Modern day businesses attract and retain customers by strengthening their online digital footprint. Creating, retaining and growing customer loyalty is an integral part of all marketing efforts and it should be given serious consideration when it comes to planning growth projection paths.

Your business can never grow or expand without a constant increase in your customer base. Your revenue income is directly dependent on the number of people you cater to. That’s why you should always be looking to increase the number of people who not only buy from you, but remain as your loyal customers for good.

Let’s look at 9 ways you can not only ensure you have a healthy number of clients, but keep them coming back for good.

1. Offer great service.

Nothing beats offering the best service possible to your customers. It should be a matter of principle, but you can always take it one step further and incorporate the idea into your motto or mission statement. Delivering on this promise goes without saying, but if you can instill a strong sense of confidence in your service, customer support and sales knowledge, people will go to you first anytime they’re looking for the product or service you offer.

2. Surprise your clients.

Aim to surprise your clients (pleasantly, that is!) by promising small and delivering big. Make it part of your plan to delight your customers with unexpected extras they had no idea they were getting. At the very least, if they’ve signed up for your standard service, go ahead and deliver it with an effort that is above and beyond what is expected of you.

3. Reach out on a personal level.

Add a personal touch to really make your business stand out from all your competitors. Whenever possible, treat your clients as actual people – they are, after all! Don’t hide behind your website or put off a vibe that implies you don’t care about your customers. Personalized emails announcing new deals, follow-up calls to inquire about service and questionnaires asking users what they think should be improved will create a bond between your business and your clients. Adding personal details, like addressing a client by name, or sending out birthday or anniversary specials can add that extra little something your clients will absolutely love.

4. Stand out.

To really stand out, your products or services should be unique in at least one way. Whenever your competitors catch up and also offer that variation, keep staying ahead by updating your offerings. Take a look at your prices, your products and your services. What can you offer that no one else is?

5. Have happy employees.

The people who will best communicate your value points to your clients are your employees. This is especially true with your front-line support and sales staff. If they don’t believe in your business, it’ll be easily noticed by your clients.

6. Testimonials and positive word of mouth help.

No one can convince your potential clients that you’re reliable more than people who have already purchased from you. Let the world know just how many clients love you. Encourage these former clients to share their stories by having a dedicated testimonials page on your website.

7. Showcase complaints, too!

Don’t hate complaints. Embrace them; they’ll tell you a lot about what your clients are expecting and how well – or not – your products or services meet their expectations. Use the feedback to make product or service improvements. After all, the customer is always right!

If feedback is publicly seen, like in the comments section of your site or on platforms like Facebook, your responses to these complaints are what will stand out the most. If users see how quickly and understandingly you respond to a complaint, they’ll know you not only stand behind your product, but you’ll do everything in your power to resolve any issues.

8. Maintain non-stop solid online marketing.

Your business website will only be as visible as your online marketing campaigns allow it to be. You should have strong social media marketing (SMM) campaigns rolling out on a regular basis. Search engine optimization (SEO) should be an ongoing strategy throughout your website’s lifetime. Making sure you have no server downtime that can affect any of these efforts – as well as erode your clients’ confidence – should also be taken into serious consideration. Even if you don’t have in-house knowledge, it would be worth it to outsource such marketing and administration tasks.

9. Ever considered a loyalty program?

Acknowledge the clients that continue to do business with you by creating a loyalty program that rewards them for it. Apart from showing your appreciation, a good program will encourage your present clients to buy more of your services, while enticing new ones to jump on board for the sake of the rewards you dangle in front of them.

It’s all about making customers happy!

Each of these tips drives one important point home: make sure you have happy customers! Look at every single process in your business to see if you can’t cut or add steps that will lead to making it easier, faster and more effective for your clients to do business with you. Continue to improve and evolve until you have a product or service that simply speaks for itself.