The Streetwise Guide to Generating Customer Loyalty Via Your Website
Your website is the only ‘owned’ media you have at your disposal, meaning you have complete ownership and control over its content and how you use it. You don’t have to ‘earn’ exposure for that media like you do with social media, and you don’t have to ‘pay’ for exposure like you do with paid advertising. But websites are generally seen in the industry as just a virtual shop window for the products and services each company offers, meaning their content has only a fraction of the potential it could have. That is why when someone goes the extra mile and offers visitors more than just a window, when they offer a whole interactive department store to browse, they are guaranteed to generate more customer loyalty.
‘But people only come to the site to see what we offer’ I hear you say. Yes they do, but that’s only because you don’t give them any other reasons to come and have a look. But if you became an industry resource full of useful and interesting information and ways to interact, you are giving your customers a reason to be loyal and return. Here’s our streetwise guide on how to turn your website from a shop window into an industry resource.
Have a Library of Useful Documents
Offering the right content will attract and please the right audience, so having a library of useful content relating to your company is the best place to start. Your library should include easily accessible and valuable information such as CAD drawings, BIM files, images and technical datasheets, etc.
You can also kill two birds with one stone here. If you are offering valuable information for free, people are usually willing to offer something in return, so its common to ask for people to register their contact details, such as a phone number or email address, in return for the information. You can then use this information to build your email and/or mobile marketing database.
Whether you choose to offer the information in return for registration or simply leave it up there for all to see, keeping an eye on how many sign-ups/visitors your library is getting and what are the most popular documents will give a useful insight into the kind of information your visitors value, and will help when deciding on future content.
Have Interactive Tools
Consider the information your customers will need to calculate or consider when they are looking at your products and services. Any interactive tools that make it quicker and easier for them to make any calculations needed before purchase are going to be what makes customers want to come back and use your website again over your competitors’.
Have Informative Blog Content
If you don’t already have a blog, set one up. It’s free, it helps towards SEO and its great for keeping people updated on what your company and the industry are up to on a regular basis. When it comes to writing blog content, you need to consider the audience and purpose of the blog with each new topic. Is that topic relevant of your company’s area of expertise and in your customers interests? Is the level of technical information right for the audience? No-one likes to be patronised, but at the same time they would rather not be bombarded with jargon either. The more relevant and informative your blog content is, the more your customers will want to return for future posts and share the posts.
Again, you can use visitor and post statistics as an insight into what content and topics are being received well and which ones are flopping, which can impact on your future topic choices.
Hold Interactive Events
Engage your customers by holding interactive events, such as regular Q+A sessions, free webinars, etc. This will not only allow your customers to feel they have a voice and allow them to feel closer to you as a company, but it will also give you an insight into what they are thinking, the big questions they are asking, etc. This will then allow you to tailor your website as a resource to answer these questions, fulfil these wants and needs and therefore generate customer loyalty.
The ways in which your website can become a resource for your customers and generate loyalty and return visits is endless, and it all comes down to getting to know what your customers value, what they want and need, and giving that to them.
The StreetwiseSubbie.com Ltd website is an example of how a construction industry website can be a resource for its customers, take a look around it and see what we offer to our customers. We would love to hear your feedback!
On social media? Tweet us @StreetwiseSubbi or connect with us on LinkedIn!
Follow