Your customers are loyal to your business because they enjoy working with you, right? Why not improve your customers’ experiences with you in order to keep those customers happy and loyal. There is always room for improvement when it comes to customer experience, even for the best of the best businesses. 

Retaining customers is 5 times more valuable for businesses than obtaining new ones, so it makes sense for your focus to be on creating loyal customers who will continue to work with you over and over. The idea of maintaining strong relationships with your customers may seem daunting and time-consuming, but truthfully, there are many things business owners can do to improve customer experience and retain loyal customers: 

Personalize Every Interaction

Make every customer think they’re your favorite during each interaction. Knowing your customers by name and recognizing what they need from you is the type of personalization all consumers want from businesses. We’ve all had those experiences with Facebook and Google where an ad pops up just after you were talking about that specific product or service. The trick to effective personalization is to make your interactions with customers a less-creepy version of that. Roughly 70% of consumers expect this level of personalization from the businesses they work with. Show your customers that you care by personalizing your relationships with them. 

Show Your Appreciation

Show your appreciation for your loyal customers by implementing a customer loyalty program. Loyalty programs pay for themselves in the long-run because customers are more likely to come back for their rewards:

• Loyal customers spend more on purchases.
• Loyal customers advocate for your business to their friends and family.
• Most of a business’ revenue comes from loyal customers.

Nearly 50% of consumers say that loyalty programs influence their purchasing decisions. Implementing a points system or referral bonus program for your loyal customers makes a big difference to them, while keeping your costs low and your revenue high. 

Communicate Between Purchases

Communicate with your customers between each and every purchase. Engaging with your customers between each purchase strengthens their emotional connection to your brand. Your customer communications could be through social media, text messages or emails. Whatever method your customers prefer is the method you should be using to connect with them. Communicate about upcoming discounts, new products or services you’re releasing and send reminders to them to schedule their next service with your business. Communicating with your loyal customers between purchases builds your relationship and creates trust. 

Knowing your customers is the first, and potentially most important step when it comes to improving customer experience. Making each transaction with your business as smooth as possible for customers is what keeps them coming back. When your customers feel appreciated and understood, they trust you and feel comfortable making your business their go-to every time. 

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!