Wootalk, we hope these strategies have been helpful to you.
