{"id":571,"date":"2022-11-22T12:26:52","date_gmt":"2022-11-22T12:26:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/grafterr-test.com\/?p=571"},"modified":"2023-03-14T16:24:06","modified_gmt":"2023-03-14T16:24:06","slug":"simple-steps-to-grow-your-customer-base-build-brand-loyalty","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.grafterr.com\/blog\/simple-steps-to-grow-your-customer-base-build-brand-loyalty\/","title":{"rendered":"Simple steps to grow your customer base and build brand loyalty"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Running a hospitality business can be hard. It\u2019s often difficult to get the time away from the day-to-day operations to think about how you can grow your business, let alone research marketing ideas or strategies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Increasing customer loyalty is a simple but very effective way for you to get more orders, increase recommendations and drive revenue. In this handy guide, we\u2019ll give you simple, actionable ideas you can quickly implement into your business to help increase your customer base and build brand loyalty.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Avoid the trap!<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Deciding to grow your customer base can open up a trap that most people fall into.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If we want to grow our revenue we need to find new customers to sell to! Right, so, how do we get new people through the door? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The truth is that most businesses will generate increased and sustainable revenues from their existing customers. And not the new ones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Studies suggest repeat customers spend on average two-thirds more with a business after 3 years of custom than they do in the first 6 months. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Businesses also have a 70% chance of selling more products or services to existing customers, but only as much as 20% to new ones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, while it may feel like counter-intuitive thinking, and the wrong way around, it does mean that growing your customer base should start with improving the experience for the customers you already have. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Plus, once you\u2019re nurturing existing customers and giving them a fantastic experience, your customers will do all of the hard work for you by promoting and recommending your business to their friends, family or even strangers online on social media and review sites.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why it\u2019s important to keep your current customers happy<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In simple terms, you need to keep your current customers happy so that they keep coming back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alongside return sales, there\u2019s a long list of benefits in making sure the customers you already have stay satisfied: Almost half of an ecommerce store\u2019s revenue comes from only 8% of its customers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Despite this, evidence suggests most businesses aren\u2019t focusing their efforts this way and are still falling into the trap of chasing new customers. Studies show companies can spend 6 times more on trying to get new customers than keeping the ones they already have happy. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

But when existing customers feel good about your business, you\u2019ll see them come back for more and more and more. They can even be advocates for your business by introducing their peers, friends, family and colleagues too. 
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How to build loyalty in your existing customer base<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Gaining or improving loyalty from the customers you already have isn\u2019t hard to do. But it does involve some strategic thinking and planning. Here are some suggestions of what you could do: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Speak to them<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

It seems obvious. But if you\u2019re not making enough noise about yourself, or being part of any conversations either online or offline, your customers will forget about you. And that\u2019s because they\u2019re being bombarded with offers, advertising, and well-thought-through marketing from all of your competitors, every day. And if someone\u2019s making more noise to attract your customers, you\u2019ll risk losing them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Make sure you\u2019ve set up a regular email marketing campaign with updates, offers, and deals that can showcase how exciting it is to buy from you. 
