HARDISON’S TIPS – JULY 13, 2021 – BOOSTING CUSTOMER LOYALTY (PT.2)
2. Touch base
One great way to boost loyalty with existing customers is to have your marketing department send out newsletters from each of the salespeople in your team, going to each of the accounts they look after.
Doing every month, with a small, personal paragraph written by the relevant salesperson at the start and monthly offers throughout the email is a great way to keep in touch with your customer base.
Even if (as it would need to be) the email is sent out in bulk through an email marketing system, sending a personal paragraph about some of “my best deals this month” directly to the customer, which addresses them by their first name, will make them feel valued at the very least.
This sort of monthly tactic acts, if nothing else, acts as a touch point so that your customers remember who they buy their office products from each month.
3. Be a person, not just a tweet
It’s great that your company has a Twitter account; it’s a vital tool for keeping people in the know about who your company is.
Many companies, however, think that Twitter and other social outlets are replacements for real conversation, but they’re not, they’re complementary.
When used correctly, the combination of social updates and real conversation can be used to great effect. But you can’t assume that your customers have seen your newest product or latest deal online; they’re probably too busy to have.
Your best bet is to call as well, just in case. It’s ironic that in a world in which communication is easier than ever, we often fail to do the simple things right. Make sure that you offer a real, personal service both before and after the sale in order to keep the customer on board.
If they want to stay up-to-date with your company by checking your social outlets, that’s great, but never assume that they have; calling is still as important as it’s ever been.
4. Fill your net
It’s true that there’s always a bigger fish, but there’s no need to go all Moby Dick on your customer base and focus solely on the whales of the industry.
Filling your fishing net with a school of SMEs is much better than harpooning a few large accounts. The time it takes to acquire an appointment with the procurement officer may not be worth it in the long run.