5 Steps to Building Loyal Customers
Every business owner’s dream is usually to expand its customer base. The more customers a business has, the more profit it’s earning and the more likely it to succeed. Yet, not every brand has hacked the right strategies to attract more customers. What can a business do to earn more loyal customers? Several answers probably came to mind because it seems like a simple question to answer.
But the reality is, businesses are different, and what works for a competitor might not be what your brand needs. So, you first have to carefully analyze your business needs before implementing strategies that target prospective customers.
That said, remember that for you to win over new customers, they must be willing to do business with you. Which is to say, you need to market your products as essentials they need in their lives. Then, when prospective customers see the value your products offer, they’ll be inclined to transact with you.
So far, I’m sure you’re wondering why so many small businesses fail when attracting new customers sounds so easy. Well, have you ever thought to yourself that the reason may be that interested customers might not know that these small brands exist? Mind-blowing, right? A customer cannot buy products from a brand they don’t know exists. You must invest in marketing and advertising to spread the word about the existence of your business and the products you offer.
This article will highlight four ways to find buyers for your products.
Source: Photo by Obsahovka Obsahovka from Pexels
1. Offer New Customers Discounts and Promotions
The surefire way of getting a prospective customer’s attention is to offer them your products at a discounted price. Someone who wasn’t even sure they needed your product will end up buying just to take advantage of a good deal.
You should run a promotion on your online store that gives first-time customers certain products at a fraction of the retail price. Many prospective customers will choose you over your competition because adults are always looking to save money.
While you run these promotions, be careful not to run your business to the ground in the name of attracting new customers. And besides, if your products are too cheap, prospective customers will start wondering if they’re of good quality.
So be reasonable in your promotions because prospective customers are intelligent individuals who understand that a business needs to profit. Consult with your marketing team to find out what price would be the perfect discount that saves the customer some bucks while allowing you to make some profit.
Another thing to note is that discount promotions should be seasonal because if they run all year round, you will affect your business’ bottom line. Use the holiday season to run these discount campaigns because this is the time many people are likely to make purchases. Use your social media platforms to spread the word about your discounts so that people know to take advantage of the offer.
2. Ask for Referrals
Another way to attract new customers is to ask your existing customers to refer your business to other people. You could sweeten the deal by offering discounts to any customers who bring in new customers. Your loyal customers will be thrilled to spread the word about your business if they get something out of it.
Getting referrals is easy if your existing customers can swear by the quality and originality of your products. Getting a discount would only be a bonus because they know their friends would also be glad to discover your business.
Leveraging the army of customers you already have allows you to expand your reach without lifting a finger or spending money on a marketing strategy.
Actively solicit referrals by partnering with social media influencers as well. You can tap into an influencer’s large following to penetrate a new market segment. Make sure you agree on how you’ll pay the influencer to have a professional working relationship. This also allows you to strive for a long-term partnership.
Also, develop referral-generating activities that your existing customers can participate in. An excellent example is sending a follow-up email after every successful sale to ask customers if they would be willing to refer your business to other people. Be sure to offer incentives to motivate customers to refer people.
3. Recontact Old Customers
Just because you’ve already won over a customer does not mean that you should stop engaging them. Keeping them in the loop ensures that they never lapse because this affects your sales. If there are old customers you haven’t heard from in a while, reach out to them with your current offerings to remind them that you offer products they find helpful.
Use your mailing list to find out which customers you need to reconnect with before losing them altogether. Go the extra step of scheduling quarterly emails that check in on your customers to ensure that your brand remains at the top of their minds. Be careful how you write the emails because if they feel like you’re shoving offers down their throat, you might just lose them forever.
4. Appreciate every contact
Last but not least, it is something many businesses forget to do. Networking is not just for people who want to get employed someday. It’s a practice that also benefits business owners. Use events as the opportunity to meet brands you can partner with to expand your market reach. It is also convenient to communicate with customers on social networks and receive feedback. Use Instagram, Facebook to tell interesting stories about your product.
Provoke discussion of your products, ask for feedback, arrange polls and promotions, send referral links. If you have positive reviews, post them online.
If you can help someone solve a problem or get some other benefit, you form a certain reserve of loyalty to that person. When there are more and more such people around you, you will find yourself in the epicenter of networking, and gradually there will be no questions left for you that cannot be solved with the help of your connections. Work on building your network of contacts. Constantly take care of its strengthening. Consider networking as one of the tools to achieve the success of your business!
5. Run multiple ads in Facebook ad campaigns
I recommend running more than one ad, as small businesses often do, but an ad group: at least two or three. These can be different texts with one picture or different pictures with the same text. Simultaneously, the budget does not increase; just your $ 5-10 per day distributes itself among the ads within the group.
With the right Facebook ad campaign setup, you will attract a new promising target audience for your product. The interface of the advertising cabinet may seem complicated. Still, if you figure it out, you will only need to set up advertising according to the instructions and attract potential customers.
Wrapping Up
There are many cheap strategies businesses in different industries can implement to boost sales. Since the objective of every business is to make a profit, your plan should target making as many sales as possible. Implement these strategies to attract more customers who will take your business to the next level.
Invitations and recommendations are the backbones of good word of mouth. Offline, they are unpredictable, and their reach is limited. On the Internet, referral tactics are more specific. It automatically expands the circle of referrals and personalizes reviews. All processes are transparent and easy to trace. In addition, after an advertising campaign, you can analyze conversions, profits, and leads based on the initial data of the referral strategy.
Don’t try to use all of the suggested ways to retain and attract customers at once. It is enough to choose one or two methods and check their effectiveness in your market. In the future, you can change methods or connect new loyalty programs.
