The best way to attract new customers is not by focusing on them, but instead turning towards your current customers.

It sounds backwards, but happy customers are not only much more likely to buy more products from you because they were happy with their last purchase, they’re also more likely talk about your business to their friends increasing word-of-mouth referrals to your business.

By nurturing those relationships with existing customers through email marketing you can further build brand loyalty that grows your business more easily and more cheaply by increasing repeat business and attracting new customers at the same time.

Join us for a free webinar, How to Encourage Customer Loyalty for Your Small Business.

Get customers to buy from you again

Each time a customer makes a purchase, they become more familiar with your business, which makes it easier to get them to buy again. If you have multiple products, think about your most popular one. If most of your customers are buying this product, how can you promote your second most popular product to the customers that still haven’t purchased it yet?

Every product solves a problem, but you can use a related product email to show that the problem still hasn’t been completely solved – yet. For example, a landscaping company could show that their Spring cleaning service only develops a baseline for the season. Once a baseline has been established, it’s time to make your lawn and garden explode with life, flowers and color, using the second most popular service you offer, your ‘Beautification’ package.

Help excited customers start talking

It can cost up to five times as much to attract a new customer than to keep an existing one, which should be enough to focus on new customers, but the real benefit of focusing on your current customers is to let them do your marketing for you. You just have to make it easier to keep the word spreading fast.

Instead of waiting for customers to speak up, ask them. If you have a favorite customer, ask to feature them on your website. Promote customer testimonials, host surveys that keep the conversations going, and posting happy reviews on social media. The better you can showcase happy customers, the most they’ll start offering their feedback, and the more new customers will start to listen.

Knowing why customers purchased helps to repeat the process

Growing customer loyalty will boost revenue in the short term, but it’s the long term benefits that truly help to grow your business. The better you know your current customers, and learn what products or services they like, the better you can market yourself to new customers. Plus, satisfied customers are more likely to spread your business for you via word of mouth, talking you up to their friends.

Every time you have a successful email to your current customers, try looking at the specific techniques that worked so you can repeat them to new customers. Survey emails that ask customers why they purchased can even help to flesh out the specifics of what worked and what didn’t.

Don’t ignore your most valuable customers

While it might seem counterintuitive to focus on customers that have already purchased from you, it’s much more effective to build brand loyalty and entice new customers that way. The best businesses always say they have the best customers, and that’s not by accident.

The more you appreciate, reward, and help current customers, the better the chances new customers will see the love and want to join in on the fun too.

Join us for a free webinar, How to Encourage Customer Loyalty for Your Small Business.

The post Why You Should Spend More Time Nurturing Customer Loyalty appeared first on Constant Contact Blogs.