Keeping Customers Coming Back
Attracting customers is one thing; keeping them is another. Use your web site and e-mail to improve before, during and after sales customer service.
Basically, there are two main considerations in making your web site work for you by keeping customers happy: Make sure that your content is consistently of a high quality and make sure that your site is well-maintained.
Content
Engage the interest of your customers. What is unique or special about your product? Is it grown or made in an unusual manner, favoured by Royalty or eaten by celebrities? If so, tell customers about it, concisely, on your web site.
* Offer 'must-have' facilities to customers to keep them coming back:
- Case studies detailing innovative uses of your products
- Online tools such as price calculators
- Efficient feedback channels
- Customised special offers and promotions
- Discussion/chat facilities
- Information archive
- Newsletter service
* Develop trust through content: make sure that your policies are in compliance with Data Protection requirements, along with those of security, trading policy and customers' rights, and clearly outline these policies on your web site.
* Keep it friendly: use the site to present the human face of your business.
* Provide for contact and action: offer customers as many ways as possible to contact you and to immediately action their next move.
* Look at other sites to see what competitors are doing, and keep a look out for fresh and novel approaches that you can adopt. |
