We all know COVID-19 has changed the business landscape. But the good news, if there is any, is that every business is going through the exact same thing. So, now more than ever, it’s important to retain the customers you already have as you work toward building new business. With that in mind, we offer five things you can do right now to help keep your current customers happy and loyal.
- Proactively Communicate with Customers
Take the initiative and communicate with your clients. Use a service like MailChimp or Constant Contact to make sending emails to a large list of people easier. Empathize with your clients. Ensure them you are doing everything to keep them and your employees safe. Let them know if you will be updating your site or Facebook account with new information. This isn’t a one-off event either. Plan to email customers at least once a month to check in with them and let them know your handling of the COVID situation is going.
- Up Your Social Media Presence–Especially Facebook
Social media has taken on a new importance in the age of quarantine. With more people self-isolating, social media has become an even more important tool for business. Facebook should be your first priority when it comes to social media. Consider this, the US adult population (18+) is roughly 250 million people. Facebook has 216.5 million adult users in the U.S.A. That means roughly 86% of adults in the United States have a Facebook account.- Update your store open hours on Facebook
- Set up Facebook Messenger for customers to contact you while they are on your Facebook page. In addition, create alerts when someone contacts you via messenger so you can respond to them quickly.
- Use Facebook as your go-to information source for your business.
- Post information that is useful to your customers. Don’t just post sales messages. And it doesn’t have to be original content. Reposting articles and other irrelevant information is fine as well.
- Show your personality. Demonstrate your commitment to customer service. Be funny. And most of all, be authentic.
If you to pick one other social media platform, Instagram is probably your best bet. Again, become part of the community. Don’t just post sales messages. Be authentic and provide relevant or entertaining content. To get the most out of Instagram, use hashtags to attract new views. Read more from our previous blog post on using Instagram for marketing.
- Create COVID-19 Procedures and Communicate These to Your Customers
Clearly post online (website and Facebook) and on your store door, your COVID-19 procedures for in-person store visits or how you will be conducting business. Be clear and concise. And by giving people guidelines to follow while doing business with you, you’ll increase trust as well as keep your operation moving in an orderly fashion. Again, this is an ideal situation for Facebook. Pin the guidelines stand how to interact with your store or business. We also recommend adding something to your website.
- Make Your Current Customers Feel Special
This is a no brainer. You need to differentiate yourself among your competition. As such, you should be rewarding your current customers for buying from you. This can be as easy as a special discount on a product or service. Or even a personalized thank you note dropped into their bag. There is an endless array of ways to implement this, but the bottom line is to provide them something the competition is not and make sure they know that you appreciate their business.
- Ask Your Customers
If you want to find out what your customers are looking for, simply ask them. Send a SurveyMonkey survey, or create a Facebook survey. Or just post an open-ended question to your Facebook page or website. Ask them what you can do to make them feel safe and improve your processes.
All of these points can be done by you without any special programming knowledge. Of course, if you have questions, or want to explore other ways you can keep your current customers happy and coming back for more, then don’t hesitate to contact TRUE Marketing Communications anytime. We are always here to help in any way we can.
