4 Ways to Build Lasting Relationships With Your Customers
If something will ensure success for your small business, it’s maintaining quality relationships with your customers since they can become your greatest advocates. What you may not realize is that you have the upper hand against your big-box competitors with customer loyalty since you can now quickly reach people on a more personal level. Discover some tips for building quality relationships with your customers that will help you remain a strong and steadfast small business.
Form Personal Relationships Through Tailored Communication
Image via Flickr by wuestenigel
With many businesses sending surveys and emails, one of the best ways to stand out and form personal relationships with your customers is to send out cards. You can send cards for any occasion, but the most memorable cards customers receive are usually handwritten thank-you notes after their first or 10th purchase. Cards are also a great way to thank current customers for referring one of their friends or family members to your business.
Create an Experiential Rewards Program
Many of your corporate neighbors are all about giving their customers points to reward them with free products. Free products certainly help get repeat customers, but does this strategy make them loyal in the long run? Most likely not, since many big-box companies are struggling to increase customer loyalty with this type of rewards system in place, according to a study published by VeraCentra, a leading customer relationship agency.
Think outside the box and offer your customers rewards that are simple to sign up for and experiential. For example, give your customers the ability to choose what type of reward they want, and you’re bound to find more excitement that will start buzzing around your doorstep.
Use Social Media Proactively
Unless you’re in a highly competitive market and you can afford to pay one, don’t worry about finding a social media influencer. Instead, use social media to announce important news for your business, engage with your current audience via likes and comments, and post relevant updates that you know your audience will enjoy. The less sales-oriented you are on social media, the better the quality of the customer relationship.
Hire People Who Naturally Go Above and Beyond
Whether you’re starting out in business or you’ve been doing business for a few years, excellent customer service standards should be top priority if you want to see your small business succeed. You know you, and probably your partners, have the passion to deliver great customer service, but what about the people you hire? Ensure loyal customers by hiring people who naturally go above and beyond. Their desire to serve customers will make a world of difference.
Building quality relationships with your customers means taking time to gain your customers’ trust. The more authentic you are with your customers in person, over social media, and through handwritten notes, the more likely you are to succeed as a small business — and the more likely your customers are to send referrals to you.
