Running a small business can be quite difficult, especially if you are running it by yourself and you haven’t had much experience. There are a lot of things that you’ll need to think about and customer retention is one of these. Running a business is not just about getting new customers and reaching out, you need to keep the customers that you have and make them want to purchase from you again. Fortunately, there are plenty of ways to keep your existing customers like using feedback or business SMS texting so keep reading this article to find out some of these.

Create A Loyalty Program

One of the best ways that you can reach out to your customers and encourage them to come back is to introduce a loyalty program. There are so many ways that you can do this from investing in some loyalty cards or using an online programme that will help you out. If you run something like a coffee shop, this can be as easy as getting some cards and stamps and giving them a stamp each time they visit. Small things like this can encourage them to come back and make use of your business, even if they don’t necessarily need to. These sorts of programmes work really well for small businesses, but bigger businesses are more likely to be able to do more for their customers when it comes to creating an impressive loyalty scheme. Next, we are going to talk about bulk texting services.

Start A Business Texting Service

If you aren’t already making use of bulk SMS texting, then this is something that you need to take advantage of. Even though you might be a small business, you can still see the benefits of using a service like Sakari. Sakari enables you to send hundreds of thousands of messages if you really want to, supports 150+ countries and is incredibly easy to manage. If you want to keep your existing customers, then you can send them updates when you get new products in. You could also use Bulk SMS services to send out information about sales or offers that are coming up and are exclusive to those existing customers. Something so simple as reminding your customers that you’re still there can make a huge difference to your customer retention levels so make sure to use this effectively. Make sure not to overuse bulk SMS texting, however, as you don’t want to put your customers off coming back and using your service or product again.

Use Social Media

Customer engagement is very important and if you are not already on social media then you need to get set up today. You don’t need to be present on every channel as long as you have a strong presence on a few that you can keep up with. If you want to improve customer retention, then you’ll need to post updates on your accounts relatively often. Make sure to post relevant content and engage with your customers. If they post on your wall or send you a message you should make sure to reply in a polite and friendly way. Be helpful and let them know that you will get back to them with any questions.

If you don’t think you’ll be able to post as often as you’d like, you can use social media management tools like Hootsuite to schedule posts and ensure that your presence is kept up to increase customer retention levels. Start the conversation and get chatting with your customers online.

Use Feedback

One of the great things that the internet provides for small businesses is customer feedback. Although you might not always get the best feedback that you’d like, it is important to read it all and take it all on board. Never reply to negative feedback in a negative way, you are trying to present a good image of your company and you need to show that you are willing to change. Taking on the advice of your customers is one of the best ways that you can keep them coming back. If they ask for a particular service and you provide it, you know that you have at least one happy customer. Show that you are understanding and don’t forget to take on board the positive feedback that you receive as well!

Try Your Best

Our final tip seems a little obvious, but it is actually very important when it comes to increasing your customer retention levels in your small business. Your customer service should be the thing that makes you stand out from other businesses. It is likely that there are plenty of other similar businesses to you and so you must make sure that you show how good you are. Train your staff well and encourage them to give the best customer service possible. You must also set a great example for your staff by showing your customers that you care.

As well as being friendly and polite, you could consider throwing in a little extra touch for your customers. Why not offer to help them to their car with their items? Or order in a specific product for them if you don’t already have it when they ask in store? There are so many things that you can do as a small business that will make you stand out against other small and big businesses. Make sure to take note of what you see when you are out and about and try your best!

Final Thoughts

Increasing customer retention is very important and you should make sure not to just focus on getting new customers through your door. There are plenty of ways that you can keep in touch with your existing customers and make them feel valued. Make sure to take advantage of the technology that is available to increase your social media posts and send out bulk texts messages to inform your customers of new products or special offers. If you follow these steps, you’ll soon have a higher customer retention level and a more successful business.

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