Business and Investment Center

Strategize and Plan For Loyalty!

These four factors will greatly affect your ability to build a loyal customer base:

1. Products that are highly differentiated from those of the competition.

2. Higher-end products where price is not the primary buying factor.

3. Products with a high service component.

4. Multiple products for the same customer.

1. Market To Your Own Customers

Giving a lot of thought to your marketing programs aimed at current customers is one aspect of building customer loyalty.

When you buy a new car, many dealers will within minutes try to sell you an extended warranty, an alarm system, and maybe rust proofing. It’s often a very easy sale and costs the dealer almost nothing to make. Are there additional products or services you can sell your customers? Three years ago my house was painted, and it’s now due for another coat. Why hasn’t the painter called or at least sent a card? It would be a lot less expensive than getting new customers through his newspaper ad, and since I was happy with his work I won’t get four competing bids this time. Keep all the information you can on your customers and don’t hesitate to ask for the next sale.

2. Use Complaints To Build Business!

When customers aren’t happy with your business they usually won’t complain to you – instead, they’ll probably complain to just about everyone else they know – and take their business to your competition next time. That’s why an increasing number of businesses are making follow-up calls or mailing satisfaction questionnaires after the sale is made. They find that if they promptly follow up and resolve a customer’s complaint, the customer might be even more likely to do business than the average customer who didn’t have a complaint.

3. Reach Out To Your Customers!

Contact with current customers is a good way to build their loyalty.

The more the customer sees someone from your firm, the more likely you’ll get the next order. Send Holiday cards, see them at trade shows, stop by to make sure everything’s okay. Send a simple email newsletter to your customers-tell them about the great things that are happening at your firm and include some useful information for them. Send them copies of any media clippings about your firm. Invite them to free seminars or exclusive events. The more they know about you, the more they see you as someone out to help them, the more they know about your accomplishments-the more loyal a customer they will be.

Recommended Tool: Loyal Email

The Loyal Email solution enables businesses of any size to communicate directly with customers via permission-based email campaigns which helps companies save time and money while increasing sales and customer loyalty.

This solution is geared towards companies whom want to harness the effectiveness and cost efficiencies of email communications but do not want the hassles of managing their own program in-house. Loyal Email is a 100% managed service which doesn’t require any additional investment in hardware, software or personnel.

A full color brochure is a great means of showcasing your business and products. Brochures are usually done in three standard sizes and these are 8 ½ x 11, 8 ½ x 14 and 11 x 17.  The different brochure sizes have its specific use or purpose take for example the unfolded 8 ½ x 11 which is commonly used in creating product sheets or may be tri-folded if ever to be used as a company’s brochure. However, for those companies that want to economize the 11 x 17 brochure may be employed. These 11 x 17 brochures are simply folded in half.

There are certain things to consider when creating brochures. First you have to make the cover as interesting as possible. Bear in mind that it’s the cover that will be the first thing that your customers will notice when they received your brochures. The cover will determine the very first impressions of your customers toward your business.

Likewise, try to create a theme in which your customers may relate to and then make use of this theme all throughout the content in your brochure. Make use of one large illustration that illustrates a story that has significance to your readers for a much greater impact. In terms of pictures to be use for your brochures again it is best to choose photographs that provide an idea on the message that you want to convey. And then put captions on the cover to further provide your readers with ample information on what’s in store for them.

Try to have as much information in your brochure. Don’t be afraid to include every important information you deem helpful to your clients. And then highlight every facts that you want your customers to remember about your business like business hours, your business address, your business phone numbers, costs of products and services. Then make use of photos instead of drawings since photos suggest realism and is known to increase retention by 26%.

Then lastly try to make your brochures worth keeping. Make use of convincing words to encourage consumers to continuously support your business. Have your brochures printed by only the best brochure printing company available. Remember that your brochure acts as your representative to your customers so make sure you make a good impression.