Treat your clients well and they will play a major role in your marketing plan.
Perhaps you can compose a more poetic phrase. But however you word it, the concept should be considered a wise adage by every marketing professional. According to many industry reports, the importance of great customer service holds true when analyzed through research.
Brand loyalty is bigger than ever. Clients put their money not only where they find what they’re looking for, but also where they are treated well. Small businesses who can’t compete on price must be especially focused on taking care of existing clients via superior customer service experiences. These extra efforts directed toward client care are a sound investment in marketing. They not only help to retain loyal patrons but just as importantly, bring in new ones with little cost – through referrals.
High Price of Gaining New Clients via Traditional Marketing Channels
The average business spends five times more funds to attract new clients than it invests in existing ones. What enterprise can afford to sink such excessive resources on marketing plans in these unprecedented economic times?
What’s the alternative?
A focused, creative effort to build existing client loyalty. Development of a plan to encourage satisfied clients to spread the word about your great customer care, services, and products.
Remember the saying “Focus on what you have, not what you lack?” That’s great advice when it comes to current clients. They can be your secret weapons in the effort to grow your business.
Benefits of Superior Customer Service
Let’s first take a look at the overall benefits of customer service.
Taking care of existing clients:
- Builds a good reputation in your community
- Retains clients
- Paves the path for multiple referrals
- Reduces employee turnover
- Prevents business failure
Remember the Golden Rule? The customer is always right. These are not outdated terms. When implemented in an honest, ethical and reasonable manner, they can ensure client loyalty and business longevity.
Satisfied Clients Act As Billboards
Articles based on reliable studies share the fact that 92% of people trust and often follow up on positive referrals by friends. If every client told a friend about your business, and that friend acted on the tip you would double your clientele list.
Think about that for a minute. If a friend were to tell you about a new restaurant, wouldn’t you try it? The principle is that simple. It can apply to every type of business if marketing managers get creative.
Most business owners HOPE their clients will recommend their business to others. But sometimes clients need to be ENCOURAGED to do so by programs that offer perks for talking to others about the businesses they patronize. Such programs offer win-win situations for both clients and businesses.
Referral Marketing Ideas
Digital communication is essential to the promotion and implementation of many of the plans you may find most appropriate for drawing new clients to your particular business. NVISION can help with the tactics needed to put your strategy into place.
Setting up a system and creating an effective social media promotion for a referral system could be one of the best strategies you ever implemented in your marketing plan.
The following are some great concepts that may be utilized in a referral marketing program.
Reward Customers for Referrals
A time-tested way of rewarding clients is to offer gifts. Many of us have a stash of t-shirts, and pens we seldom use. Today’s trend is to offer useful, sought after gifts appropriate to the times. Some good suggestions include coffee or tea blends, cell phone chargers, gourmet gift baskets, toiletries, professional notebooks, we send out killer fresh cookies in Star Wars tins 🙂
Offer a Charity Donation as Compensation
Some clients might prefer this sort of reward rather than something they don’t need or won’t use. We all feel good when we support a worthy cause.
Create a Referral Contest
Here is a basic narrative on how to set up and operate a referral contest digitally. Codes are provided for your clients and their prospects. A form captures their referrals and keeps a record of the total. An e-mail delivers referral URLs to existing clients so they can keep track of the total number of contacts who responded to their recommendation.
Once you have set up the system, all you have to do is wait for new clients to pour into your business. Or to record a record number of visitors interacting with your site, depending upon your intentions and how you have set up the system.
Offer a Credit For Use at Your Business
What better reward than a credit to use the next time a client visits your business or website. It will obviously be utilized and appreciated by the recipient. And there is the bonus that the funds will come back to your business, when the client returns to redeem it, possibly sooner than expected.
Offer the Reward to the Referred Friend
Many would enjoy the opportunity to gift a friend for patronizing your services. It’s an easy way to offer gratitude without the hassle and expense of shopping personally.
Make Your Referral Program Simple
Your announcement and guidelines should be short and simple, the directions easy to follow. There are enough distractions these days. If a program seems too complex, people will skip it.
Create a Catchy & Descriptive Promotional Title
The title should be short, should capture the theme of the program, intrigue the client, and be memorable, to ensure a response.
Reward With Upgraded Service
If you are a service provider rather than a retailer, this could be a much-appreciated perk. One that clients will consider worth their time and effort.
Whether you’re a real estate agent, a restaurant owner, or a sales manager, there is always a customer referral plan that’s a great fit. Find one that’s effective and you will be smiling for years to come as your customer/client list exponentially grows.
At NVISION we consider ourselves your digital marketing partners. Contact us for assistance in setting up a referral program that will help you change the trajectory of your business!
