Tactics To Increase Customer Loyalty

It’s a well-known fact in business that retaining customers costs much less than finding new ones. Yet, for whatever reason, many small businesses continue to neglect ways to increase customer loyalty, and instead devote most of their time to finding new ones. Yet studies have shown that if a business increases their customer retention by just 5 percent, they will experience a surge of 75 percent more profitability. Awesome.

Small businesses rely on repeat customers. They’re your bedrock. If you’ve got customers coming in and out of your doors like bluebottles in a panic, your business just won’t grow. So whilst attracting new customers is important, retaining a merry band of loyal consumers who believe in you and your product is more fundamental. You’ve done the hard work in attracting them in the first place, so why not finish the job and enhance your relationship with them? If a company makes a consumer feel special, it’s more than likely that the consumer will stick around. Why wouldn’t you? Everyone loves to feel special!

A Smile Goes A Long Way

In a recent report by Barclays bank, over half of customers say they returned to the bank because of a simply smile and a warm hello.

Customers love it when you smile and offer a cheery hello. It engages them and makes them feel wanted. You can even make someone’s day with a simple smile. Moreover, they will then associate smiling and friendliness with your brand – and such brand identity is extremely important for small businesses.

Let Customers Know You’re Thinking About Them

A sure-fire way to decrease rather than increase customer loyalty is to neglect your customers so much that they forget all about you. A simple thing such as a Christmas card – or a Christmas greeting via email or social media – can go a very long way when it comes to customer retention.

You can even go one step further and invite them to product launches or celebratory bashes.

Create A Loyalty Scheme

Many big businesses have loyalty schemes which help them maintain their thousands of customers. They’re simple but hugely effective, so there’s no reason you can’t implement one at your business. For example, if you own a juice bar company, something simple such as, a loyalty card that rewards buyers with a free drink after they’ve purchased up to 6 juices can go a long way to encouraging customers to keep on coming back.

Cultivate Feedback

If you don’t ask for feedback, you simply don’t know what it is that you’re doing wrong. You might think you’re doing everything the customer wants you to do, but the reality could be very different. To increase customer loyalty, you could do a lot worse than find out what it is they like about your company – and what it is they dislike.

Be Flexible

When a customer complains, it could be tempting to argue that they’re actually wrong and you and the company are right. Also, the problem they’re asking you to fix might cost too much and so you decide to ignore it.

Instead, you should be flexible enough to listen to your customers and make the changes they require, or at least meet in the middle of a compromise. If something hasn’t worked for them, go out of your way to make it better. Even if it costs you money, by being flexible you will be increasing customer satisfaction and loyalty.

More than anything, it’s imperative that you don’t ignore your customers. They’re your bread and butter, and neglecting them means that your business simply won’t get off the ground or keep afloat. Keep your regular customers happy, and your business will flourish.

If you’re ready and willing to spread your wings and reach out to grab new customers attention, then Easy Consulting are the ones to call. We know how to make a company flourish and stand out amongst the rest, and there is plenty of competition these days, so a helping hand is imperative. Don’t waste any more time, get in touch today!