On average, it is five times more expensive to acquire a new customer than to keep an existing one. Therefore, turning your current customers into raving fans is a great way to keep your revenues rising.
Unfortunately, creating loyal customers when there is so much competition isn’t as simple as it sounds. Today’s eCommerce world is more competitive than ever, so keeping your customers loyal is also becoming harder.
Here are five easy ways you can improve customer loyalty this year.
Tactic #1: Learn to Excel on Social
If you aren’t using social media, you are really missing out on a lot of potential customers. For businesses of all sizes, social media can be used to take your brand to the next level. If you aren’t using it, you aren’t really connecting and engaging with your customers.
Building loyalty on social media comes in many forms, from following your customers’ profiles to having conversations with them. Both will help you understand what your customers’ needs are and make them feel valued and connected.
Nobody wants to be cold-called and sold to anymore, so softer techniques like building trust on social media are essential today. The more trust you build, the more likely you are to get sales. Not only is it a great engagement tool, but customers are likely to use social media to research products as well. If your accounts aren’t up to scratch, they might favor someone else.
See every social account as a prime opportunity to engage with your audience, build trust and establish a brand personality. To get started, pick the right channels for you – whether it’s Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, or another, choose the channel that suits your needs.
[Screenshot source: @HauteLook]
If your customers are B2B, try LinkedIn. If your products look great visually, try Instagram. Don’t be afraid to cut through the noise by using video as well. Then, begin building a community by regularly engaging with your audience: Reply to all messages, post consistent content and follow people back!
Tactic #2: Create Loyalty Schemes
If customers show you their loyalty, they want to be rewarded. What better way to do it than to create a sale-boosting loyalty scheme?
For example, you could create a referral scheme using easy to integrate Shopify apps, which are designed to reward your customers for referring their friends and family.
Alternatively, you could offer loyalty discounts and codes that can be redeemed in your online store, encouraging customers to keep coming back. Again, simply do this by using an app or plugin that allows you to create coupons.
Whatever route you take, make earning and redeeming rewards as easy as possible. Consider integrating loyalty benefits in an app, if your store has created one. Get inspiration from restaurants like Nandos, who give customers rewards for each meal which can be managed via their app. You could then use an app as your primary channel for customer loyalty.
Digital loyalty schemes work best – the physical loyalty cards of old are a dying breed. Loyal customers will always favor a simple, smooth, digital experience today.
Tactic #3: Leverage Iconic Branding
It goes without saying that if your branding isn’t good, it won’t give off the right impression. If the competition has nicer branding, they are more likely to win your customers.
The good news is there are loads of easy tools to use that can take your branding to the next level, like Hatchful by Shopify, which provides an easy solution to creating a professional logo.
Designed, unique branding, which represents your business, will help create trust with your customers. Poor branding will leave customers thinking you aren’t the real deal. Iconic branding makes a surprising difference when it comes to building loyalty. It’s why the world’s biggest brands invest so much money into their logos and brand, as it plays a key role in customer experience and brand personality – both of which are vital parts in creating loyal customers.
Your logo and brand is the online face of your company. Get it right and your customers will remember it and keep your business in mind. Get it wrong and you risk losing to a more professional competitor.
Tactic #4. Chat in Real-Time
Modern customers expect cutting-edge technology and experiences from the best businesses. One of the best to deliver both are using live chat, or chatbots. Chatbots can be used as a really effective marketing or sales tool, plus you’ll look like you are professional, forward-thinking and helpful.
Doing something different, that the competition isn’t doing, is a good strategy to keep your customers happy. Live chat can be a game-changer in the online world. Provide your customers with helpful answers, in real time, to enhance their customer experience and give them a bit of love.
Being able to actually chat with customers offers a level of personalization every consumer loves. You’ll also be able to quickly provide information needed to improve the chances of a sale.
There are lots of options readily available, most of which can be managed through a mobile device. If you want to see one of the best in action, head over to look at Drift.
Tactic #5: Give the Right Attention to Your SEO Efforts
eCommerce Search Engine Optimization (SEO) involves more than just optimizing your product descriptions. When it comes to customer loyalty, one of the best ways to make an impact is to find out what your target audience really wants and deliver it; you can do this by answering common questions with high-quality, well-thought-out content.
If you don’t have a blog yet, it’s time to launch one. Blog posts are the easiest website pages to build links to, hence the easiest to rank for. And, you can use a blog to solve the problems that your target audience faces. If you have done your market research well, you will know exactly what those problems are.
When you can answer your prospects’ questions, you become an authority. Consumers are more likely to believe in your brand, what it stands for, and the quality of your products when they trust your advice.
For example, online pet stores often blog about pet training advice and health.
[Screenshot source: Petsmart Learning Center]
Conclusion
Implementing some of these ideas will help increase customer loyalty and improve your revenues. Never underestimate the power of loyal customers.
They will spend more and they will market your business for you. There are plenty of options to improve customer loyalty, but these are a good place to start; implement them to start growing your customer base.
