Customers want to know that the company they are doing business with will provide them with a great experience. Letting your customers recommend you not only make them feel great about themselves but also allows your reputation to circulate and be known by others who need what you offer. Unfortunately, it is costly to market your company. It might be challenging to come up with cost-effective consumer acquisition techniques. Getting a new client might cost six or seven times as much as keeping your existing ones. However, you may acquire new clients without spending a lot of money. One of my favorite methods to achieve this is to use your present clients to bring in new business. It may seem not very easy, but it is a lot simpler than you may imagine. It’s all about being resourceful. It’s a win-win situation for everyone if you can develop an acquisition approach that improves retention. Don’t underestimate the influence of a referral. According to research, 83 percent of customers trust referrals from family and friends. When someone recommends your brand, they are more inclined to give it a try. But earning that first suggestion is crucial. How do you go about doing it? Don’t worry if this is your first time using this method in your marketing strategy. I’ll offer you some pointers on how to continue. Here’s all you need to know about it.
Steps to getting your customers to recommend your brand to others:
1. Provide a welcoming environment for customers.
Examine your company’s culture before launching any new marketing efforts. Begin by improving your client service. Not only can improving the customer experience help you increase income, but it can also help you recruit new consumers. Take a look at these facts regarding friendly customer service:
According to recent research, clients who had a pleasant connection with a firm were more inclined to suggest it to others. The vast majority of those with lousy service would not recommend a company. It costs you nothing to be friendly. Ensure that all management and customer support personnel are on the same page. If you have face-to-face interactions with clients, you should teach your employees to smile. Be sincere. Inquire about how the customer’s day is going. Make an effort to engage with your consumers on a personal level. Even whether you’re conversing on the phone or online, your tone of voice will express your attitude. Don’t sigh or take frustrated heavy breaths. Don’t be monotonous or distant. Speak with a warm and lively tone of voice. Even when you’re on the phone, smiling might help your voice seem more upbeat. It’s a no-brainer to use this method. This isn’t something you can track, but if your current customers had a good experience with you, they’d gladly tell their friends and family about it. New clients will be walking through your doors before you realize it. If you treat them the same way, they’ll tell their friends about your company.
2. As quickly as possible, respond to consumer queries.
Let us continue our discussion on customer service. Your support crew must go above and above when clients have concerns or difficulties, in addition to offering courteous service throughout regular contacts. It’s easy to get irritated while dealing with a disappointed consumer. Treat them with respect and make them feel as though they are correct, even if you believe they are incorrect. Customers should not have to wait for a response from a customer support person. This is something you should keep in mind regardless of where you do business. Don’t make consumers wait to talk with management if you have a physical store. Get in touch with someone straight now. Don’t keep your consumers waiting for too long while accepting phone calls. Put a priority on responding quickly to client queries, whether they come in via your website’s platform or through email.
Please take a look at these figures and think about them for a bit. Customers who got a quick but unsuccessful answer were more inclined to suggest a brand than those who got an extended but appropriate response. Just thought you solved a customer’s issue doesn’t imply they’ll tell their friends about you if it takes too long. Customers are still eager to endorse your business if you respond quickly, even if you don’t have a solution.
3. Conceive a referral scheme.
Some individuals will only suggest your brand if you give them something in return. Is it possible to blame them? Customers like receiving discounts and freebies. Create a client referral program that rewards existing customers who help spread the news about your business. Uber has one of the better customer referral schemes I’ve seen. This is how their system works. The client who refers receives a credit, as does the new customer. The benefits vary by location and time, but here’s an example of a $20 program:
It was a huge success. In this case, the cost of acquiring a client is $40. Two consumers will get $20 from Uber. Customers that utilize the service at least once a week pay about $95 per month for it. Uber retains 25% of the money. So the client acquisition expense has already paid for itself in less than two months. It’s an excellent method that boosts a customer’s lifetime value. Once a new client has signed up, they will recommend their friends to continue receiving discounts. It may seem to be a large sum of money, but as you can see from the figures I just provided, it is well worth it. If your referral program is just worth a few dollars, your clients will be uninterested. How much work do you expect them to put into a recommendation if you pay them $5 or 10%? The new consumer who is getting the advice is in the same boat. Offering a $20 credit, on the other hand, may be sufficient to get free goods or, in the case of Uber, a free journey. Find a method to incorporate this philosophy into your business. I’m confident it will work for you, based on Uber’s rapid growth since its beginning.
