Customer Loyalty Strategy Step 1: Invitation and Introduction
Customer loyalty is to some extent similar to a love relationship between people. It can come at first sight full of passion and anticipation, or it can be a long way before you reach the highest level of mutual understanding, support and trust. The good thing about the latter is that once reached, it is very likely to last for years.
We want your customers to sincerely love your website and the brand behind it. So, in the series of posts, we have prepared for you we’ll try to explain how to build long-lasting relations with your customers based on their loyalty and trust.
The way to customer loyalty comprises the following stages:
- Invitation and introduction
- Active participation
- Re-engagement
- Active support and promotion
Today, we would like to discuss the things you have to do at the first stage, i.e. what you should do to make visitors to your site interested in what you offer.
1) The relation between your customers and your company site begins with the moment when a visitor signs up to your site. So, make sure there is a nice sign-up form to attract users’ attention. You can also use a pop-up login form, or offer social media login option to let your client use their Facebook or Twitter accounts to get registered at your site.
Note! It is important to have your clients registered and have their e-mail addresses since it will be the key link between your website and a person. This is the channel for you to use to communicate with your clients. Below, we’ll explain why personalized communication is so important.
2) The second thing you should do is to introduce your brand values by explaining how your site can be useful for your customers, why it is the best solution for their needs.
Note! Many site owners repeat the same mistake over and over again. They send one or two automated emails to the customer who has just signed saying “Welcome! We are glad you have joined us!” and the like. This is not a good idea if you are determined to create a climate to trust. Instead, consider sending three or four emails choosing various topics to showcase your company. Let your first email contain not only a Thank-you message but some information about your company values. It can also contain a message from the company founders, which will add a personal touch and help create a connection with your shoppers.
3) Include testimonials and reviews into your welcome emails too, but avoid generic-sounding reviews devoid of sincerity. Be sure your testimonials are brief and easy-to-read.
4) Finally, inform your customers about the product categories your site has. But don’t overwhelm your clients with too many details. Note! This email should contain the key information only and be visually appealing. The whole point is to arouse customers’ interest in your site and make them want to explore it in detail.
If you do it right, your customers will become active users with big chances of becoming active shoppers. But this is the theme of our next post.
