BUILDING CUSTOMER LOYALTY - THE POWER OF THE FAMILIAR

If you’re like most business owners, you are constantly looking for ways to draw in new business. When it comes to marketing, never underestimate the most overlooked and underestimated resource - your current and past customers. They are undoubtedly your most valuable source of profitability, as they have already established a sense of trust in your business. That’s a huge value to you and your marketing efforts.

Here are some quick tips to help you utilize your customer base more effectively:

GET TO KNOW YOUR CUSTOMERS

• Include a field for “website” on your contact and purchase forms. Then visit their site to learn more about them.  Gather as much information as you can about their business to help you shape your understanding of your target market.  
  
• How did they find you? Add this question to your forms and your follow-up contact as well. This will be very helpful when determining your most effective marketing strategies.
  

TARGET YOUR MESSAGES
Segment your contact list, and then target your marketing campaigns directly to each group. They will feel you 'know' them and have a sense for who they are and what they want. This grows trust and loyalty.  The more you focus your message on each specific audience, the greater your return will be. Let your messages 'speak' to them.

THE BENEFITS THAT LOYAL CUSTOMERS CAN PROVIDE

• repeat business
  
• referrals
  
• subscribers
  
• testimonials
  

WAYS TO REWARD YOUR CUSTOMERS

• offer special deals and discounts 
  
• create a loyalty program
  
• provide exclusive content
  
• recommend other helpful products and services 
  

FOLLOW-UP PERSONALLY
Add your most significant contacts and customers to a CRM program such as Insightly, Highrise, Contactually or Sales Force.  Be sure the program integrates well with your email system to track correspondence.  Research their business and enter as much information as possible. This will give you an immediate overview of that client. This information coupled with their account history will provide a complete customer profile for reference and relationship building. Then schedule follow-up reminders.  Drop them a personal note or email with helpful
 information, a happy birthday wish or just to check in. They will remember you and appreciate your extra effort. 

These management practices may take some extra effort, but they will pay off exponentially in the long run.  In the future, when your customers are in need of your products and services, or their friends and colleagues ask for a recommendation, your business will be top of mind. And the experts all agree that word of mouth is the most effective form of advertising.  

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Carol Aldridge is a Marketing Consultant & Administrative Support Specialist serving the equine industry for over 20 years. Her clients across the United States and Canada enjoy customized business support services designed to relieve workload pressure, streamline office procedures and maximize marketing results. Learn more at www.EquineOfficeSolutions.com.

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