We’ve only just met, but I’m pretty sure I know that you know that repeat business is super important to your financial well-being.You’ve heard of that 80/20 rule, right? Pareto and his peas, my friend.
Plus, you can crunch your own numbers, but I’ve read that it costs anywhere from 4-10 times as much for customer acquisition versus customer retention. Repeat business not only plays a major role in your business success, it’s also a key indicator of how well your website is performing. If you’re not seeing repeat activity on your site, you need to make some changes—and fast. Here are 5 tactics to earn repeat business through your website.
1 GET MORE BY GIVING SOMETHING GOOD
Everybody loves a bargain. What’s even better is that a limited time incentive creates that sense of urgency that compels a customer to make the purchase.
Because hey, it’s on sale. Right. Now.
Right now is a goooood time to buy. (Because, well, that offer could end any minute now.)
Advertise promotions on your site and send out personalized emails to each customer, thanking them for their business and offering discounts, deals and rewards to be used the next time they visit. Repeat customers are valuable. Why not give them a little value back?
2 BE EASY. REALLY EASY
Is it easy for your customers to find what they’re looking for on your pages? Are visitors funneled smoothly into a conversion, or are they bombarded by distracting links, graphics or other content? Dial down the unneeded frills on your site and keep the directions simple.
I need to let you in on a little secret: your industry jargon can be like reading lorem ipsum. So please, save “448-bit security encryption” or “archival hinging technique” talk for Game of Thrones night with your coworkers because your customers don’t want their heads to spin.
When working on your navigation, content and calls-to-action, step out of your expert shoes and view your website from your customers’ perspective. Are your directions easy to understand if this is the first time to the site? Can the customer quickly understand the value of your product/service? Is it easy to buy? The smoother the experience, the more likely your customer is to do business with you again.
3 BUILD A GREAT CUSTOMER LIST
This may seem about as basic as customer retention gets, but surprisingly, many sites and businesses omit this step. Gathering personal information doesn’t have to mean demanding your customers fill out an intrusive, lengthy form. Registration forms with too many fields tend to scare off even the most excited customer.
Don’t scare customers!
All you really need for an email database are a name and email address to ensure you can reach customers later with a new product announcement or promotion. Provide an incentive, like a free ebook filled with engaging content or offer a product/service discount as a reward for providing their information. If you offer something of value with registration, your customers will be happy to oblige.
4 GAIN REPEAT READERS WITH COMPELLING CONTENT
Is your content fresh, interesting and tailored to your audience? If not, there’s no reason for a visitor to come back and take another look at it. A great way to get repeat business is to provide content that’s relevant to your brand and to your audience. If you’re consistently writing about topics that appeal to your customers, your customers will keep coming back to read it, and they’ll likely decide to take you up on whatever service or product you’re currently promoting as well.
5 FOLLOW UP
Gathering customer information does no good if you don’t act on it. Sending out a personalized “thank you” email is a great way to make customers feel appreciated.
And now that you’ve been acquiring visitor information, alert your customers to new products and services, items they’ve left in a shopping cart or current promotions. This simple step is key to reminding them of the value you offer and encouraging repeat business. Follow up with a survey, poll or questionnaire to make your visitors feel valued, not to mention obtain feedback to help you improve your site and your offerings.
