Love your customers

6 ways to build and support a loyal customer base

must haves

For small businesses, every customer is a big deal. Customer acquisition and retention is a top priority, but if it were easy…well, there’d be a lot more successful entrepreneurs in the world. Each business is unique and it may take some trial and error to figure out what draws in customers and keeps them around. While there’s no one-size-fits-all solution, there are universal strategies you can apply to bolster and support your existing client base.

Know your audience

Is your product for young moms? College students? Middle-aged men? All of the above? The first step toward developing a strong acquisition strategy is getting a deep understanding of the personas that make up your target market. This will help you determine where to advertise, when to advertise, and how to advertise. For instance, a product or service designed specifically for children would probably do better on a kid-friendly youtube channel than TikTok…just a hunch. Of course, that’s a pretty obvious example and the distinctions between personas can be a bit more subtle than that, which is why you’re best off doing thorough research into the behavior of your target audience.

Incentivize referrals

It’s an oldie, but it’s a goodie. Sometimes the fastest and surest route to new customers is…existing customers. Use email marketing and social media to encourage your clients to spread the word about your business with attractive discounts or freebies for every successful referral. The best part? Not only does this strategy win you new customers, it makes your old clients more likely to shop with you again and cash in on their well-deserved credit.

Reward loyalty

In addition to providing motivation for existing customers to refer their friends to your business, you should also grant them exclusive offers just for continuing to shop with you and set up an official customer loyalty program. They’ll see that their loyalty is paying off, which might be all the incentive they need to keep turning to your business instead of your competitors.

Automate communication

Sometimes all it takes is a little nudge. While too much communication could cause consumers to unsubscribe from your emails, dedicated emails at specific junctions along the user journey could be all it takes to prompt a purchase. A user added something to their cart, but never checked out? Send them a message reminding them they left something behind. A previous customer hasn’t visited your site in a while? Remind them of all you’ve got to offer and why they chose to shop with you to begin with. Whatever the subject of the email, remember to keep your copy short, engaging, and in line with your brand voice, so you come across as an old and trust-worthy friend.

Partner up

A great way to get more exposure for your business is to link up with other brands that share your target audience and complement your offering. For example, a graphic designer might earn a lot of new business joining forces with a company that prints custom business cards or apparel. Find a partner that makes sense for your brand and reach out with a mutually beneficial offer.

Keep things fresh

In a rapidly changing world, it’s crucial for businesses of any size to stay on top of new trends and technologies in order to keep their marketing strategies and their offerings as current and convenient as possible. If there’s a new tool out there that can make shopping with you smoother for consumers—for example, an AI chatbot— it’s in your best interest to implement it before your competitors do. Ultimately, consumers will go wherever they’ll find the best buying experience so put a concerted effort into making sure that’s what you’re providing.