How to Build Customer Loyalty and Trust
Think of your favorite brand. What makes it your favorite brand? A favorite brand results from how we feel when purchasing, wearing the brand, or enjoying the brand experience. For example, you feel happy when you take that first sip of Starbucks coffee! Is it because it has your name on your cup and your drink was personalized just for you? What about Lululemon, does wearing athletic wear make you feel more energetic and connected to everyone? Do you feel a part of something bigger? What about checking in at your favorite holiday spot, where they know you by name and have your favorite drink ready?
We know that a loyal customer base is vital to establishing repeat business, and a good brand reputation allows you to gain new customers based on positive reviews and experiences. A loyal customer base can save you marketing dollars and enable you to focus on recruiting new customers. Look at establishing a loyal customer base and gaining customer trust through your marketing activities.
#1: Make your Customer Experience Amazing
The devil is in the details. It's the small things that can make a great customer experience. You don’t always have to spend a lot of money to provide a great customer experience. Start small and get the basics right.
You can’t always control all the variables, but if you are meeting with a customer in-person, greeting them by name, smiling, and making eye contact, you are engaged and trying to connect with them.
If you’re not about to connect in person, think through your digital experience. Ensure your customer gets the best experience when clicking on your website or social media accounts. Create a website that is easy to read and simplifies the purchase process. Make graphics engaging on social media accounts and provide the information you need to make a purchase decision. Answer questions that come up quickly and efficiently. If you have a promotion, ensure your terms and conditions are straightforward to understand (you don’t want your customer to feel trapped).
#2: Fix a Bad Customer Experience
When a lousy customer experience occurs, and it is bound to, make sure you remedy it. Don’t simply give up on this customer; reach out to them and ask them what you can do to improve their experience. This will demonstrate that you care about their experience with your product. While this may not guarantee repeat business, it will show others how reliable you are on your company promise and values when a failure occurs.
Try to resolve this in person, over the phone, or via email. If your customer decides to share their experience through an online review channel in a public setting, try and take the conversation offline. Be polite and respectful. Don’t rush the process; a lousy customer experience can do more damage to your business than you might like to admit.
#3: Use your Brand to your Advantage
Create a brand identity that becomes well known and automatically puts you in a consumer's consideration set. Ensure your brand is easily recognized and known based on your branding, social media accounts, marketing materials, colors, logos, etc. Create consistent messaging and follow your audience’s lifestyle when creating content. Communicate your brand advantages often and demonstrate why your product is better than your competitors. Celebrate great reviews and success stories. When you share authentic experiences, customers start to feel connected.
#4: Let Consumers Know About your Other Services
As you continue to communicate with your customers, you will ask questions that help to identify their needs and priorities. Take this as an opportunity to show them other products you offer that they may not know they need. Use what they describe to you as problems to provide them with a solution. While this is an essential strategy, ensure you don’t abuse it. Don’t consistently try to upsell your customers when they don’t need the more extraordinary model. Create a sense of trust and responsibility, and only make those recommendations when you feel your audience needs them.
You don’t have to sell your product to remain top of mind. Think of ways to engage consumers with your product, for example, product care tips, philanthropic commitment, community involvement, how the product is made, and celebrate the employees that deliver the product to market.
#5: Don’t Neglect Marketing to your Current Customers
It’s essential to keep your current customers engaged in your marketing materials. Get their emails and put them on your contact list to get your promotional materials. Use social media to advertise new sales, promotions, or important information to your consumers. It is more cost-effective to market to existing customers than it is to go out and start from scratch. Make sure to foster these relationships and emphasize their priority. If possible, build out the optimal customer journey so that you know how and when to communicate with your customer through their purchase lifecycle.
Think about building a customer knowledge base to talk to them throughout the year. When did they purchase their first product? Ask them for feedback. The email preference center is one of the best places to capture this information.
Overall
Creating customer loyalty and trust with existing and new customers is essential. Establishing regular touchpoints with customers can save you time and money in the long run. It can also help you build a credible brand reputation.
