Customer loyalty is something you earn over time and it doesn’t always come easily. It’s still important to work on reducing customer turnover with techniques that show customers you appreciate their business. Building customer loyalty doesn’t need to involve rewards programs, since much of consumers’ perception of trust has to do with the way you treat them. Here are five actions you can take to help build customer loyalty.
1. Become a Reliable Resource
People look for authority figures they can trust to answer their questions about products and solutions within an industry. The more you can provide useful information about your industry, the more customers may identify you as a resource for answers. You will increase your odds of retaining customers if you listen to each of their individual issues and provide customized solutions. When people come to you for help, you are in a position to offer them value, based on your knowledge and the speed at which you can arrive at a solution.
One way to develop authority in your industry is to create a blog series that showcases the details of your niche. Your blog needs to be updated regularly for people to keep coming back to it. Sharing valuable information that can’t be found elsewhere is a major key to building an online following. It leads to followers sharing your blogs on social media.
2. Show Integrity
Integrity entails behaviors that are fundamental, like keeping your word, honesty, providing consistency in service levels, and being reliable. Businesses that show high levels of integrity are seen as trustworthy.
Trust building needs the businesses to continually put the interests of customers prior to their own. Customers will detect this, and it will go many a mile in earning their trust that will eventually build loyalty.
Honesty helps build trust with customers on an individual level. The more you can build trust among your customers, the better chances you’ll have of retaining their business. The combination of honesty, consistency and reliability helps promote an image of integrity. The goal is to always get better and excel at your craft which helps lead to customer satisfaction. Showing that you care about your craft will send a signal to customers that you care about their needs. Ideally, your reputation will make customers feel proud to promote your business.
3. Have a Professional Attitude
When a customer addresses a problem with your product or service, respond professionally in a manner that doesn’t escalate the problem. Always treat people in a friendly manner, no matter how upset they appear to be. Use your problem-solving skills to turn negative situations into positive ones. Show your commitment to resolving an issue with the best possible outcome for your customers. Regardless of how severe the problem may be, focus on the solution.
4. Contact Customers Periodically
One of the main keys to developing a loyal following is to build a marketing list based on permission, so that you know who your most loyal customers are. You can then send them personalized messages on special occasions, such as birthdays and anniversaries. If you develop a newsletter you can reach these same target customers more often on a regular basis. Newsletters can include links to a variety of landing pages that appeal to your target audience.
Whenever a customer contacts you directly, you should respond as quickly as possible. These long response times have become a major issue with consumers in judging businesses. It’s much easier to find other businesses online instead of waiting a long time for a response.
5. Keep Relationships Personal
A strong rapport building with customers is essential for the success of any company. Whether your company is doing well or going through a rough patch, a strong relationship with customers will ensure that your business keeps flourishing. This is exactly why some of the most successful companies of today have outstanding customer service as their motto. It takes time and dedication to forge strong relationships which makes it critical to employ the right strategies in customer relations.
In all correspondence through email, use the customer’s name to show that you value personal relationships. If you use customer relationship management (CRM) software, you can easily track each customer’s history in terms of purchases and communication. Access to this information makes it easier to communicate personalized messages. You can develop customer personas based on a variety of factors that define certain customers and then send personalized messages to each market sector.