The secret to building a loyal following of buyers is a simple premise. When you are determined to go above and beyond for your target audience, you will be rewarded with repeat business. Holidays are a great time to stay in touch with your loyal customers. Since today is Halloween we hope that most of you have already published your Halloween Newsletters. That means that your customers are taking advantage of your “spooky specials.”
Stay in touch with your customers. If you have not done this in various ways, then you have missed out on many golden opportunities. We urge our website clients to publish quarterly newsletters. Don’t assume the customer knows about your special offers. Use the holiday season to reach out to past customers and to attract new ones. Holidays are prime days of the year to advertise your products and services. Most people expect to get ads for the holidays. They are normally in a buying mood and this is the time to get their attention.
Things to consider when sending advertisements to customers:
- Stay in touch during the year on holidays or on pre-chosen periods during the year
- Do not assume the customer will remember you … stay in touch regularly
- Don’t overdo any advertising. Send special announcements rarely
- Listen to your customers and advertise what they are searching for
- Have the right employee to answer calls (someone personable and friendly)
- Return all calls within 24 to 48 hours if you are expecting quick results
- Be sure to thank them for their business …
Identify your target audience and craft a brand message:
Crafting a brand message will let your customers know you have a great selling method they can believe in. Use words that bring about a persuasive action. Use words such as “free” “only one pair left” and other words similar, will work well and encourage your customers to make a purchase. Back up any promises made.
Building loyal customers by building trust:
We make it a goal to make friends with all of our customer. They need to trust us and know that we will respond quickly to their every need. No one wants to feel like no more than a number. Building loyalty takes time and effort on the part of all entrepreneurs. It is heartless to make a customer wait for days to hear back when they have a problem. They should be made to feel like they are the only customer. Their time is as valuable as our time and keeping them loyal demands that we provide them with great customer service response.
Experience has taught us that companies must get personal with customers and connect on a friendly level. Doing this will result in more sales. Additionally, they will refer you to everyone they know and sing your praises. Remember, word of mouth makes up over eighty (80) percent of your customer base. Reach out, offer benefits to your customers and work hard to develop customer communities through good customer relationships.
The three types of buyers: Conservative spenders, Spendthrifts, and Normal buyers.
Conservative spenders are consumers that we might refer to as “someone looking for low cost items with benefits to them.” These buyers make up a quarter of our potential customers. To appeal to these buyers it is smart to appeal to their careful nature. Offer real bargains they can’t refuse. Come up with only cost-effective products and services for this group. They buy consistently if you give them a good reason to purchase. Building loyal customers will benefit any business and should be a part of any strategic marketing plan for business websites.
Spendthrifts:
These buyers spend less on average after they meet their maximum buying number. Once they have reached their budgeted amount of spending they will normally stop here. They make up around fifteen (15) percent of your target buyers.
Normal buyers:
They comprise around sixty (60) percent of the buying public. They are harder to understand and control and they spend as needed with no pattern established.
Appreciating a customer’s budget and giving back:
Most of us are on a budget of some sort. It makes sense then that consumers are looking for anything that will save them money. Although you may consider giving back to consumers costly, it doesn’t have to be. As an entrepreneur you can come up with ideas tot save your customer a few dollars here and there and it will go a long way in building reciprocity with your customers. Simple gestures do count. For instance remembering your customers birthday or sending a special holiday card or small gift goes a long way in building trust and loyalty. Doing anything nice leaves a lasting impression and will build loyalty.
Our brand offers a few sweet treats when we meet with new clients and our cookies have our logo on them. Our small gift will be remembered, just as we all remember when something nice is done for us. We don’t believe you can build loyal customers without giving them an experience to remember. If this type of giving back is too much for your style just come up with a way to offer a benefit that works for your company exclusively.
Do some brainstorming with your team and make “building customer loyalty a yearly plan of action.” It works and you get it all back through higher profits at the end of the year. At Christmas time, send out a holiday newsletter with a spacial message to wish your customers a happy holiday. That is a cost-effective way to give back without spending a lot. It pays off with loyalty which will last all year round.
Online support and speed:
We all work for providing the best quality for our clients and customers. But speed is also important and it is secondary to the quality we offer. As we work with customers in a residual manner (completing additional projects) the speed is the most important factor in keeping their business.
They are more likely to stay with us and refer others our way if we are quick to answer their needs. Otherwise they will move on to another vendor who is more compliant and quick to act.
Conclusion:
Understand your target audience first. Find out what their likes and dislikes are and as you develop your website. Take a look at your Google Analytics on your website and determine who is visiting your website and what they are searching for. Meet with your team and come up with benefits for your audience. Concentrating on personalizing their web experience. A consumer will make a repeat purchase if you pay close attention to their needs. Respond to their searches quickly and and offer products based upon that need. The value of great customer service will go a long way in building loyal customers. You will increase your conversion rate and at the same time build your brand and make friends..
Hurry back for more next time from the design wizards at Inside Design Orlando.
Staff Writer
