One of the biggest challenges you’ll face as a small business owner is building a strong customer base.
Photo by Christiann Koepke on Unsplash
However, this struggle often means that entrepreneurs invest a great deal of time and energy into acquiring new customers – as opposed to focusing on retaining those they’ve already won over. While winning over new consumers is essential for long-term growth and development, this does not mean you should underestimate the value of keeping pre-existing customers around.
After all, not only does acquiring a new customer cost five times more than retaining an existing customer, but you’re also missing out on the kind of loyalty that incentivizes both word-of-mouth referrals and repeat custom. It also means that you can avoid losing out to new competitors.
With that in mind, here are some top tips that you can use to keep your customers on your side!
Never miss a phone call. According to a recent study, around 80% of customers will not bother calling back if they do not receive an answer the first time. As such, it is important that you make a concentrated effort to ensure you never miss a call, especially if you could miss out on custom as a result of this.
One way you can achieve this goal is by investing in a virtual phone system. This way, you (or a team member) can answer calls from a laptop, computer, tablet, or online browser. This makes it much easier to respond to calls on the go, even during peak periods.
Incentivize repeat custom. One way in which you can be sure to keep customers on your side is to give them a reason to be loyal to your brand. Fortunately, there are many ways in which you can incentivize repeat custom, such as by developing an employee loyalty scheme. Whether this provides them with access to free product samples, exclusive discount sales, or early access to new products and services, this can go a long way when it comes to building a dependable customer base. In fact, a recent study found that “loyalty programs drive 83% of consumers to make repeat purchases.”
Develop a mobile app. According to the latest data, “60% of app users exhibit incentivized loyalty.” As such, developing a mobile application is another great way in which you can set about keeping your customers as actively engaged with your business as possible. Of course, you need to make sure that this app serves a distinct purpose that is beneficial to both parties. For example, it could be a tool through which they access exclusive discount codes, or you could turn it into an additional way to drive sales by allowing in-app purchases.
This, of course, is likely a task that you’ll have to outsource, but it is incredibly worthwhile when you consider the ROI (Return On Investment) this will bring!
Respond to their criticism. By now, you are likely well aware of the fact that consumer reviews make the world of difference to your business’s overall success. After all, when a new customer sees a positive review, they are far more likely to put their trust in your brand or business. However, negative reviews can have the opposite effect and are often a sign that the writer will not spend any money on your products or services in the future.
Fortunately, it does not have to be that way. In fact, your response to criticism and complaints could actually help turn the tide and win back the support of the reviewer – no matter how disparaging their initial comments may be. For example, you should be sure to always reply to negative reviews as opposed to ignoring them. You should also ensure that should you have made a mistake; you hold yourself accountable by providing some reasoning to the customer. Finally, you should give them an offer that will help you to make things right.
Host regular focus groups. Hosting regular focus groups is another great way in which you can continue to capture the interest of your customers, as it means that any future business decisions are made with their best interests in mind. You can host focus groups on a wide variety of topics, whether you’re wondering what you can do better in customer service, are considering increasing your prices/rates, or are about to launch a new product.
However, it is worth noting that you will likely need to provide customers with some kind of incentive to get them to attend these sessions. After all, it will require them to give up some of their time! For example, you could give them a goody bag of free products as a thank-you!
Be as transparent as possible. 94% of customers value transparency from the brands they shop with. This means that you should always be as honest with your customers as possible, even if you’ve made a mistake that you’d rather cover up and bury. Being transparent in these circumstances shows your customers that they can trust you and that you’re willing to make things right after making a mistake.
Offer excellent customer service. Offering consistently high levels of customer service is another great way to ensure that you show up for your customers and are able to keep them on your side moving forward. After all, it means that you’re leaving little room for complaints while also ensuring that each and every one of your customers has a comparable experience with your brand.
One way in which you can ensure that you uphold high levels of customer service throughout all aspects of your business is by ensuring that each and every member of your team receives extensive customer service training. While this should be part of your onboarding training, it is also something that should be refreshed on an annual basis.
In short, there are many steps that you can take to keep customers on your side moving forward. This will allow you to take your business to new heights, no matter which industry you operate within.
Leave a Reply