As the economic climate continues to put pressure on businesses large and small, retaining current customers becomes even more vital to the health and growth of these businesses. Here are four essential ways you can be sure to retain your customer base and build customer loyalty:

Stay in regular contact with them through a consumer email database

Email marketing and newsletters have been proven to be the most successful medium when it comes to creating and maintaining a direct connection with your brand’s consumers. By leveraging a managed and profiled email database, brands can create personalized campaigns filled with content that is great and relevant to the subscribers who receive it. This personal touch helps foster a close relationship between a brand and its subscribers which then culminates in brand loyalty and positive association. Naturally, any promotional material, such as news of a big sale, will also help with retention, as more people will be informed about what they can currently get from your brand. Keeping in constant contact with the people in your email database is similar to sending regular emails to a friend and letting them know that you haven’t forgotten about them and that you know exactly what they might find funny or interesting. It is these gestures that make consumers feel close to a brand that regularly appears in their personal digital space: their inbox.

Stay in touch through social networks

Social networks are quintessentially ‘social’: they are based on the idea that people connect with a wide network of friends and colleagues in the online digital space. While many brands view social media as a place to exclusively promote and market, it actually plays a much bigger role simply as a place to develop relationships with consumers. By regularly engaging with their fans and followers in a way that builds friendship and openness, brands will reap the benefits of retaining those customers.

loyalty programs

Loyalty programs are a fundamental part of retaining customers who have already had some type of contact with your brand. This is a reward-based program, essentially thanking consumers for continuing to support your brand. Consumers not only appreciate the best deals and price cuts, they appreciate the sentiment. Consumers value being valued, and therefore even the smallest discount or free product will be enough to keep your customers on your side.

Excellent client service

Customer service is one of the most important aspects of maintaining good relationships with your consumers. Unfortunately, once people reach out to customer service, they likely already have a problem or issue that needs a solution. Seizing the opportunity to turn a disgruntled consumer into a happy one is absolutely vital, and the only way to do that is by providing prompt, prompt and excellent customer service. This can (and more often today) include providing customer service through social media channels like Facebook, where many discouraged consumers often seek help and vent about any negative brand experiences. If your brand is serious about keeping all of its customers, it takes time and effort to help each consumer until their relationship with your brand is not only repaired but improved.