How to turn satisfied customers into promoters of your brand

What is better than a loyal customer? Two loyal customers!

Running a business can be challenging and make it challenging to acquire new customers and take care of the old ones. This is understandable, but don’t forget that caring for existing customer relationships can be strategic and productive because people who are happy with your products and services are usually ready to promote your business.

This article shows you five ways to turn happy customers into your business’s best allies.

1. Keep your brand promises

Every business promises something to customers.

Your brand symbolizes this promise, and for consumers to give them respect and trust and continue to buy your products and services,  you must keep your word.

What do your customers expect?

The  Luxottica company, a brand that needs no introduction, promises to be a “Leader in the design, production, and distribution of sunglasses and eyeglasses of high technical and stylistic quality, luxury and sports” on the home page its website.

On the other hand, best rated online casinos guarantee on their website that it has been the favourite place for online players. As you can see, these are two different presentations, but both communicate to customers what they can expect in return for their money.

As consumers, we are likely to remain loyal to brands that don’t disappoint our expectations but deliver on their promises. This means that we do not go looking for other brands or lower prices when we are satisfied.

Loyal customers will be your best allies in expanding your business. Because?

They have chosen you and continue to choose you not because you have spent millions on an advertisement with a celebrity but because they trust your products and services and identify with the values ​​behind your brand.

2. Don’t hide mistakes

We all make mistakes, both at work and in life in general.

The most important thing is not to never make mistakes (it would be impossible), but rather to learn how to manage them.  If you make a mistake that will negatively affect your customers, don’t be afraid to admit it. Nothing calms the minds of frustrated and disappointed customers like sincere apologies,  such as “We are sorry for what happened and for the inconvenience created. We are already working to solve the problem “.

A striking example of this is what happened to Apple in 2015 when it launched its music streaming service, Apple Music, offering a 3-month free trial period. Apple initially specified that it would not pay the artists the royalties ordinarily due for the music they listened to or downloaded throughout that period. The company has faced a fierce backlash from some prominent music industry members, most notably the tough stance of pop queen Taylor Swift. Realizing the mistake made, Apple tried to make up for it, publicly apologizing to Taylor and the other “indie artists” who would have been penalized by its initial decision. Following the scandal, Apple decided to change its policy, therefore paying the royalties also for the trial period of the service, so much so that Taylor herself then decided to make her music available on Apple Music. Not bad as a drastic measure to “contain the damage.”

While it may seem like your own goal,  recognizing mistakes will pay off. It makes your business “human” in the eyes of consumers who, realizing your honesty and transparency, will continue to trust and recommend your brand like australian casino.

3. Give your customers a special thank you

A small gesture can bear generous and unexpected fruits, especially when making customers understand how important they are. How you thank them can make a difference.

After purchasing their product or service, many companies send the customer a message containing a thank you or a discount code. You can do it too: free your imagination and think of an original way to thank the buyers and the buyers! If you have just started your business and do not have many customers yet, use this feature to your advantage, for example, by sending a thank you decorated with the handcrafted stamp of your logo together with the order. These personalized details don’t require a lot of effort and, at the same time, will pleasantly surprise customers and get them talking about you!

If you run a business that has already reached a considerable size or if the idea of ​​the craft stamp doesn’t seem practical to you, you can get inspired by these ideas to thank your customers:

Give your merchandise as a gift

Once, the merchandising with the corporate brand consisted primarily of oversized t-shirts or balls to combat stress. This is no longer the case! Nowadays, it’s straightforward to customize items with your brand, and you don’t need to have a bloated budget. Go to one of the countless sites that offer printing services, and you can order items your customers will love directly online: thermos, fluffy sweatshirts, or even Bluetooth headsets. Choose something that your customers will be happy to use in their everyday life and that they will proudly show their friends.

Give a voucher for free coffee.

It is an original, informal idea, and above all… it allows you to fill up on caffeine! Who doesn’t love drinking coffee (or tea), especially if it’s free? This idea is excellent if your customers are local. Send them a voucher to use at their favourite coffee shop (or yours!) And advise them to order a delicious cappuccino to put on your bill.

Submit a custom video

Videos have become more and more critical, and customers love them! More and more entrepreneurs and entrepreneurs are learning how to use videos on  Facebook Live and exploit them to interact with their customers. Another widely used tool is videos on Instagram, which has introduced the possibility of posting videos of 1-hour length. Even if your customers are worldwide, you can thank them or interact with them through a video: it will be as easy as recording a voice message with your smartphone! If you want to take it further, you can use a tool like  Biteable to create more professional videos.

Whichever way you choose to thank the customers, make sure it’s something they’ll want to share.

4. Explain to customers the features of the products

You think you don’t need to motivate already further loyal customers, do you? In reality, this reasonably common assessment is wrong and counterproductive. Constantly explaining to people the characteristics and qualities of the products and services you offer will benefit your business for two reasons:

1. It will help them maximize the potential of your products and services
2. It will be easier for customers to describe your offer to friends and family

To clarify this point, we can take Jimdo as an example. New features and settings are constantly being added to the platform to help people and users improve their sites. The communication team regularly publishes blog articles and social media posts and sends newsletters describing all the news and advice for developing your online business. Check out our Activity Profile article, the new feature available on Jimdo that lets you update your business information across various online platforms with just a few clicks. If it had not been communicated effectively, users would not have purchased it and could not have used an indispensable tool for the visibility of their business. This is why effective communication is beneficial for both parties: those who sell the products and services and those who buy them.

5. Develop a referral program

What Makes a Referral Program Effective?

• It must be beneficial to all involved:

The customers you already have (who will be entitled to a reward), the new customers “engaged” by the old ones (who will know a product and service that meets their needs), and your business (since you will increase your sales).

• The reward must be tempting:

If the kickboxing course that can be booked on your gym website costs 80 euros per month, a discount of 5 euros per month will not encourage your customers to bring friends. It is much better to offer a free month or a voucher to buy a sports shirt or a 50% discount on next year’s subscription.

• It is relevant to the needs of your customers:

Rewards don’t have to be monetary. For example, Dropbox offers 500 MB of extra storage space if you recommend the service to a friend who buys it. Since storage space is exactly what Dropbox users and users need, this offer is a big word-of-mouth incentive.