Every business owner knows that the key to success is a loyal customer base. But how do you turn customers into advocates? Advocates are customers who not only love your products or services but are willing to go the extra mile to promote them to others.
In this article, we’ll discuss some tips for making customers your advocates.
Provide excellent customer service
The first + most important step to turning customers into advocates is providing excellent customer service. When customers have a positive experience with your business, they are more likely to recommend it to others. Make sure your employees are trained to provide excellent customer service, + that they are empowered to resolve issues quickly + effectively.
Create a memorable experience
In addition to providing excellent customer service, you want to create a memorable experience for your customers. This can be something as simple as a personalised note or a small gift. How do you want your customers to feel? Make sure that every interaction with your business is positive + memorable.
Encourage feedback
Encouraging feedback from your customers is a great way to show that you value their opinions. This can be done through surveys, reviews, or social media. Responding to feedback, both positive + negative, shows that you are listening + willing to make changes to improve your business.
Offer incentives
Offering incentives to customers who refer others to your business is a great way to turn them into advocates. This can be in the form of a discount, a free service, or even cash but can also be non-monetary, like social recognition. Make sure that the incentives are valuable enough to motivate customers to refer others.
CF tip: Be careful here. Incentives must feel ‘real’ to your business. Genuine. Not sales-y, fake or synthetic. Make them something the customer will value too. You don’t want to come across as ‘buying’ business – that works for some industries, but not for others so consider this one carefully.
Build a community
Building a community around your business is a great way to turn customers into advocates. This can be done through social media, events, or even a loyalty program. By creating a sense of belonging, building your tribe, customers are more likely to promote your business to others.
Show appreciation
Finally, it’s important to show appreciation to your customers. This can be through personalised thank you notes, exclusive offers, or even a simple “thank you” email. When customers feel appreciated, they are more likely to continue doing business with you + refer others to your business. It’s amazing how many businesses miss the critical part of building a strong connection with customers.
In conclusion, turning customers into advocates requires a combination of excellent customer service, creating a memorable experience, encouraging feedback, offering incentives, building a community, + showing appreciation.
By following these tips, you can turn your customers into advocates + make every customer become an extension of your sales force.
In our new book ‘Leading the Customer-led Revolution’, we look at the crucial role Customer Advocacy plays in helping you become more efficient + effective. In fact, Customer Advocacy is one of the nine capabilities of high-performing customer-led organisations.
Grab your copy here.
