The most important asset your business has is its customers — and loyal customers are the cream of the crop. According to a report from Bain & Company, repeat customers spend 67% more and have larger transactions than new ones. What’s more, they also provide priceless word of mouth advertising — and they do it for almost nothing.
But how can you build customer loyalty when your business is based from home?
Provide Top-Notch Customer Service
Providing high-quality customer service is essential to gaining loyal customers. After all, 70% of buying experiences are based on how the customer feels they’re being treated.
Great customer service starts with the way you communicate. Treat your customers as individuals and use their name. Always be sincere; customers are smart enough to know whether or not you really care about them. Take a moment to thank them every time you get a chance — in person or via email, invoice, or newsletter.
Dealing with complaints effectively is critical component of customer service. A proper resolution is the perfect way to really connect with a customer. Make it easy for customers to complain by providing multiple ways to contact you (email, phone, social media, etc.) As much as they may sting, these criticisms gives you an opportunity to improve.
If you make a mistake, acknowledge it, apologize, and then correct it. Let the customer know what actions you took to prevent the mistake from happening again, and present a peace offering, such as a discount. Your customers will feel far more comfortable doing business with you when they know that you take problems seriously. In fact, when you resolve a complaint in the customer’s favor, they will do business with you again 70% of the time.
Offer Loyalty Perks
Word-of-mouth is one of the most potent forms of advertising. Most happy customers will naturally recommend your business to family and friends, but it never hurts to give them a little extra incentive. Offer free products or a discount to customers who provide referrals.
Another way to create the kind of warm feelings that result in word-of-mouth advertising is by gifting additional products or services. If your business is product based, toss a small freebie into their package before shipping. If your business is service based, provide something extra toward the end of your time together. For instance, if you designed their website, throw in a free mailer or business card design.
These little touches not only cement your relationship with your existing customers, they show potential and new customers that loyalty has its rewards..
Build a Community
Social media is an absolute must when it comes to maintaining customer loyalty. Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and other platforms allow you to keep existing customers up-to-date with new services and products as they are introduced.
However, it’s not enough simply to post product news. To get your customers to share your content and interact with your pages, you’ll need to create content that focuses not only on your products, but also related lifestyle topics. Do your best to keep the community involved on your page by responding to comments, holding chats, and building groups.
According to a 2009 Nielsen study, 90% of consumers trust peer recommendations, while only 33% trust online ads. Your end goal should be to turn your loyal customers into advocates who help spread the word about your business –thus reaching a much wider user base.
Turning a customer into a loyal patron isn’t an easy task. It takes open communication, a heap of altruism, and serious dedication to every business relationship. However, once you build a solid base of loyal customers, you’ll start to see referrals roll in.
