No matter what kind of business you’re running, customer loyalty is incredibly important. Just think of it this way – studies have shown that repeat customers tend to spend 67 percent more than new customers. This means that besides trying to attract new people to your business, you also have to make sure you give existing customers reasons to come back. But how exactly do you create and keep up customer loyalty? Listed below are five strategies you can’t go wrong with.

Deliver excellent customer experience

Offering quality product is a must but there’s much more customers take into consideration when deciding whether they’ll come back. This is why you should always aim at delivering excellent customer experience. This includes everything from the moment a customer enters your store to the point at which they use your product. It is sometimes a good idea to consider and talk through your customer service goals with your colleagues so everyone knows what they are aiming to achieve. This is a good way to make sure the whole company is on the same page. Get the customer experience in your business right and not only will people who buy from you come back but they’ll also bring their friends and family members along. Start by eliminating customer frustration by allowing self-service and offering help only if they need it. Another important aspect of your work to pay attention to is customer service. Train your customer service team, offer help through various channels, and you’ll have nothing to worry about.

Don’t over-promise

It’s common for businesses in every niche to make promises they simply can’t keep. However, this does more bad than good as people don’t like being lied to. Whether we’re talking about your product’s performance or statistics you use for business promotion, telling truth is the way to go. Keep in mind that your customers only know what you tell them. This means that if you over-promise, it’s much easier for them to feel dissatisfied with your product and choose to turn to someone else next time. On the other hand, if you’re honest when marketing your company, you’ll build customer trust which goes a long way towards getting shoppers to fall in love with your brand. Keep product descriptions and promotional offers accurate and there should be nothing stopping you from building a large base of loyal customers.

Start a loyalty program

One of the most effective ways to encourage customers to stick around is to start a loyalty program, which you can learn more about at websites like epsilon.com. All you need to do is come up with a system that rewards the customers who decide to buy from you again or bring a new customer. Most business owners opt for a point system and reward customers once they accumulate a certain amount of points. In case you’re looking for inspiration, just take a look at the loyalty program experts at AskGamblers offer. Implementing a point system is both easy and cheap, which is exactly why so many companies use it. Instead of spending any money, you can just offer discounts and freebies to customers who show loyalty. If you want to do something different, you can design promotional products for those who keep coming back.

Be on social media

Let’s face it, social media now plays a huge role in the world of marketing. Whether you want to attract people to your business or build loyalty, platforms like Facebook and Instagram are the place to be. It’s just that these platforms give you a chance to communicate directly with your customers, encouraging them to connect with your company on a higher level. Of course, it’s not enough to just set up pages for your business and leave them be. You have to keep coming up with quality content to share on your pages and respond to every comment you get, even negative ones. Just make sure you’re always polite and ready to answer any question your followers might have. When customers reach out to you through a message, try to respond as quickly as possible.

Know your core values

Customers prefer shopping at companies that share their values. Therefore, if you want people to connect with your business and keep coming back, they need to know what your company stands for. Your safest bet is to do some research and align your core values with those of your target audience. Of course, it’s not enough just to determine your values; you also have to incorporate them into your processes. For instance, displaying your values on social media can significantly impact customer loyalty. This is where an NPS overview (Net Promoter Score) becomes valuable. By understanding how likely your customers are to recommend your brand, you can gauge how well your core values resonate with them. A strong NPS score might indicate that your values are not only visible but also compelling enough to inspire customer advocacy. This can be seen in how Adidas emphasizes performance and views sports as the foundation for all they do. This approach allows them to connect with athletes and sports enthusiasts on a much deeper level. So, by incorporating NPS into your strategy, you can measure whether these efforts are translating into customer loyalty and satisfaction, ensuring your values are truly making an impact.

The bottom line

In today’s business climate, it cannot be stressed enough just how important customer loyalty is. Every customer who decides to come back increases your sales, gives your profits a boost and helps the company grow. Give these five strategies a go and you can be assured one-time customers will start turning into loyal followers of your brand.