4. Customers should be invited to milestone celebrations.
It’s critical to get to know your clients. Don’t treat them as if they don’t have a name or a face. Speak with them. Discover why people are spending money at your establishment. Let’s imagine you’re the owner of a restaurant. When a client places a large order, inquire whether it is for a particular occasion. Make them feel special by going above and above. Perhaps they’re getting together to celebrate a birthday or an anniversary. If the purchase is large enough, you may provide free shipping or a discount. Half of the consumers who mention businesses on social media while discussing a life milestone suggest the brand to others.
I understand that obtaining information on a customer’s life events might be difficult, mainly if you run an internet firm. However, wherever feasible, attempt to get as much information as possible regarding the acquisition. This is also related to the topic of excellent customer service. Of course, the significance and relevance of this marketing factor will vary by industry. However, there are still creative methods to apply this marketing technique to your company. For example, let’s suppose you’re in the garment business. A group of ladies enters your boutique and begins trying on high-end gowns. Asking questions is a skill that your sales staff should learn. “Is this for a special occasion?” says the narrator. If one of the ladies has just been engaged, do all you can to make her feel special without jeopardizing your profit margins. This, according to the research I just presented, will improve the likelihood of those consumers promoting your business to others on social media.
Look at some of the other top replies on that list, even if they don’t explicitly suggest your company:
- thank you to the brand
- indicate your preference for a particular brand
- obtain price reductions
All of these postings are still good publicity for your brand. Their friends will be more inclined to test your goods or services as a consequence. Here are a few of the most common life events that lead to consumers recommending a business on social media:
If you work in an industry where these events are essential, be aware of this.
5. Encourage the usage of user-generated material. (UGC)
Now is the time to be creative and think outside the box. Promoting user-generated content is a terrific strategy to expand your brand. Why? You won’t have to spend a lot of money to do this. UGC won’t take up much of your time and involves very little work on your part. However, the end effect may be quite satisfying. Your consumers will not be formally promoting your company if you use UGC. The brand exposure you’ll get, on the other hand, is just as powerful as a referral. Take a look at how user-generated content (UGC) affects online shoppers:
There are several approaches you may take. Running social media competitions is one of my favorites. To conduct one of these competitions, use Instagram or Facebook as a marketing platform. Allow consumers to post photographs and videos promoting your goods or services. Choose the post with the most likes or comments by a specific date and give them a gift. You’ll obtain a high participation rate from your followers if you make the reward worthwhile.
As a consequence, those who follow the consumers who are participating in the contest will be exposed to your business. This indirectly introduces your brand to a new group of people. You may even establish a section of your website dedicated to user-generated content. For example, allow consumers to post films or tell tales about their interactions with your business. It will assist you in attracting new consumers without draining your marketing budget.
6. Customers should be encouraged to provide reviews for your company.
You may market your business in various ways, one of which is by writing about your product or service. Nothing, however, is considered more reliable than a customer’s internet evaluation. You’ll brag about how fantastic your company is. Consumers understand that you will not voluntarily provide damaging information about your company. It’s possible that the information on your website will not be enough to attract a new consumer. Client reviews, on the other hand, improve the likelihood of a new customer purchasing from your company:
As many review websites as feasible should have a profile for your firm. Allow your consumers to leave reviews on sites such as:
- Yelp
- Google Customer Reviews
- TripAdvisor is a website that helps people
The more platforms you use, the more exposure you’ll get. Customers trust certain websites’ reviews more than others. According to research, Google and the Better Business Bureau are the two most trusted review websites. It’s not enough to have a Yelp account. You must figure out how to get your current consumers to provide evaluations. Inquire of them. After they’ve completed a purchase, politely request that they leave a review on your website. You might also take a different approach and provide them with an incentive. If they post an online review for your brand, you may give them a discount or a promotion. Just make sure you’re not looking for positive feedback. Make it evident that all you want is a review and that you hope it’s a nice one.
Conclusion
You’ll need to develop innovative marketing strategies to keep client acquisition expenses low. Making minor adjustments to your company’s operations may encourage current customers to suggest it to others. Begin with the basics, such as customer service. Always maintain a pleasant demeanor and reply to client queries quickly as feasible. Create a customer referral program that pays your existing customers for referring you and new consumers to check out your brand. Assist your consumers in marking significant anniversaries and events in their lives. Encourage user-generated content and make it simple for consumers to leave reviews on your website. If you follow these suggestions, your present customers will refer your company to new people, increasing your consumer base.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you get people to recommend?
A: The best way to get people to recommend is by having a very high-quality product. Make sure your app or website works well and that it doesn’t have any bugs because nobody wants their time wasted on anything broken.
How do you attract people to your brand?
A: To attract more people, you need to make your brand known. This means making sure that not only do you have positive reviews on places like Yelp or Google, but also having quality pictures and videos of your product as well.
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