How To Build Customer Loyalty: 10 Tips To Turn Customers Into Fans
In today’s article you’ll learn everything you need to know about how to build customer loyalty. Here I wrote about ten steps to build better customer loyalty, and the steps are divided into three stages: You, They, You both as an item.
You should think of having customers as a marriage, and if you focus on the three areas we have outlined, you will be well on your way to building better customer loyalty.
How to Build Customer Loyalty:
The steps related to you
1. Know what you are selling, quite well – and be the best in your specialty.
It’s about building your confidence in your own services and products. Know your area and niche very well. Know what your USP is and build on that so you know you are the one going to the company for your services. Articulate this internally and to the world.
2. Provide world-class customer support for your niche market
Once you know what your strengths are – and you have provided your service/product – get the best customer support for your niche. Now where companies get this wrong is they think everybody wants the same thing. They don’t have any idea what good customer support means to your clients and customers and are delivering on that and more.
3. Be honest with yourself
This may be too apparent or it may seem out of place here. If you think like that then you should think again. Being honest with yourself is among the key components to being successful as a business. What are you not good at and what are your deal breaker. This is important not only for your company’s strategy but for the way you run your business. Be honest and then build a business about yourself – strengths and weaknesses. And be open about this.
Steps related to them (your customers)
4. Know your customer inside and out. This is where big data really helps.
Ultimately you are providing services and products to an audience. You need to know precisely everything about your audience. Who they’re, what they want, and everything that’s relevant to you about them. Get outside yourself and do some market research – both quantitative and qualitative and if you have already got plenty of data, see how to analyze it in new ways.
5. Provide the services and products your customers want (not all about you).
Have you ever been in a situation where you have spent plenty of time and effort doing something special for your loved ones – so they do not really get excited? Maybe they aren’t so grateful and do not care. This is most certainly because you are doing what you think they will appreciate rather than doing something they will enjoy doing. This is similar to services and products – give customers what they want and need – do not just focus on what you think they will need.
6. Be honest with your customers
Be honest with your customers. This is essential. If you mess up – say so and fix it. It will be far better in the long run because trust (which we will earn) is the cornerstone of the relationship you have with your customers. If your customers trust you there will be no turning back – and they’ll be loyal.
The steps related to the two of you in a partnership
7. Build a foundation of trust
Focus more exactly on trust – not only do you must be honest – but seek their opinion. By using social media, you can begin an honest debate – and while in the short term you may find this sort of open communication damaging – but this will soon pass – once the customer realizes that you’re listening and changes. This will give birth to great customer loyalty. Even look at crowdsourcing – trust your crowd and customers to transform and develop your company’s strategy. Be open.
8. Do small things to make them smile while fulfilling your responsibilities
In addition to fulfilling your business commitments – work harder. Do and say something every now and then to make them feel appreciated and loved. That is what loyalty cards do and instill. How about adopting something similar? Or you could adopt a system where the longer they stay the more they’re rewarded – a 5% discount for each customer who has been with the company for 2 years.
9. Build a future with them
Develop a vision of the future in collaboration with your key consumers and customers. Hold a workshop with them and get their feedback on ideas on how they can develop further. Collaboration is the key word.
10. Have fun
Be a fun company and be funny in your communication and do something for April Fools. Show your human and compassionate side. Having a CSR – corporate social responsibility strategy is therefore a good thing to do and encourages this. They will love you for this – and will be looking forward to seeing what else you come up with next year.
I want to thank you for taking the time to read my article on how to build customer loyalty. I actually hope that its content has been of good help to you.