Customer Retention Strategies
Proven Methods to Retain Customers and Clients
Customer Retention Strategies – Even if your business has an established customer base, the only way to continue to grow your business is by keeping your customers interested and happy.
These happy customers, in turn, produce more customers by way of positive reviews and word of mouth recommendations – not to mention feeding your bottom line with their repeat business. If you want to build and maintain customer relationships, try these 4 valuable customer retention strategies.
Blogs
Consumers love to keep up with the news. No matter what type of business you run, keeping an updated blog that focuses on your company and industry news will keep your customers interested in your product.
Blogs allow you to reach limitless readers, and they are automatically targeted by searches relevant to your industry or location. You can also use your blog to promote new products, sales, or upcoming events so your customers can stay involved in your business.
Sites like Blogger and WordPress offer beautiful blog templates that are simple to set up and easy to keep updated. Make it easy for your customers and potential customers to follow you online by linking your Facebook, Twitter, or other social media accounts to your blog.
Also, invite your readers to post their comments and make sure you respond to them in a timely manner so your customers feel their opinions are valued.
Loyalty Programs
The majority of any company’s income comes from repeat customers; that’s because it takes more advertising dollars to gain new customers than it does to keep your current ones.
So it only makes sense to focus on retention. Adding value to your existing customers’ experiences will keep them coming back and loyalty programs are an inexpensive way to accomplish this goal.
Discounts or free products will always appeal to customers who love your products and services. Therefore, keep implementing different types of rewards programs should go a long way in generating repeat sales from your existing customers.
Questionnaires & Surveys
Every customer has an opinion and, whether good or bad, they want to share that opinion. Offering questionnaires & surveys to your customers helps them feel involved in your company and lets them express their needs and wants.
When you design and offer surveys to your customers, be sure to show them their opinions are valued by taking steps to implement their suggestions where viable, or by offering to remedy any negative situation they may share with you.
Social Media
There is no denying social media has an effect on everyone with a computer or smart phone. When you invite your customers to interact with your business through social media accounts like Twitter, FourSquare, or Facebook, you keep your name close at hand while gaining valuable insight into your customers’ needs and wants.
Assign one tech-savvy person to manage your media accounts and be sure to encourage your employees to interact with your customers while showing genuine concern for their opinions.
Remember, if you are not retaining your customers, you are losing them. By implementing these 4 valuable customer retention strategies, you will continue to build your business by taking a proactive role in influencing your customers’ desire to stay with you.