Did you know that a 2% increase in customer retention for a business has the same financial effect as a 10% decrease in costs? Many businesses realize the importance of retaining customers and building loyalty but still focus their marketing efforts primarily on attracting new customers.

Here are a few ways that digital marketing can assist with retaining customers.

Personalized Content

In times before web-based commerce, buyers would often return to businesses based on the way they were treated in-person at the store. Nowadays people can make purchases without stepping foot in a store, or even leaving their own house for that matter. This disconnect can make it difficult to provide excellent service to customers and show them that you care.

Personalized content is an excellent way to maintain a connection with your customers. Presenting content to users based on their own unique preferences is an effective way to show that you know your customers and provide them with a positive experience. By offering tailored service, you are much more likely to increase loyalty to your brand.

Web Design and Mobile Applications

A strong web design and mobile app will encourage repeat business and heighten retention. If the website or mobile app for a company is difficult to use, or has a confusing setup, consumers will often make the switch to a competitor that offers the same product/service purely because their web-presence is more streamlined and user friendly.

Consistency and ease-of-use across your business’s web platforms allows customers to know what to expect and a well-thought-out design will make them want to return. The addition of chatbots to a website is just one example of a design feature that enhances the user experience. By quickly answering customer inquiries without requiring them to email or call you, the process is made much simpler on their end. A positive web experience will encourage repeat business from consumers time and time again.

Marketing Automation

Whether they be a one-time form submitter or a ten-year loyal customer, you can always follow up and nurture that lead through marketing automation. This form of digital marketing encapsulates several different processes that automatically reach out to subscribers who have come in contact with your business. This is important because a continuous flow of content to your customers is imperative to maintaining a presence in their mind.

While a consumer may not initially need your product or service, they will remember you when the time comes. It is in this way that marketing automation helps capture missed sales opportunities and encourages repeat business.

Data and Analytics

Gathering consumer data is an important step to learning why some users become loyal customers and why others don’t. Tracking a user’s path through your website that led them to either make a purchase or leave the site allows you to monitor what is working for customer retention and what may need some fixing.

While attracting new business is important for growth, retaining customers is even more important for maintaining that growth. If you feel that implementing digital marketing strategies focused on retaining customers would be advantageous for your business, contact Linda Fanaras, President/Strategist of Millennium Agency.