subject: 4 Ways to Retain Customers and Keep Them Loyal [print this page] 4 Ways to Retain Customers and Keep Them Loyal
Below are 4 ways to stay in front of customers and keep them coming back repeatedly:
1. Create a Loyalty Club: Have you ever heard of Pavlov's classical conditioning theory that focuses on the reinforcement of behavior using rewards? We can apply this same theory to retaining customers.
In a nutshell, Pavlov's classical conditioning experiment illustrated that by rewarding a subject's behavior, the subject will continue to perform that same behavior with the assumption that he will continue to receive that reward.
When you create a loyalty club for customers, you are rewarding customers for purchasing from your company and providing them with even more value and benefits in addition to purchasing a quality product / service from you. The sole purpose of your loyalty club is to give thanks to your repeat customers and illustrate your appreciation for their business. As your repeat clients feel a stronger tie to your brand through the loyalty club, you can rest assured that they will not turn to the competition for future purchases.
One such brand that implements an effective loyalty club is Sephora. For every dollar you spend at Sephora, you get a point added to your account. When the points add up, you get free gifts. And, you even receive a free gift on your birthdayeven if you haven't purchased anything all year from Sephora.
I've also seen companies send gift certificates to clients who have spent a certain amount of money in a month or year with that company as a special thanks for their loyalty. The possibilities for your loyalty program are endless, so get creative!
2. Offer Specials via Email: According to a recent study performed by Econsultancy, where more than 1,400 U.S. consumers were surveyed, 42% of participants agreed that they prefer to receive information on sales and specials via email notification.
An email campaign is designed primarily to encourage prospects to take an actionwhether that action is to visit your website, learn about new products, or contact youto influence them to purchase a product, and to provide them with some form of coupon or discount.
When a customer makes a purchase from your company, keep them in your sales funnel by offering them the option to sign up for email updates. Inform them of all of the savings they could receive from signing up for your emails, and let them know that you appreciate their purchase and want to provide them with even more benefits in the future.
The customers who sign up for your emails are the ones who will potentially purchase from you again. This means that you don't have to waste the time and money searching for new clients on a regular basis. They're already on your email list. Entice new customers to sign up for your email list, and give current customers a reason to remain on your list by offering product updates, new inventory updates, free shipping, discounts, coupons, promotions, contests, free gifts, and more in your emails.
The more benefits and specials you provide to your customers, the more likely they will be to purchase from you on a regular basis.
3. Host No-Purchase-Necessary Contests: Use emails and direct mailing campaigns to host no-purchase-necessary contests for past customers. In these emails and / or direct mailing pieces, notify receivers that they could win a free gift or gift certificate just by visiting your website and entering the special code on the email or mailing piece they just received. This not only gets more people to visit your website, but it also touches customers who might not have made a purchase from you in a while. Not to mention, analytics can track who has entered the code and who hasn't. This enables you to consistently touch those customers who have shown interest in winning a prize from you.
4. Give Away Free Gifts: Everyone loves a free gift. Why not offer one with certain purchases? If customers are interested in a product you offer but aren't quite sold on the product yet (perhaps your product might be out of their price range or they want to check out the competition), you might be able to nudge them into the purchase by offering a free gift.
One of the best examples of a company that consistently offers great free gifts is Clinque. During special times of the year when you purchase a product that totals a certain amount, you receive their free gift, which is usually a makeup bag with some makeup goodies inside. Many people will simply stock up on a product they love from Clinique or try out a new product from Clinque just to receive the free gift. It works.
Discover simple marketing strategies to attract and convert prospects. My bimonthly ezine, Sumer's Secrets is packed with tips on how to improve your web copy, promote your website, and market your brand. Sign up and receive a FREE report on creating web copy that will increase sales and site traffic.
