How to Attract and Retain Loyal Clients for Your Business
You’ve spent years perfecting your business: days designing your website, months crafting the perfect products, and maybe even weeks deciding on the right paint color for your office. But how many of the people you saw at your grand opening will become long-term clients? In this article, you’ll find tips on how to attract and retain loyal clients who will keep your business thriving.
1. Personalize Your Business Profile on Social Media
Let’s face it: no one likes ads. Clients want to know they are engaging with a person, not a corporation. Your business profile on social media platforms like Facebook or Instagram should be designed to include promotional and inspirational content that will interest your clients, keeping your follower count high. Many big companies post about their employees—why not do the same? You could also share a picture of your dog, an inspiring quote, or what you had for dinner last night.
When it comes to social media, it’s important not to neglect your followers. If someone takes the time to comment on your post, why not thank them for their comment? Clients will see that you care about them, not just their money. And when they feel valued, they’ll be more likely to choose your service or product. Customer support is called customer support for a reason.
2. Enhance Your Customer Support
Customer support is often the only direct way clients communicate with a business—and that phone call, email, or message can either make or break your company. The first step in creating strong customer support is to make your business as accessible as possible. Don’t just have an email address that you check once a week—be available by phone, email, or social media channels that you check daily. It would also be great if you could be flexible with your availability: for example, offer support from 8 AM to 8 PM. When you make an effort to help, clients will be happy to do business with you and remain loyal.
By making your business more approachable and responsive, you demonstrate that you value your clients’ time and concerns, making them more likely to stay with you for the long term.
3. Sponsor Events or Organize Them
To build a closer relationship with clients, you should get to know them by attending various events where you can meet them or even organize your own events. If you choose to sponsor an event, it’s not only good advertising for your business, but it also sends the message that you care about your community, whether it’s a campaign or a charitable event. Clients are more likely to support a business with which they feel a connection.
4. Focus on Clients, Not Just Sales
Of course, a significant increase in sales and closed deals is a great way to attract clients, but should quantity take precedence over quality? For example, if someone visits your store only because the t-shirts you sell are the cheapest, that person won’t become a loyal customer, as they’ll likely go to another store offering even cheaper t-shirts. To avoid this issue, offer your clients a 20% discount on their next purchase instead of the first one. Rewarding your current clients rather than offering discounts to new customers shows that loyalty comes first for you, and you’re not desperate to attract new clients at any cost.
5. Communicate Regularly with Clients
Once you’ve attracted a client, it’s important to maintain communication to keep their attention. Of course, you don’t need to follow them on Facebook constantly, but it’s enough to remind them of your business or your offerings every few weeks via email. Have you ever felt guilty when someone you’ve worked with sent you an email saying, “We miss you!” or when you became interested in a business again after seeing they offered something new? Sending non-intrusive emails is a great way to remind clients of your existence and that you’re still available to them without being pushy. Through these emails, you can also send discount codes, which your clients will likely appreciate, as everyone loves a good deal.
Although it might seem challenging to build a loyal client base, once you have it, running your business becomes much easier. Thanks to loyal clients, you’ll spend less time and money on advertising and won’t have to worry about sales. Another advantage of having a loyal customer base is easier invoicing: when you enter a new client’s details into your invoicing system, the software stores that information, so you can send an invoice with just one click if they decide to use your service or product again. Loyal clients and quick invoicing? Doesn’t that sound like a dream come true?
