It should be the aim of every aspirational business owner to create a relationship between their business and their customers. This kind of relationship helps to cement a long-term customer base that comes back and buys more. So, here’s how to build that kind of strong relationship with customers online.
Reward Loyalty
If you have customers that are loyal to your brand, you should reward them for that. Doing so will also make other people more likely to show loyalty to your brand too, so give it a try. You could start a loyalty points scheme. This works by giving your customers points every time they make a purchase with the company.
Then, when they’ve saved up those points over a period of time, they can be used to gain rewards or free items. You could give them money off products or whatever kind of rewards you can think of.
Interact on Social Media
To build a real relationship with customers, you have to interact with them. It’s about being personable and having genuine, authentic interactions.
This is easier to do than ever before thanks to the various social media platforms that businesses can now take advantage of. So, make sure you use social media platforms carefully and wisely. Don’t be distant and lofty. Instead, respond when customers send a message or ask a question. It’s the best way to build real relationships.
Ask for Feedback
Customer love to feel like the businesses they use listen to them. This shows them that what they think and how they feel really matters. The best way to show them that you’re listening to them is to ask them questions.
The feedback you receive from customers can then help you to make changes to the way the business operates. Therefore, this is beneficial to everyone. The customers get their thoughts and opinions heard by the business. And the business ensures future custom by keeping customers happy.
Take the Relationship Offline Too
Building relationships with customers will eventually need to enter the offline world too. For the very best outcomes, you need to think about how you can make that shift in a smooth and natural way. If your business has a physical presence, you should direct customers towards it.
And you can pass on business cards to people who pass by your business. This will create a link between your physical business premises and the business’s online presence.
Respond Quickly to Problems
When a customer has a problem with something they’ve bought from your business, it has the potential to destroy the relationship. But it doesn’t have to happen that way. But if you want to salvage the situation and rebuild trust, you need to spring into action as quickly as possible.
That means speaking to them politely, reassuring them and sorting out the problem for them as swiftly as you can. If you do that, you should be able to keep hold of the customer and maybe even boost the customer-business relationship!