Building good relationships with your customers is less complicated when they’re right in front of you. Sharing helpful tips and providing encouragement with a friendly smile are easy ways to build a personal connection with your clients. What is more challenging is maintaining this connection when they are not in your presence. Keeping your customers engaged and eager to come back requires a good plan, solid effort and commitment to your relationship.
Be Prolific
The more information you have about your customers, the more opportunities you have to engage them. Everyone has an email address these days, so make sure that your registration form includes this critical detail. Email announcements and newsletters are inexpensive to produce, and are a non-intrusive way to let your customers know what’s going on at your facility. They’re also a great way to build interest from prospective clients – the more you can highlight programs that they want to attend, the more likely they are to become customers.
Be Social
Today, maintaining your facility’s presence on Social Networks (such as Facebook and Twitter) is just as important as having a website. The key to an ambitious social media strategy is to provide a good incentive for your customers to like and follow you on a regular basis. A good start is to make a strong Call To Action that gets your customers engaged if they haven’t already done so on their own; for example, running online-only promotions or rewarding social media mentions with Perks. Not everything has to be as serious as a solicitation – posting regular “casual but relevant” messages of inspiration or humor will keep your customers interested in what you have to say without burning them out. Finding your voice and the right mix of content for your audience is as much an art as a science, so experiment and find out what your customers want to hear.
Be Mobile
Many of your customers probably have a smartphone in their pocket right now. If they have an App like MemberMe installed on their phone, you can send them instant Push Notifications about news, offers, and updates about your facility wherever they are. With MemberMe, you can schedule announcements ahead of time, or send out a quick alert immediately after an opening becomes available. That simple engagement can be the push they need to register for a session and keep your roster filled. You should plan for regular updates with tips and advice, star performer recognition, and special offers to keep your customers interested and checking your app regularly.
Be Engaged
Thanks to Email, Social Networking, and Smartphone Apps like MemberMe, maintaining that important relationship with your customers is made easier than ever. As with any relationship, commitment and dedication is the key. If you are diligent and work hard to stay engaged with your customers, they will return the favor.