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Offer rewards and incentives<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Your customer will feel good about coming back to you when you give them something in return. So, if you\u2019re not doing it already, focus your online or offline communications on rewarding your customers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Examples of good rewards include: <\/h4>\n\n\n\n
    \n
  1. Early-weekday discounts (when sales are usually slower)<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. Subscriptions that offer reduced costs, like free delivery <\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. Bring a friend for free or an introduce a friend discount<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  4. 2 for 1 offers<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  5. Loyalty points or schemes \u2013 collect 10 stamps and get 1 free coffee<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    Of course, these types of offers can extend to new customers as well. But before you think about doing that, make sure you\u2019re doing this for on your current customers first. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Update your marketing<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    Is your website doing what it\u2019s supposed to do? Or did you get it up in a bit of a rush and never went back to check? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    To keep your customers warmed up, you need to produce regular content that\u2019s exciting and enticing. So, blog posts, photos, articles, and social media updates will all go a long way to ensuring your brand has the chance to stand out in the places where your customers are spending most of their time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    And for half of the world\u2019s population, most of that time is spent on social media channels. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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    Make them part of your community<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    Any effective marketing should start with understanding who your customers are. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    This way, you\u2019ll find it easier to prioritise giving them excellent levels of customer service. Across every single aspect of your customer\u2019s journey, they should feel welcomed, rewarded, and encouraged to feel like they\u2019re part of your bigger family. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    One way to bring your customers closer is to encourage them to take ownership of your brand. How does this work? Well, think of those customers who love taking pictures of their food and posting them on Instagram. These customers are marketing gold for your business. And that\u2019s because they\u2019re using one of the best forms of User-Generated Content. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Personalise your service<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    A lot of psychology goes into sales. And when it comes to writing copy for your website or sales promotions, even more so. But when you also include your customers\u2019 name in your marketing, or suggest things they\u2019re actually looking for, you also boost their loyalty to your brand. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Take Domino\u2019s pizza, for example. They delivered sales of over \u00a31M from a single advertising campaign by putting personalisation at the centre. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Make sure all your marketing is set up to address your customers with their name. And secondly, make sure they\u2019re getting the offers and products that they really want to receive. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Where to look for new customers<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    So, you\u2019re doing everything you can to keep a smile on your customer\u2019s faces. And maybe you\u2019re starting to see results? If so, it\u2019s at this point you can start opening the doors to new ones. But where should you be looking? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Online<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    In essence, you should look for customers in the places they\u2019re spending most of their time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Social media use has skyrocketed in 2020. And while Facebook remains the world\u2019s most popular site, with over 2.5 Billion users worldwide, there are many more out there gaining popularity. 
    <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    So, if you want to target customers through social media, consider running a paid online advertising campaign on your channel of choice. And if you start from a position of knowing who your customers are, you\u2019ll find it easier to choose which channels you should advertise on. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Running a Paid Social media campaign is a great way to attract new customers. But don\u2019t overlook using Paid Search too. Google Ads can help you launch a Pay-Per-Click campaign that will advertise your business on Google based on the keywords your customers are searching with. So, if you run a steak restaurant in Northampton, for example, you\u2019ll want to target customers who are searching for \u2018Where can I find a steak restaurant in Northampton\u2019. And when they do, your business will show up first.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Once you\u2019ve set up your campaigns you should also consider retargeting. This is a way you can try to get customers to come back to your site once they\u2019ve left. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Your Local Area<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    Sometimes, you needn\u2019t look further than your local area. There are still some good-old-fashioned local customers who\u2019ll want to stop by your storefront or get to see you advertised around their local area. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Consider who your local customers are. And then think about how you could run seasonal promotions to attract them into your shop or store.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Your promotions could run as printed ads in publications, or as poster advertising in local shops, local community spaces like libraries or community centres or you could even do a leaflet drop through peoples doors within your business\u2019s catchment area. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    And don\u2019t forget about your own shop window or storefront. Keeping it fresh with new offers and incentives will show your local community how much you care and boost their interest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Why getting new customers starts with looking after your current ones?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    The next time you decide to build your customer base, it\u2019s best to avoid the temptation of focusing all your attention on how to get new customers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Most businesses who\u2019ve grown their customer base started by building loyalty in the ones they already have. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    And when you do that, your customers will be more motivated to support the growth of your business. By returning to you again, introducing their friends to your business, and buying a wider selection of products from your offering, you\u2019ll see financial benefits quicker than you would do from chasing after new customers.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    By placing the needs of your customers at the centre of your brand, you\u2019ll find it easier and quicker to build long-term, reliable and sustainable profits that will grow your business for the future.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Running a hospitality business can be hard. It\u2019s often difficult to get the time away from the day-to-day operations to think about how you can grow your business, let alone research marketing ideas or strategies. Increasing customer loyalty is a simple but very effective way for you to get more orders, increase recommendations and drive […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1281,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[31,18,17],"tags":[],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.grafterr.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/571"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.grafterr.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.grafterr.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.grafterr.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.grafterr.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=571"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/www.grafterr.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/571\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1957,"href":"https:\/\/www.grafterr.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/571\/revisions\/1957"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.grafterr.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1281"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.grafterr.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=571"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.grafterr.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=571"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.grafterr.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=571"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}