Considering how fast and technology driven our world is
presently, also given the rate at which numerous and various brands are
springing out every day. It is not a surprise that companies are reeling and
wondering if brand loyalty still exists.
Most customers are not loyal to a brand. They have hundreds of
other options to choose from. Some customers go for other brand
product if they don’t get exactly what they are looking for. For instance Most
Nigerians prefer MTN tariff but as soon as Etisalat came up with a cheaper
internet browsing tariff, some “MTN Loyal Customers” quickly switched to
Etisalat.
Even if you are a large successful company like MTN, you might
not be able to offer literally every product or service that your customers can
dream of, but with a solid content structure, you can make sure that your
products meet their needs.
Here are 5 ways to make sure that your business keeps your
customers coming back.
Be Relevant: As a brand you
should be keeping up with your industry and its trends. If there are advances
or even anticipated advances in your field, prepare for them. For example: If
you have an email marketing company and you catch wind that Google is revamping
how Gmail handles marketing messages, make sure you can adjust for that, or at
least speak to it if an especially news-hungry client asks you about it.
Be
Honest: The concept of honesty
is a good idea when dealing with customers. In multiple different directions
you will agree that every business owners should follow the concept of honesty.
If your company makes a mistake or something goes wrong, own it. Tell your customers
what happened and what you’re doing to fix it. If you play dumb, your customers
will drop you and will never return. If you are candid about the situation, you
will gain their trust. They will see your company’s honesty about the bad
things as a sign that you’ll be honest about everything else. Another aspect of
honesty is in the way that you sell your product. You don’t have to list all of
the things that it doesn’t do, but make sure you’re not making promises you
can’t deliver. If you create correct expectations, your customers will know
what to expect from your company and product or service and won’t be let down
if you don’t deliver on false promises.
Be
Solution-oriented: Customer service is an
extremely important part of building a successfully loyal customer base. People
want to do business with some companies simply because they know that if
anything goes wrong with their product, they’ll treat them with respect, no
questions asked. Make sure that your customer service team is fast, friendly
and has the tools and resources they need to give customers a resolution. Most
complaining customers want to be heard and want something in return for their
troubles. If you can give them that, you are much more likely to have a
customer for life. For
example, some people fly Arik airline because they know that their customer
service line is quick and helpful and when they need something fast they will
be listened to. Even if their patience level is at zero Arik is always at 10.
Be
Accessible: More than 70% of
Internet users are accessing websites from a mobile device. Creating a web
experience for your customers that translates well, no matter what device
they’re using, is paramount for success. Imagine you post a link on social that
directs to your website. Someone using a smart phone clicks on the link
and lands on your homepage. However, your page isn’t responsive, so after a few
seconds of frustrated pinching and scrolling, that potential customer abandons
it. Instead, let your website be built in a custom, responsive framework. In
this case, if one potential customer clicks the link on their iPhone, one on
their laptop and another on their Android phone or Blackberry, they would all
have a seamlessly beautiful user experience and greater potential to become
loyal customers.
Offer Quality: Make sure you are offering a quality product or service. If you’re producing
poor products and services, it doesn’t matter if you have the best customer
service, the most responsive website and the most relevant communication. If
your level of quality doesn’t match the price point, you have failed it.
You can’t pick and choose which of these 5 things you need to do
in order to create a loyal customer base, you need all 5. You
can’t be honest, but have poor quality. You can’t be solution-oriented without
being relevant. Build and train your team around these principles and you will
have a foolproof recipe for success.
If
you are thinking of advertising in Nigeria, please contact PoiseMedia
Communications at www.poisemedianigeria.com or check our contact at the bottom of this blog. We can
help you identify your market and reach them. We apply both BTL and ATL
strategies to project our clients’ brands to the right audience. We can do same
for you at very affordable price.
Lilian Izuorah
Business Development
Officer
PoiseMedia
Communications Ltd
