6 Tips for Customer Retention

Repeat customers are critical to the success of every business.  Return customers are our best customers---they spend nearly 3 times more than a one-time customer and they spread the word about our business. Plus, it’s much cheaper to bring back an existing customer than to acquire a new one.
 
This week, we collected the top customer retention tactics of all time.

1) Create magic moments in the customer experience
A few memorable, low-cost initiatives can go far in elating your customers and building loyalty.  Think about the last time you received a welcome surprise or perk. Find milestones in the customer relationship and reward your customers in ways that they won’t expect.  These types of unexpected displays of appreciation go a long way (especially on social media) and improve your customer’s experience!  The value of a happy customer outweighs the the cost of the item many times over. 
2) Continuously test email strategies
In addition to using the data points you may already have on your customers  — like what they have purchased —  to customize the content or product in your email marketing campaigns, be sure to test incentives and other factors to see what is most effective. For example, take note of which subject lines garner the most opens and what type of email increases customer engagement. audience.
 3) Be where your customers are
Consumer behavior has inevitably evolved. The consumer dictates where, when, and how they want to engage with your business. Therefore, it’s up to you to provide a consistent and seamless experience on multiple platforms. According to a study from Zendesk, 87% of customers think businesses need to put more effort into providing a seamless customer service experience.
4) Be passionate
Truly care about your clients! That doesn’t mean just put on a smile or send them little gifts! It means you should be constantly learning about new technologies or options that might benefit them. Be responsive to their needs and proactive in delivering ideas — gathering and reacting to your customer feedback is imperative to customer retention for any business.57) Be transparent
Top brands don’t hold anything back from their customers and work extra hard to establish a relationship built on transparency. Engage in healthy, unambiguous conversations about ideas, strategies or products. Be up front and open about everything from payment and return policies to any charities you may support through your sales.
5) Don’t over-promise
Align expectations with your customers regularly. After all, they only know what you tell them. Over-promising and under-delivering is an easy way to lose credibility. Improving customer trust goes a long way towards customer loyalty- — so keep product or service descriptions as accurate as possible.
6) Incentivize social shares
Clients are often high-potential returning buyers who just need a sense of urgency, or a point of connection to your business to return for another round. Social sharing that feature customer photos and offer great prizes are the ideal method to establish that connection in a time-sensitive way. This increases customer engagement, while delivering high quality traffic that you would work hard and spend more money to reach otherwise.

In more ways than one, improving customer retention and increasing sales boils down to creating and maintaining a bulletproof customer experience.