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Customer Loyalty in Internet Marketing - 10 step approach

Maintaining customer loyalty is paramount to the success of any small business.  As an average, 20 percent of your customers will support you with 80 percent of your total business.  If you neglect this key group by focusing only on the dream of always attracting new customers, then you are becoming very counter productive.   In reality it costs your business far more to attract new customers then to effectively manage your existing ones.  If you effectively learn how to balance the two then your small business will grow and become successful in the long run.

10 Steps to building customer loyalty in internet marketing:

1. Interact: Stay in close contact with your steady loyal customers.  There are various ways to do this - monthly flyers, email newsletters, reminder notices, greeting cards, etc.

2. Solid Support: Make your business very personal and professional.  People always notice and remember good customer service.  Encourage your staff to always keep this in mind.  Don't just tell the customer that you are always there for them.  Show them.

3. Be loyal to your employee's:  As a business professional you need to encourage the people who work for you.  Use the Top Down approach.  What comes from you will eventually be passed through those that represent you to your customers.  

4. Train your staff: Give your employee's a template of positive customer interaction to work with.  Encourage then to put the customer first.

5. Offer incentives for current customer loyalty: Market your product so that customers feel like they are getting the best for there money.  Reward programs; such as a customer loyalty card, remind your customer how valuable they are to you and will encourage them to come back. As a case study, look at customer loyalty programs; such as ones in the flight industry. Statistics and survey's show they have been a huge success. If you research customer loyalty programs you will see other good examples such as Sony, McDonalds and the Home Depot. Financial and Insurance companies should especially take note of this as they are in highly competitive industries.

6. Product recognition: Keep detailed records of what your current customers purchase from you, and make it a point to maintain a good supply of that stock.  It would also be productive for you and your customers to know what other products and/or services go with what they regularly buy.  

7. Accountability: Always be accountable to your customer for delivering your products and services on time. Reliability is very important. Also be prepared and have a system in place for refunding product and money..

8. Flexibility: Don't be inflexible and hard lined with your customers.  Always be open to resolve issues in fair ways.

9. Be Available: It's very important to make yourself available to your customer.  Put yourself in there position and have safeguards in place to greet them with people - not technology. 

10. Be as personable as possible: Try to get to know your customers as well as you can.  Like in any relationship, you must always show interest.  With Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software you can record and log separately each individual that you deal with in any specific company.  Access a free CRM software trial at www.salesboom.com