Brand loyalty depends on customer satisfaction. How can you please your customers enough to make them not only stay but want to share you with the rest of the world?
Loyal customers are going to impact you in a few ways. The first, most obvious that comes to mind is that they’ll come to you the next time they need the product or service you provide.
As long as you keep them happy, they’ll keep coming back for more. But they can also be relied on for other important aspects of your business operations.
Repeat customers are more likely to try out the new products you have. That makes them a great crowd to turn to when you’re testing new possibilities.
With these more lasting connections, you have people who feel more involved in your brand’s success. They’re a great group to turn to for feedback on your new ideas.
They’re also a source to turn to while you’re looking to expand your customer base.
If you have loyal customers, chances are they either already are vocal or can be convinced into becoming more vocal about their experiences with you. This makes your job of hunting down new customers much easier.
With these benefits, it’s easy to see why loyal customers are so important to a business’ survival. But how do you work toward building your loyal customer base?
1. Dialogue
Employ a type of marketing that centers around the customer, and truly listen to what they have to say.
What is it they get (and hope to continue getting) out of their experience with your brand? Find out what they liked and didn’t like, and respond in kind. Let them know you’re listening by showing them how you’ve adjusted to work better for them.
Your product or service can always better, so why not take notes from the very people it’s geared toward?
Pay attention to product reviews, and work towards letting no negative review go unanswered. Dig in to the nitty gritty of the customer opinion.
2. Involve
Beyond a simple dialogue, let customers know that they’re integral in the operation of your business.
This might happen in a number of different ways. Experiential marketing campaigns can be an exciting way to get customers to feel like they’re a part of your brand. Product sampling is another good tactic, as well as shoutouts on social media.
Use all of the tactics that are relevant to your brand and work to make your customers feel like a part of the inner workings of your brand.
3. Reward
Consumers like incentives, and there are so many different ways to incentivize. The possibilities are vast.
Giving people points for purchases that add up to some gift or prize is one method. Another is putting consumers into different tiers based on their shopping amounts and assigning each different tier perks.
You could even run online competitions using social media and reward the winners with swag or store credit.
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