Whether you own a brick and mortar based business, or maybe you have just an online business that you’re running. Regardless of what you’re running, I wanted to give you 8 effective tips that you can use to keep your customers coming back. If you find that none of your customers are coming back, you may be doing something wrong!
#1 Get their information – When someone makes a purchase, always make sure that you get their information somehow. Whether you get their email, or even a home address, this is a great way to stay in touch. You can send them discounts, promotions, and more.
#2 Customer service is a plus – If you treat customers like family, they will want to come back. People want to feel welcomed when they hit your store. Even if you just have a presence online, it never hurts to send a customized email. Also, try to make an effort to answer every email and avoid those canned email responses!
#3 Give out coupons – Nothing is better than receiving coupons in the mail. Offer exclusive deals to your past customers. This is a great way for them to spend even more money. Tell them in the offer that it’s a deal only given out to them.
#4 Simply listen to them – Everyone is filled with opinions and they are going to share them. Whether they are good or bad, make sure that you listen and try your best to meet all needs. As long as they are legit, customers love when you listen!
#5 Offer free classes / events – Hold events or free classes that relate to your store. This is a great way to get people to come in. If you run a business online, you can hold free video lessons that are live. Accept questions, offer food, and more.
#6 Have a savings card – Look at major stores and see how they treat their customers. You will notice with some places that they offer exclusive customer cards. It’s a great way to track spending, as well as offer deals and more. Give them points for every dollar that they spend. When they reach enough points, give them a gift card, gift, etc.
#7 Great customer service – I can’t stress this enough. When you have employees, make sure that you train them well enough. You’ve all heard that horror story where a minimum wage worker ruins a customer’s day for life. You don’t want this to happen.
#8 Get involved – Whether you live in a large city, or a small community, get involved with local events. Sponsor charities and get the word out about your business. People love when they see businesses interact with their favorite charities, etc. It’s also a great way to keep your name out there.
Great customer service, keeping in contact, and other ways are a great way to keep those customers coming in. Always remember that it’s easier to keep a customer today, rather than go out and find a new one!
Guest Author: Liz Cutten helps run FindBizCards, a business blog helping future, as well as current business owners with any tips they may need to run a successful business.
