How to keep your customers loyal to your brand
Within a business, keeping your customers loyal to your brand helps maintain good profitability. Furthermore, it makes it possible to bring together more defenders of your brand .
In fact, many companies have difficulty retaining their customers because they are often focused on acquisition. However, as a general rule, the cost of retention is always lower than that of acquisition . Indeed, simple loyalty initiatives can make a big difference.
The fact is the loyal customers requires less support than the new one. This thus results in a communication costs . Furthermore, studies have shown that carrying out conquest actions costs 2 to 3 times more expensive than carrying out loyalty actions in direct and indirect costs .
Above all, it is important to develop the discipline and the attitude necessary for highlighting loyal customers . Then, note that to design a good loyalty strategy , you must have good ICP (key performance indicators) . Having precise information on your loyal customers will help you make the right decisions.
Thus, beyond the quality of the services, you can take several post-sales actions. The first step towards the loyalty of your loyal customers is to manage your relationships with them.
In the next few lines, you will discover concretely how to build customer loyalty.
1. Prioritize service excellence
If the company made the sale, we assume it offers a good product or service. So when we think about loyalty, the main concern is ensuring that the customer experience meets expectations.
The service in charge of the service has a huge responsibility in this scenario. Indeed, it often happens that loyal customers buy, without being able to take advantage of the advantages due to internal failures.
In this case, the main objective is to optimize the service process, seeking the best way to use the resources acquired .
2. Present concrete results
It is important to be responsive to requests from loyal customers . However, the efforts made will have little effect if the company cannot concretely demonstrate its value.
The service provided does not always have an immediate effect on the company's bottom line. This is why it is necessary to collect information that helps your operational team better understand the benefits obtained.
In an ideal scenario, you should follow the situation of each new company (BtoB), or an individual buyer (BTOC) and take stock with them frequently . For those working with large volumes of accounts, automated systems can be very useful. However, it is also important to assess the possibility of having professionals dedicated to this task. In any case, any company that keeps traces of its buyers can develop base loyalty actions.
Magileads B2B acquisition and loyalty platform . Marketing Automation software allows you to collect precious information on your loyal customers to allow you to design a good loyalty strategy.
3. Say what loyal customers want to hear
This may sound like a cliché, but it has everything to do with successful retention strategies. Please note, it is not a question of “deceiving” the customer, but of understanding their requests and responding to them .
The operations team needs a well-segmented basis for this type of strategy, in addition to ensuring that there is room for dialogue. service feedback is systematizing customer satisfaction assessment should also be considered .
NPS methodologies are relatively simple and can be of great help. Be sure to create the conditions to meet the most critical cases individually.
This makes no sense to ignore the fact that a customer is not entirely satisfied with your services. Often, a simple phone call allows you to understand what is the problem and provide an answer.
4. Organize yourself around the customer , not the company
It is frequently necessary to recognize that the path chosen to perform a certain task is not ideal from the customer's point of view, even if it promotes daily operations.
Radical measures will likely face internal resistance. Understand objections as an obstacle that can be overcome by showing the results that can be achieved in the long term.
5. Promote your brand
It is important to have a well-structured communication plan, designed according to the customer's journey within the company . Don't forget that valuing customer relationships means, for example, understanding that current customers must be informed first of new developments in your product or service.
In practice, this can be difficult, but your business should be careful not to neglect post-sales processes.
The ideal is to always invest on both fronts (acquisition and retention). After all, nothing is better than having a 100% stable base and constantly working on its expansion.
6. Track Crucial Metrics
Customer loyalty initiatives do not always require significant operational efforts. The most important thing is the discipline that makes it possible to guide activities in favor of customer satisfaction .
Keep in mind that by properly managing your relationship with customers, you will not only keep the customer satisfied, but you will also detect new business opportunities .
To do this, you must, for example, closely monitor the undressing rate of the company, which is essential to measure the efficiency of the sales team to maintain income .
User notice & expert returns to retain your customers
💬 Testimonials from entrepreneurs and customer officials
Juliette Moreau-founder of an ethical ready-to-wear brand
“We have established a loyalty program based on exclusive customer workshops. Our customers love to discover behind the scenes of creation and leave with a feeling of belonging to the brand. Result: 60% purchase rehearsal in the year. »»
Romain Tessier - Customer experience manager in the hotel industry
"The key?" Active listening. We analyze each customer comment (even the most harmless) to personalize the following stays. A customer who feels recognized returns 3 times more often. »»
Amina Khadir - Manager of an online delicatessen
"Our little surprise gifts in packages (free samples, handwritten notes) create a positive emotion. It's simple, but it generates tons of spontaneous posts on networks and ultra-fidel customers. »»
🎤 Expert advice in loyalty for loyal customers
Prof. Antoine Lambert - Consumer behavior researcher (ESSEC)
“Loyalty is not just a point program. The successful brands create rituals (e.g. an annual customer event, a VIP newsletter) which anchor the habit and the emotional connection. »»
Clara Dumont-CX Consultant (Customer Experience)
“85% of customers leave a brand because of a faulty after-sales service. Training your teams to solve problems before the customer reports them is 7 times more efficient than promotions to retain them. »»
Dr. Hugo Sanchez - specialist in neuroscience applied to marketing
"The human brain is wired to love coherence. A strong brand identity (visual, tone, values) increases recognition and trust by 40%, pillar of long -term fidelity. »»
Léa Vasseur - CEO of a Loyalty Programms agency
“Traditional loyalty programs die. The 2024 trend? The anticipatory advantages: offer a service or a gift before the customer requests it, to create a positive surprise effect. »»
📌 Inspiring concrete case
• Maison l'Elonger (Parisian pastry)
“We send an exclusive recipe to our loyal customers each month. Some come especially in stores to discuss our creations. It has become a community! »»
• Techcare (B2B computer service)
“We organize 'free annual balance sheets for our customers, even if they have no problem. It allows us to stay in touch and identify hidden needs. 80% of our additional sales come from these meetings. »»
✨ The end word on loyal customers
“A loyal customer does not stay for your products, but for what you make him feel. Real loyalty begins when you treat your customers as friends, not like figures. »
- Élodie Perrin , founder of Human First CX .
