It’s easier to keep your current customers than it is to find new ones. For this reason, it’s critical to have a plan in place for keeping your customers coming back in 2019.

It’s easy to take your customer base for granted. You assume that since they turned to you in the past that they’ll always do so in the future. Unfortunately, this is not the case, especially when you consider the fact that your competitors may be pushing hard to steal your customers.

Here are five of the best ways to keep your customers coming back in the new year:

1. Provide Top Notch Customer Service

Get this: 33% of Americans say they’ll consider switching companies after just a single instance of poor service.

Does that help you understand just how important it is to devote the necessary resources to a top notch customer service experience?

If you slack off in this area of your business, it’ll come back to haunt you at some point.

2. Give Them a Perk

Rather than hope that your customers come back in 2019, give them a reason to do so.

For example, if you own an HVAC or plumbing company, send your current customers a 10 percent off coupon for their next service. Not only does this keep you at the top of their mind, but it gives them a reason to call you – not a competitor – when the time comes.

3. Stay in Touch

There are many ways to stay in touch with your customers, including but not limited to:

• Email marketing
• Text message marketing
• Snail mail (such as postcards)
• Social media

Tip: experiment with strategies that you haven’t used in the past, such as text marketing. This gives you the opportunity to implement another tactic to help you reach your goals.

4. Listen to Their Wants and Needs

If a customer praises you, make note of how you provided a superior experience. If a customer leaves you a bad review, take it to heart and make changes to avoid a similar situation in the future.

You must always be in touch with your customer’s wants and needs, as this allows you to adjust accordingly.

Tip: check out our recent blog post on how to improve customer engagement in 2019.

5. Focus on the Overall Experience

You want everything about your customer experience to standout. From first contact through completion of the job or service, every last detail should show the customer that you care about them.

If you find a glitch in your process, fix it before it bogs you down and costs you a customer.

For more insights on marketing strategy that actually works for small business, subscribe to the FreshLime Newsletter here. Connect with Jay Bean, Founder of FreshLime and Small Business Marketing Expert on LinkedIn and Twitter. And last of all, if any of these tips have helped you or if you have anything to add please comment below. We’d love to hear from you!