Photo by enriqueburgosgarciaby Yodle
Let’s begin this week’s Yodle Tipster from Local Online Advertising for Dummies. We will jump all the way to pages 300 through 304 from Chapter 16, Staying at the Top of Customers’ Minds, to discuss cost-effective ways you can keep in contact with your current clients.
Although a quality service, a competitive price, and superb customer service are huge factors in maintaining repeat business from your customers, nothing quite compares to the emotional connection a customer has to your business. If your customer feels personally connected to your business, they will come back, even if you’re not all that different from the competition. Therefore, if you want them coming back for more, you have to create and maintain that connection, facilitate two-way communication with customers to build long-term loyalty, and foster ongoing business with them.
To achieve the goal of building a personal relationship with your customers, there are a number of simple ways. Here are some useful tips the book offers, all of which are easy to do and cost virtually nothing to execute.
1. Send thank you emails: These days, technology has made writing the thank you note a whole lot faster. You can send a business email to confirm a purchase or scheduled appointment or other activity and simultaneously thank the customer for their business. Thank you emails can also help in other ways – like suggesting other products or services you offer, soliciting e-newsletter subscribers, acquiring testimonials for your website, generating more fans on your Facebook page, etc.
2. Use e-newsletters: An e-newsletter is a form of communication to your customers sent out on a regular basis. E-newletters build loyalty from your customers by building your brand, keeping them up to date with important information about your company, and offering material that presents you as a thought leader in your industry.
3. Conduct satisfaction surveys: By allowing your customers to voice their opinion in a satisfaction survey, you can gain helpful feedback that you need to know about your business. In addition, by doing so, you also show your customers that you value their business if you choose to do a survey online. Some great online resources include SurveyMonkey.com and SurveyGizmo.com.
By following the above suggestions, you will do your best to keep your customers coming back!
About the Author
Yodle is a leading provider of local online advertising that provides businesses with a simple and affordable way to get more phone calls – and new customers. Follow Yodle on Twitter today! Check out Yodle Blog and you will read more about online advertising and social media advertising.