{"id":526,"date":"2017-12-07T17:07:36","date_gmt":"2017-12-07T17:07:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/advicoach1.wpengine.com\/slewis\/2017\/12\/07\/10-secrets-to-retaining-a-loyal-customer-base\/"},"modified":"2017-12-07T17:30:18","modified_gmt":"2017-12-07T17:30:18","slug":"10-secrets-to-retaining-a-loyal-customer-base","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/advicoach.com\/slewis\/2017\/12\/07\/10-secrets-to-retaining-a-loyal-customer-base\/","title":{"rendered":"10 Secrets to Retaining a Loyal Customer Base"},"content":{"rendered":"

Each new business has two main goals: 1) to acquire customers, and 2) to retain those customers. As an organization evolves and grows, these two goals remain constant because… every business strives to build a loyal customer base. So, whether you\u2019re online or offline or dealing directly with vendors or customers, your long-term success relies on customer satisfaction.<\/em>\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

What is customer retention and what does it mean for your business? Customer retention refers to how long your company is able to keep an existing customer. If you\u2019ve heard that it\u2019s much easier and cost-effective to focus on retaining your existing customers rather than marketing and finding new ones, that\u2019s because it is. To that end, let\u2019s take a look at which strategies will keep your existing customers happy and coming back for more.<\/p>\n

1. Incorporate Customer Surveys <\/strong><\/h4>\n

It\u2019s critical to stay on top of customer feedback so you can fine-tune and tweak your products, services, and customer processes. A great way to accomplish these things is to incorporate customer surveys on a regular basis. Surveys can be sent through the mail or emailed to new and existing customers. Don\u2019t forget to include an area for customer suggestions and incorporate the good ideas accordingly.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

2. Prioritize Customer Service<\/strong><\/h4>\n

From day one, teach all of your employees the importance of customer service, which should be a priority at all times. When your customers receive the highest caliber customer service, they won\u2019t even think of going anywhere else.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

3. Engage on Social Media<\/strong><\/h4>\n

If your business doesn\u2019t have one already, create a Facebook and Twitter account and adopt a firm policy that no customer comments or direct messages will be ignored. Post daily and be sure to respond to people\u2019s comments and messages promptly. If you don\u2019t have a social media manager or someone who\u2019s handling the social accounts, be sure that whoever\u2019s handling your PR and marketing takes care of it.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

4. Keep the Communication Lines Open<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Create an environment that encourages customer satisfaction and feedback. Invite your customers to call or email whenever they have a question or concern, and respond quickly when you do receive a customer communication. In your response, aim to resolve the customer\u2019s issue or find the best possible solution.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

5. Incorporate a Business Blog<\/strong><\/h4>\n

One of the best ways to retain a loyal customer base is to be constantly adding value to your clientele. By incorporating content marketing strategies, such as a business blog, you\u2019re not only becoming an industry influencer, but you\u2019re solving your customers\u2019 problems. It\u2019s a win-win situation! Not sure what to write about? Offer your customers advice and tips and use your blog as a way to answer common customer questions.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

6. Stay on Top of Industry Trends<\/strong><\/h4>\n

To stay at the top of your game, you must keep tabs on current industry trends. To do this, attend industry conventions, read relevant articles and blogs, search the internet for the latest online articles on your industry, and subscribe to trade magazines. The idea is to be constantly learning and keeping your finger on the pulse. As technology evolves, don\u2019t forget to blog about it and update your customers on the latest trends.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

7. Get on the Phone<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Don\u2019t be afraid to pick up the phone and check in with customers. You can use this strategy whether they\u2019re thrilled with your services or dissatisfied \u2013 it works in both scenarios. Use this as an opportunity to see if they\u2019re happy and if there\u2019s anything you can do to improve your product or service. You will receive useful customer feedback and they will feel like the valued customers that they are.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

8. Reward Loyal Customers<\/strong><\/h4>\n

There are countless ways to acknowledge and reward your customers and to show them how much you appreciate their loyalty. Depending on your budget, you can send a hand-written note, buy their office lunch, send over a gift basket, or offer them a free product or service. Even without huge resources, there\u2019s a lot that you can say and do to show your loyal customers how much you care.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

9. Always Deliver More Than is Expected<\/strong><\/h4>\n

This is one of the best ways to establish rapport with customers and build lasting relationships \u2013 always deliver more than is expected and then some. You can never go wrong by going the extra mile for customers.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

10. Quickly Resolve All Complaints<\/strong><\/h4>\n

A business cannot ignore customer complaints because if they do, bad word of mouth can spread rapidly, and at the cost of existing and future business. It\u2019s far more cost-effective to resolve a customer complaint swiftly than it is to allow a disgruntled customer situation to go unhandled.<\/p>\n

While the above strategies are all components to building a loyal customer base, it all comes back to customer experience. From the second they land on your website for the first time, to the first phone call they make to your office, to the initial moment they use your product or service, make sure the customer experience is so pleasant and worthwhile, they\u2019ll want to do business with you again and again. For more information on enhancing customer experience and building a loyal customer base, contact AdviCoach for help!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Each new business has two main goals: 1) to acquire customers, and 2) to retain those customers. As an organization evolves and grows, these two goals remain constant because… every business strives to build a loyal customer base. So, whether you\u2019re online or offline or dealing directly with vendors or customers, your long-term success relies…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":527,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12,10,11,14],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-526","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-growth","category-marketing","category-sales","category-success"],"aioseo_notices":[],"featured_image_src":"https:\/\/advicoach.com\/slewis\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/16\/2017\/12\/1027.AdviCoach-December-Blog1.jpg","featured_image_src_square":"https:\/\/advicoach.com\/slewis\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/16\/2017\/12\/1027.AdviCoach-December-Blog1.jpg","author_info":{"display_name":"AdviCoach","author_link":"https:\/\/advicoach.com\/slewis\/author\/admin\/"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/advicoach.com\/slewis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/526","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/advicoach.com\/slewis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/advicoach.com\/slewis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/advicoach.com\/slewis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/advicoach.com\/slewis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=526"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/advicoach.com\/slewis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/526\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/advicoach.com\/slewis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/527"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/advicoach.com\/slewis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=526"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/advicoach.com\/slewis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=526"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/advicoach.com\/slewis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=526"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}