Here's How to Earn and Keep the Loyalty of Your Customers Nobody will buy from you unless they trust you, but once they trust you they will buy again.
By Kimanzi Constable Edited by Dan Bova
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
Your business survives or thrives based on what you do with your marketing strategy. You see marketing every day when you log onto social media, look through email or consume content. This marketing, and your marketing, is essentially entrepreneurs asking for trust. Before someone invests their time and money there has to be some level of established trust.
It can take years to build the kind of trust that creates loyal customers who are also evangelists for your business and what you do. These types of customers bring in more business through word of mouth marketing. While you've worked hard to get to that level of trust, it can be lost in minutes. And, it's very hard to build back trust once it's lost.
There is a way to build a business that's full of loyal customers who know, like and trust you. There are four ways to build and keep the kind of trust that leads to explosive growth in your business. Use these to create lifelong customers.
Related: 5 Strategies for How to Make Customers Trust Your Brand
Use real scarcity. Stay away from "adjustable" deadlines.
Businesses have promotions that run on deadlines and during certain times each year. You open the cart and give your customers a chance to buy during a specified period of time. One tactic that's used to help customers understand why they should consider buying now is "scarcity" marketing.
The best days of a promotion tend to be the last day and moments of the sale. When you can show your customers this will be the last time to get a particular offer or price, it helps them to make a decision either way. There's an ethical and smart way to do this, and then there's the other way that we've seen far too often.
Don't use false scarcity. If you announce dates and prices during a certain time, honor what you said. Don't let customers slide in after the deadline or make secret deals just to get a few more sales. Be firm and you'll keep trust. It creates loyal customers because they can trust your word. It also helps your customers understand the importance of making a buying decision every time you offer promotions.
Related: 6 Ways to Boost Sales With AdWords Expanded Text Ads
Don't charge for what you should be offering for free.
One of the best ways to build trust and attract customers is through content. You produce blogs, videos, podcasts, newsletters and live training (in-person or online). You put a lot of effort into your free content because you understand that it's an excellent way to generate leads and demonstrate your expertise.
Whatever effort you put into creating free content and your marketing should be double for what you're selling. The premium products and services your customers pay for should be mind-blowing. If it's not, you shouldn't be charging for it. One way to lose trust quickly is for a customer to feel disappointed after seeing what they purchased.
It takes more work to get a customer but once you have them, it's easier to get repeat business. You can expect that extra business when what the customer paid for is spectacular. Put in the time. Put in more time. Create amazing products and services. Go over and beyond to make sure what you sell is practical and will give your customer a tangible result. Don't lose customer trust by marketing what you know is not your best work.
Related: A New Paradigm for Building Customer Trust
Think before you post.
It's not uncommon to ride the emotional roller coaster of entrepreneurship. When you get a win, you feel like climbing a mountain. When you're going through a low, you want to sell your business and be done with the nightmare. In either case, be aware of what you post publicly. Social media is at our fingertips. In those moments, it's easy to get carried away.
You can post things you'll regret later. Promising too much because you're excited, or posting negatively because you're down. Don't do it. What you post in seconds can have an effect on your business for years. You can lose trust, customers, and potential customers. Think before you post no matter what your state is.
Related: The 7 Biggest Social Media Fails of 2017
Focus on real results for clients, not the next sale.
Our natural inclination is to focus on making more. We want the next sale, the next promotion, the next customer. It's exciting to see the checkout cart ringing and to get those payment notifications on our phones. Many entrepreneurs get lost in chasing the next sale. They focus on what's coming instead of delivering for their clients.
If you want to create raving fans and loyal customers for life, focus on getting results for those that invest with you. The next sale will come when potential customers see the real results your clients get. You build more trust when someone else is talking about what you helped them do versus you talking about what you did.
Building a business that gives you freedom and financial security happens when you step up and build trust through the consistent work you put in. Don't lose trust over circumstances that are within your control. You can and will build loyal customers who bring in more business when you are real and live up to your hype. And you can.
