Customer retention is more important than ever now that we’re in the midst of a global pandemic. ‘Pandemic’ is the theme of 2020, unfortunately, and it’s really put a damper on a lot of things in our world. One positive that has come from the whole thing is that people are really exercising their creativity and learning to think outside the box when it comes to staying motivated, keeping busy and running a business. 

Small businesses will be talked about in future history books, when children are taught about what happened in 2020. Why? Because small businesses have had to adjust and change, quickly. Business owners have had to really focus on the best way to serve their customers from afar and while following the guidelines set out by each individual state. We know that customer retention is something that businesses worry about even in a regular situation, but we want to help out with some pandemic style customer retention tips:

Engage, Engage, Engage and then Engage Some More

Ensuring that your customer relationships outlast the coronavirus pandemic starts with regular, valuable customer engagement. Once you’ve sent out an email or text campaign to engage with your loyal customers, it’s time to focus on your next engagement. Now, more than ever, businesses should be communicating with their customers in order to make the relationship stick. 

Stay Active on Social Media

People are on social media. Your business should be, too. Staying active on social media means that your business is keeping information up-to-date so consumers know if/when you’re open and what your current protocols are due to the pandemic. Many consumers enjoy communicating with businesses through social media, because that’s where they prefer to communicate in general. Posting regularly on social and responding to your followers is worth your time. 

Innovate Your Services

The world has changed a lot, very quickly. Suddenly people don’t feel comfortable in large groups, everyone wears a mask when they are in public and we’re a lot more focused on health and cleanliness in general. While some of these practices may be positive things, they’re still different from what we’re used to. On that same note, businesses’ offerings have had to adapt as consumers’ needs are rapidly changing. Being innovating with your services so they are tailored to the changing needs of consumers is a big deal when it comes to retaining customers during a pandemic. 

Humanize Your Business

If this pandemic has taught us one thing, it’s to exercise more compassion and not take everyday life for granted. Everyone has struggles associated with the changes that accompany our current situation. Humanizing your business so your customers can empathize with you and know that you empathize with them will create a stronger bond and loyalty with them. Humanizing your business means letting your followers on social media know what changes you have made to keep everyone safe, and why. It means your engagements are more personalized and that your overall customer service exudes a “first name basis” feeling. 

Customer retention is tricky, and during a pandemic it’s a whole different story. Luckily, no small business owner is alone in trying to navigate the changing times and we think these tips for retaining customers during a pandemic will help your business stay in the minds of your customers for their future needs. 

For more insights on marketing strategy that actually works for small business, connect with Jay Bean, Founder of FreshLime and Small Business Marketing Expert on LinkedIn and Twitter. 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!