Learn how to nurture your current customers to build loyalty and repeat sales.

Who wouldn’t want to grow their customer base and gain several new customers every day? It’s a familiar dream and goal of most small business owners. But, it’s a dream that may be costing you too much money. It’s actually cheaper to focus on the customers you already have versus working hard to gain new ones. In fact, it can cost up to seven times more to acquire new customers. Trying to gain new customers involves spending a lot more time, energy, and money on marketing efforts. 

Successful companies often have two budgets: one for gaining new customers and one for their current customers. Sometimes, when it comes down to spending on one or the other, they choose their current customers because it’s cheaper and more likely to lead to sales. And, not to mention, repeat customers often refer new ones to your business. So, in one way, current customers can help attract new customers without your having to spend additional money.

The key to keeping the customers you already have is to nurture them. And how do you nurture your current customer base? You should be consistent and engaging. And you must reward them often. 

Be consistent

Consistency is key when it comes to keeping the customers you have. Be consistent with the quality of your product. And be consistent in how you communicate with your customers. Repeat customers turn to a business because they know how the product will deliver. 

Consistency leads to trust and trust leads to loyalty. Think about the brands you repeatedly buy? Do you have a favorite brand of detergent or hair product? And why do you think you reach for that brand every time? More than likely it’s because you trust them.

You want to nurture this same type of trust with your current customers, and being consistent is the first step.

Engage

Customer engagement is key to keeping current customers. When you engage customers, you keep your brand top of mind. People are more likely to remember a brand that’s constantly engaging them versus a brand that falls by the wayside and pops up with a social media post every now and then. Plus, engagement helps build a bond and further leads to trust. 

Here are three ways you can engage your current customers:

Give great customer service

Respond to customers’ questions and address (and resolve) their complaints. You can even thank them when they compliment you. Nothing will run a customer off faster than ignoring their communication, so talk to them when they reach out to you. 

Engage on social media

If you have social media accounts for your business, take the time to respond to comments – whether they’re good or bad. You can also spark engagement by asking an interesting question or creating a poll. This will get the conversation flowing and you can jump right in and engage your customers in a natural way.

Some businesses respond to reviews on Google, Yelp, and other review sites. This is often an engagement opportunity that’s missed. Be sure to check out your business’ reviews and respond to customers’ comments.

Keep sending emails

Email is another great way to connect with your current customers. You can engage them through email with newsletters, product updates, birthday emails, sales alerts, updates about your company, and commentary on current events. 

Reward often

Customers love sales and discounts. Not only because they like to save money, but because this makes them feel special. One of the main benefits of rewarding customers is gaining loyalty – a key ingredient to customer retention. 

The opportunities to reward customers are almost endless. There are birthday discounts and gifts, rewards for referring others, rewards for leaving a review, reward programs where customers earn points, and so on. 

You don’t have to give away your products for free. But several times throughout the year, you should thank your loyal customers with some type of discount. This will help guarantee their loyalty for the years to come.

The role of email marketing in retaining customers

Email is a powerful tool – a lot more powerful than many business owners are aware. Email provides a lot of opportunities to connect with customers on a deeper, personal level. In addition to the birthday gifts and newsletters mentioned above, you can leverage email to humanize your relationship with your customers, instead of simply being an establishment where they spend money.

In the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, several businesses sent out “checking-on-you” emails with a thoughtful message and tips to stay healthy and safe.  

And at the height of the Black Lives Matter protests in the summer of 2020, many of these same businesses sent solidarity emails acknowledging the turbulent times and their plans to fight racial injustice.

These messages were brief, but helped create a long-lasting relationship with their customers because they showed they cared. All these interactions create a bond with customers – a bond that’s hard to break.

Need help retaining your customers?

Every small business needs a plan specific for retaining current customers. If you need help writing and completing that plan, the email marketing experts at Write Magical can step in and help. Contact us to learn how we can help you make a difference with your company.