A November 2019 survey from Accenture found that 33% of B2B buyers worldwide say their customer experience expectations have increased, and 44% switched sellers in the previous 12 months. Today, customer expectations are higher than ever. And because acquiring a new customer is more costly than nurturing an existing relationship, organisations need to prioritise customer engagement.
While B2B customer loyalty programs are effective, they are often an untapped resource for building a more loyal customer base. Discounts, perks and other exclusives can make customers feel valued and encourage repeat business. Thankfully, there are other tactics that businesses can leverage to uphold customer satisfaction. Read on to learn more about the ways you can further refine your customer nurturing strategy.
Consider the following tips for how to nurture accounts through your marketing campaign:
Consider developing an online resource library, portal or branded online community for your customers that includes detailed instructions, research reports, podcasts, forums, videos detailing proper installation, use and troubleshooting and more. Regularly populate this space with new content to keep customers coming back. You can even develop customer-exclusive events, either digital or in-person, such as on site training sessions, virtual webinars and more. By showcasing your commitment to your customers’ success, you can further strengthen their loyalty.
Case studies and testimonials are a win-win because they allow your brand to toot its horn while also putting customers in the spotlight. Work with customers that believe your products and services have transformed their approach to business. Capture quotes to feature on your website and social media. Additionally, aim to gather feedback that can be compiled into longer case studies featuring the challenge, solution and results. Customers will appreciate the additional exposure that your case studies provide for their organisation.
Your customers can provide you with a wealth of information about their pain points, how your products are performing and whether they’d be interested in investing in future solutions you have in development or are considering creating. Use a survey tool like SurveyMonkey, SurveySparrow or Qualtrics Core XM to gain feedback to help your organisation better respond to their needs and perfect messaging for your prospects. Try to keep your surveys brief and, if budget allows, consider offering an incentive for their responses. A $5-10 gift card can go a long way in keeping your brand at the forefront of their minds and collecting priceless insights that only your customers can give.
E-newsletters are designed to provide insightful information to customers and keep your brand top of mind. Include industry insights, highlight thought leadership content like blogs, articles and webinars, and leverage images and videos to encourage clicks and recall. Don’t be sporadic with disseminating this information. Setting a weekly, monthly or bi-monthly will bring consistency to your newsletter program and get customers in the habit of reading your content regularly.
You can even target specific follow up newsletters or emails to certain customers based on their engagement with your previous distributions. For example, if someone clicked on news about a new product, you can send them a communication focused entirely on this solution to see if they’re interested in implementing it in their business.
Contests and awards give your sales team opportunities to reach out to customers about exciting initiatives. Whether it’s a company-level recognition or a program designed to honor individuals employed by your customers’ organisations, these types of campaigns further solidify the relationship by showcasing that your brand cares about its customers and wants to celebrate them. To ensure contest and award programs run smoothly, consider drafting the copy that sales professionals will send to customers. You can even provide social media copy for them to extend the invitation to apply via their LinkedIn and Facebook profiles. If you want to simplify the campaign, you can consider running a monthly or quarterly drawing for a prize or gift card, with all current customers in the running. Remember to make it fun and, if applications or nominations are required, make the prize enticing and relevant enough for your customers.
Nurturing customer loyalty is key to operating a successful business. Happy customers can become repeat customers and can also spread the news about your great products and services to others who might be interested in them. Both repeat sales and positive word-of-mouth can take your brand to the next level and give your business a greater piece of the pie than your competitors. By incorporating the above customer nurturing tactics into your strategy, you can keep your customers’ businesses running smoothly while also gathering insightful feedback to further improve your marketing efforts.
Is your customer relationship management strategy inconsistent? Mulberry Marketing can help your business effectively and regularly communicate with customers so that they become raving fans of your brand and help drive long-term growth. Contact us today to learn more!
Jess Messenger is an Account Director at Mulberry Marketing Communications, an award-winning full-service B2B communications agency based in Chicago, London and Australia. She enjoys developing PR campaign strategies and writing for B2B audiences across numerous verticals such as retail, foodservice and healthcare.