Building customer relationships is a fundamental process that you need to master in order to run a successful business. But what is customer relationship truly defined as?
Does it mean that you have to send out a birthday card to every customer?
When you have been around the digital marketing block as much as I have , you pick up on the value of customer feedback and use their insights to strengthen your relationships, thus building a strong foundation to support a successful business.
So, to maximize all of your website’s potential, today we are going to focus on how to build customer relationships that can help grow your business. You’ll want to focus on the following key elements to really distinguish yourself from your competition and to elevate yourself in the eyes of those that really matter – clients.
1. Build Up Customer Trust
Everyone can agree — as cliché as it may sound — that a strong relationship is rooted in an even stronger foundation of trust.
Especially when it comes to digital marketing. Trust is everything. If a customer doesn’t trust your expertise because your business website is lacking meaningful information about your company, services, or reputation, chances are they won’t be providing you any of their own information that is needed to get them into your sales funnel.
If you don’t project yourself as being trustworthy, it can be really hard to convert. Luckily, there are a few actions you can take to build up trust including:
2. Establish Strong Lines of Communication with Your Customers
The only way you will establish a strong business relationship with your customer is by using avenues of communication effectively. That means polishing up your social media skills, dusting off that email list, and taking your blog posting to the next level.
According to Statista , 41 percent of U.S. social media users expect a reply within a 24-hour period. Social media, when done right, establishes a two-way communication pipeline from business to customer. It is a place where customers can offer their opinion on products and services, vent about any sort of concerns that are bothering them, or review whatever your business provides.
On the business side, it gives your company the opportunity to not only supply some A1 customer service, but to show other profile visitors that you are willing to go above and beyond to fix any issues a customer may be experiencing. That could score you some major points with potential customers because it shows that your company is attentive to its customers’ needs.
Giving your customers the option to opt into an email list helps you send out valuable news and information about your products or services that may be relevant to their interests.
Lastly, a blog can act as a form of communication. If you’re content marketing, you’re already attracting traffic to your website—roughly—based on your keywords and Google ranking. You can gather feedback from customers moments after your blog has been posted.
3. Treat Your Loyal Customers Right
According to an article in Forbes , research done by the Gartner Group, showed that 80 percent of your company’s future profits will come from just 20 percent of your existing customers.
In that same article, it was shown that an increase of 5 percent to your retention rates can yield a profit increase by 75 percent.
Let that sink in for a moment.
Since the majority of your company revenue is generated by customers that have already purchased a product or service from you, wouldn’t it be logical to then ensure that you keep a positive relationship with them?
I’m not saying to go all out and find out intimate details of your existing customers, but showing a little appreciation can go a long way when solidifying that connection.
When all is said and done, a loyal customer is also a great advertiser. If you take great care of your existing customers, they can help you bring in new customers.