Let’s think logically. Every business owner wants to have a constant flow of clients to his business. If the number of loyal clients grows, the revenue grows as well. So, the lifeblood of any type of business is a CLIENT. No doubts.
But what should be done in order to win your clients’ trust and respect? The HAAC model implies Honesty, Appreciation, Attention and Care from your side. Show this through your eCommerce site and the best customer service. Your employees should keep this principle in mind. If at least one of them treats your customers differently, the system won’t work.
Right now I’d like to remind you about simple but effective methods of strengthening the bond between your business and your customers. Just let me steal your attention for 5 minutes. Let’s go?
Visiting your website should be a real pleasure for your customer
Exactly. Recollect your emotions when you visit a nice e-store, like GetRest or Simply Gum. Oh, this is something truly incredible. Aesthetic look of your website is only a half of your success. I hope you don’t underestimate this aspect, do you? We are talking about people who love shopping. And the shopping process itself is driven by emotions. So, why not intensify the customers’ emotions by showing how cool your product is? Do not copy large brands. Express your own vision and be unique on the market.
Stay in touch
What do we usually do when we want to preserve warm relationships with people and to let them know that we care? We pay attention to them. One of your main tools, in this case, is email marketing:
- Congratulate your clients on their birthdays and other holidays
- Let them know about your new goods and special offers
- Show them your special treatment: if someone has spent a considerable sum of money in your e-store during the month, give a symbolic present or offer a generous discount
- Be polite and cheerful in your letters. Always.
I have to warn you. Do not sell in your letters (at least try not to do this too often) and do not send too many letters. This is incredibly annoying. Especially when some e-store sends you 3 letters per week. Much depends on the subject line of your letter, so be sure you have chosen an appropriate one. Your letters should be useful, informative and unobtrusive. And you should be 100% confident that your email marketing specialist knows this. Certain things should be avoided, because the price is too high.
Another tool for strengthening the bond is a social network. Actually, it might be a very useful tool, if you work on it:
- Publish the high quality photos and videos of your goods (the majority of customers trust overview videos)
- Inform your customers about special novelties, promotions and limited offers
- Publish photos of your customers with the goods from your e-store
- Show that there are real people behind your brand, whom your customers can trust and rely on
- Inspire your customers (post some catchy content in your group at least from time to time if you want your clients to associate your brand with something positive). Useful tip: try to stick to a single image of your company. Your brand’s positioning really matters.
- Teach your customers (give the useful information on how to use your product or other things you consider necessary and appropriate).
Always be quick to respond
Give your customer an opportunity to contact you without obstacles: no matter who will it be – your sales manager or a chief executive officer. If you show that practically every member of your company is open for communication and ready to help, your client will feel comfortable.
Don’t make your customers wait and respond to their needs as soon as possible. You should be 100% sure that your sales managers remember this rule all the time.
Why I decided to remind you about this? Personally, I have known sales managers who considered themselves more important than the company’s customers. So, be very attentive while choosing such kind of employees.
Technical support
Your eCommerce store should operate well 24/7. Only in this case your customer feels confidence, trusts you and eagerly comes shopping again and again. If some buttons do not work, certain page shows a 404 error or online support doesn’t react in working hours…will your client have enough patience to return?
Whether you are doing it alone or together with a dedicated team of professionals, one thing is certain: building long-term customer relationships is a step by step procedure. You should treat your customer like your best friend, seriously. Once you follow the HAAC model the number of your loyal customers will grow day by day.
