When it comes to making your business profitable, it’s always important to remember one thing: customers drive your profits. Plain and simple. Now, it’s necessary to continue to look for new pockets of clientele and work on expanding your brand, but never forget the customers that got you to where you are. That’s right: your previous customers. But here’s the question¾how do you get previous customers to come back?
Keep It Personal
Customers will feel more and more appreciated if you take the time to get to know them and really personalize their experience. Appreciation also leads to trust¾and trust in you means trust in your product. So, in order to do that you must personalize the following:
- In Person or Over-the-Phone Communication: When you’re speaking to them in person, get real with them. Make them feel like they are your ONLY client and that you both have a connection. This sort of rapport is the initial trust and foundation for all future trust and communication. Ensure that all your employees are well-versed in your standards of customer relations and satisfaction so they can create that initial bond.
- Communication Via Email, Mail or Other Platforms: Make sure that you have collected your customers’ data for your mailing list and make sure all communication sent is specific and unique to them. This means, it will have their name, it will show new products they are likely to be interested in, it will follow-up with former purchases and it will send them discounts or gifts all within the realm of their wants and desires.
Once you have personalized the communication with your clients and have made sure they are trusting in you and your product, you are well on your way to creating a repeat customer.
Pass Along Helpful Information
Once you have established a good and personal connection with your clients, you need to realize that you do not always have to be selling something to them. In fact, you shouldn’t always be pushing advertising their way, because it can have a negative effect on the trust you’ve established. Instead, sometimes offer them information through email blasts, blog posts, social media posts or any other method you can think of. This helps them to see that your focus is not solely on making a profit, but perhaps you have other altruistic causes or information regarding activities associated with your company.
For example, if you sell camping gear, it might be interesting for your clients to receive information on camping regulations in different areas. Do they need permits for pit fires? Are there any trails that are closed? What time of year is best for camping? All of these questions could be answered with an article, update or email that is personalized to each customer. This way, you are helping them learn more about the world around them AND keeping your name at the forefront of their mind¾without selling!
Remind Them to Come Back
Now, this one is a big point because it involves three key factors: persistence, incentive and innovation. Without these three factors, your previous clients won’t see the need to return to your company for the following reasons:
- Persistence: In any business, it is important to remain persistent with your customers in your marketing. This does not mean to inundate them with materials, but to periodically remind them that you are still here and you still appreciate their business. That keeps you in their mind for any future needs they may have.
- Incentive: Provide your customers with discounts or promotions that are useful to them. It could be a discount on an item or a percentage off of their next shopping spree. Whatever the promotion, make sure you let the customers know about it and personalize it so they will return based on the trust factor.
- Innovation: Always be looking to new products to better your customers’ life and when you have a new idea, make it known to the customer. Innovation can come from upgrading an old product, releasing a new product or the rebranding of your company. Whatever the invention, make sure your previous customers are the first ones to know about it so they, yet again, feel appreciated.
And That’s all Folks!
Follow these three simple steps and you will see an increase in your repeat customers because these steps instill a level of trust with your clients. Make sure that you also create a budget with your accountant that includes the necessary marketing campaign allotments, production costs and personnel salaries that this level of customer service requires. It will take up a good chunk of your overhead, but the benefits will be far greater reaching than you can imagine!
Need more ideas on how to budget for your marketing services and customer service programs? Call us at Beaton Accounting today―we’re always happy to help! 631-921-6894
Have a question or topic you wish we’d cover? Email us at info@beatonaccounting.com and we’ll be happy to cover it!