fall marketing, fall digital marketing, customers, businesses, business strategy, marketing strategy

Top 5 Smart Ways To Make Customers Fall In Love With Your Business

‘Tis the season to pull out all the stops in order to make your customers fall in love with your business! Most small businesses not only care about their customers, but they also care about what they think. In order to have good customer retention, they gotta love what you do and what you have to offer! Here are the top 10 smart ways you can make customers fall in love with your business.

1. Interact with customers

Engage, engage, engage. Customer interactions are so important for so many reasons. In fact, they truly do provide a valuable source of data. The more you engage with your people, the more you learn about their pain points, the things they love and the things they hate. All this interaction will do is help you increase customer satisfaction – so really, you can’t go wrong!

Here are some ways you, as a business, can engage with your customers:

  • Offer exclusive discounts
  • Ask questions
  • Make sure to always follow upfall marketing, fall digital marketing, customers, businesses, business strategy, marketing strategy
  • Go above and beyond
  • Ask for feedback and really implement those ideas
  • Get personal and get to know them
  • Respond to customers quickly

Some ways you can interact with customers in the online space include:

  • Host a webinar
  • Be active on social media
  • Build a community or a forum
  • Keep up on email marketing campaigns and send exciting content
  • Personalize your marketing efforts

2. Offer Incentives, Specials, and Loyalty Programs

It’s no secret that we, as humans, are wired to get “heart eyes” when we see discounts, specials and other incentives – especially when it comes from one of our favorite businesses. According to Fundera, members who are part of successful incentive programs are more likely to spend 12-18% more a year. It pays to be the best, doesn’t it?

Interested and not sure how to get started? Here are the steps to creating the best incentive program for your business.

  • Step 1: Pick A Goal For Your Program
    • What is your goal? Is it to increase order frequency, generate new customers, build customer loyalty and retention, or something else?
  • Step 2: Establish A Budget
    • Customer incentives are a business strategy, and you want to make sure you’re generating a good return on investment. Establish a budget!z
  • Step 3: Get To Know Your Customers
    • Who is your target audience? Who are you trying to appeal to and reach? Offering incentives won’t do much good if you don’t give the customers what they want – and the only way to do that is if you know who they are.
  • Step 4: Select The Right Rewards
    • Once you know your target demographic, you can select the right reward to appeal to that crows. Some examples of rewards include:
      • Gift Cards
      • Online Rewards
      • Points Programs
      • VIP Member Club
      • Loyalty Programs
  • Step 5: Choose When to Incentivize
    • For example, do customers need to purchase a certain product, provide referrals, share information or feedback, or something else?
  • Step 6: Market Your Program
    • Get the news out there to attract a crowd of people who are interested in participating
  • Step 7: Keep An Eye On Your Program Reports – And Seek Feedback
    • Seeking feedback from your customers and also keeping an eye on the report will help you know what is working well and what isn’t.

3. Be More Than Just A Business Transaction

fall marketing, fall digital marketing, customers, businesses, business strategy, marketing strategyAre you building a relationship or simply just doing transactions? If you’re merely in a business mindset and not cultivating relationships, you’re losing ground. To get customers to fall in love with your business, get on a more personal level with them. You might own a business, but you’re still a human being with real human emotions – don’t be afraid to show that side to customers. Here are the top ways you can be more relational.

  • Be respectful
  • Inspire them
  • Be authentic and real
  • Be consistent and transparent
  • Execute with urgency
  • Make them a priority
  • Focus on giving, not receiving

4. Keep Them In The Know

When your business has updates, news, and events, don’t forget to share that with your customers. Tell them about all the exciting things you’re doing and create excitement around those things. Like with any relationship, communication is key. Not only should you let them know the exciting parts of your business, but you should also let them know the negative parts. For example, if you have a product shortage, or you’re short staffed and service is taking longer than usual – let them know. Honesty and total transparency is a game-changer when it comes to keeping customers happy.

Here are the top reasons why keeping your customers well-informed is great for your business strategy.

  1. Curiosity: They always want to know what’s going onfall marketing, fall digital marketing, customers, businesses, business strategy, marketing strategy
  2. What They Don’t Know Could Hurt You: Letting them know ahead of time of a problem is better than them finding out on their own. It could only hurt you in the end if the problem is big enough to drive customers away.
  3. Show, Don’t Tell Goes Far: Shows that your priority is customer service and you put your customers first. After all, actions do speak louder than words.
  4. Keeps Your Brand Top Of Mind: Keeping your customers well-informed and being in communication with them acts as a reminder to customers that you are still there
  5. Be Patient And Take The Time To Listen

fall marketing, fall digital marketing, customers, businesses, business strategy, marketing strategyRemember, happy customer, happy … well, everything. The happier your customers are, the more likely they are to refer your business to a friend or family member. One way to ensure they’re satisfied is to be patient and take the time to listen – whether positive or negative.

Truth be told, customers won’t always like what you’re doing and it may sting a little hearing someone talk poorly about your baby. But putting your emotions aside is the best way to get people to love your business again. If a customer comes to you with issues, try and be patient with them and take the time to listen. After they’ve had a chance to unload all their thoughts on you, then you can respond. It’s always a best practice, however, to respond in a way that won’t make the situation worse.

Here are some of the top skills you can have to provide the best possible customer service:

  1. Effective Listening
  2. Attentiveness
  3. Patience
  4. Self-Control
  5. Clear Communication Skills
  6. Ability To Use “Positive Language” in Negative Situations
  7. Persuasive Speaking Skills
  8. Good Time Management Skills
  9. Ability To Take Responsibility
  10. Willingness To Improve And Accept Imperfections

Once you nail down the majority of these skills, you are well on your way to making customers fall in love with your business – even the ones that have issues with your products or services.

Have questions about your current business and marketing strategy? Get in touch with our team at VitalStorm. Call us today at 877-311-5695 or visit more of our marketing tips here.