5 Ways to Earn and Build Customer Loyalty for Your Business

Customer loyalty is a measurement of how likely a customer is to do repeat business with you, and is directly connected to your bottom line.

Repeat customers spend more money, more often, and save you money - enticing new customers all the time is expensive.

Other benefits include free word-of-mouth marketing and glowing online reviews. Regardless of the size of your business, customer loyalty is extremely important.

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So how do you measure customer loyalty?

A simple way to do this to look at a customer’s lifetime purchases in your database. The number of purchases is more important than the amount of money spent – even if they don’t spend a lot on each purchase, a loyal customer will likely spend more over time than a one-off big spender.

Here are 5 ways to earn and build a loyal customer base for your business:

Great Service

An oldie but a goodie, providing great service is probably the most important weapon in your customer retention arsenal. Customers will come back, and pay more, for great service. Make sure you go above and beyond expectations, train your employees to a high standard, and listen to and be guided by your customer feedback.

Reward Loyalty

Seemingly every business offers a loyalty program these days, but this is still an effective strategy if you set yourself apart from the rest. One of the best ways to achieve this is through innovation and generosity. With over 17 million members, Sephora’s Beauty Rewards program is a great example. Customers earn points for every purchase and (here’s the innovative part) can use the points for anything they want – from in-store tutorials to high-end merchandise to gift cards. Giving customers this flexibility helps offset the cost of their purchases (Sephora isn’t cheap) without devaluing the perceived value of their products.

Get Their Feedback

Good reviews and customer loyalty go hand-in-hand. What are the best ways to solicit feedback? One option is via an email survey, triggered after a certain number of purchases. Keep it short, and if your response rate is low, incentivize completion with a percentage-off coupon reward.

Online reviews on social media and dedicated review sites like Yelp have become one of the most common ways customers will let you know how you are doing, so keep your eye on them. Engage with any negative reviews privately and ask to showcase positive reviews.

The Personal Touch

Show your customers you appreciate them with a handwritten note, build in a message of thanks on your order confirmation emails, or include thank you notes in the order delivery. A small, personal gesture goes a long way. Make your customers feel like you know them with a triggered email program sending birthday emails and discounts. Everyone loves a birthday surprise!

Communication

It should go without saying, but you need to be accessible to your customers on their terms. Determine what works best for your customers and ensure you are properly set up on those outlets. Whether it’s email, phone, text messaging, webchat, social media, or a combination, their ability to communicate with you quickly and easily will build trust.