{"id":8317,"date":"2022-06-14T07:23:00","date_gmt":"2023-06-06T07:23:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/?p=8317"},"modified":"2023-07-17T07:01:23","modified_gmt":"2023-07-17T07:01:23","slug":"marketing-engagement-for-customer-retention-and-loyalty","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/in\/blog\/marketing-engagement-for-customer-retention-and-loyalty\/","title":{"rendered":"Get Marketing Engagement Right to Boost Customer Retention. Here\u2019s How"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Can you think of any industry or business model that involves only one-time sales? You probably can\u2019t.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Besides the goal of reaching more people and converting them into customers, an essential aspect of any business is customer retention.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And most successful businesses are prioritising customer retention over acquisition for numerous reasons. Some of these are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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  1. Extremely competitive markets<\/b>: Access to information and technology is increasingly levelling the playing field for all businesses. Today, whether you are a startup orabig enterprise, you can compete in the same markets for your customers\u2019 attention.<\/span> <\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. High customer acquisition costs (CAC)<\/b>: CACs have been rising steadily, and there is no indication of this coming down. It will cost you fewer dollars to keep a customer than to acquire a new one.<\/span> <\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. Endless choices for customers<\/b>: The digital-first customer has access to more options than ever before.Customers can switch brands without even a second thought unless you can go beyond their expectations.<\/span> <\/li>\n\n\n\n
  4. Customers spend more<\/b>: Existing customers are likely to buy more in numbers and purchase value than new customers because they already know the value you can provide.<\/span> <\/li>\n\n\n\n
  5. Dominant revenue stream<\/b>: More than half of your revenue will typically come from existing customers; a number that jumps to more than three quarters* among B2B brands.<\/span> <\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n



    So, who owns customer retention?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    Customer retention is not afunction of one team. It is influenced by a combination of how good your post-sales service is, how well you know your customers, and how accurately that guides your cross- and upselling strategies, to name a few factors. In fact, maintaining continual, consistent communication can turn casual and first-time buyers into loyal customers and brand advocates. This is where marketing teams can play a pivotal role in keeping customers engaged and deepening relationships with them to improve retention.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Here are a few effective ways marketing teams can spruce upcustomer engagement for higher retention:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    1. Continuously engage and personalise customer experiences <\/span> <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    Continuous communication is key to any relationship\u2019s growth, whether it is with your loved ones or customers. If you don\u2019t engage with your customers from time to time, how will they think of you when they need what you offer?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Customers don\u2019t mind being marketed to as long as it is relevant to them. With first-party\u2013 data that customers freely share with you, you can get to know them better. Use data that enables real-time assessment of changes in behaviour or interests to tweak your communication on all touchpoints.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"Continuously A unified view of customer interactions with every function at every touchpoint, can arm you with a 360-degree customer view. Use this to refine customer journeys<\/a>, andstrengthen their connection with your brand. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    2. Communicate with customers in the right channels, at the right time <\/span> <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    Effective communication entails reaching out to customers with the most relevant messaging when and where they prefer engaging with your brand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Here, segmentation can make outreach easier<\/a> for you by grouping customers with similar traits, preferences, and interests together. So, you can target customers interested in the same product with related products and offers, but through their preferred channels. Then personalise your communication based on customers’ activities, stage of the customer journey with you, engagement channels, etc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    For instance, while you may send a welcome mail or message when new customers join your fan base, you could re-engage dormant customers with emailers, SMS marketing, and mobile notifications based on their online activity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    3. Start a loyalty programme if you don\u2019t already have one <\/span> <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    Customers love rewards and exclusivity<\/a>. Giving them more than just quality products helps increase repeat business by incentivising value-driven behaviour throughout the customer journey. Driving an end-to-end reward experience will need you to connect member data across teams, systems, and touchpoints.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    But it\u2019s not just points and offers customers like. They want early access to new products and sales. They seek rewards, but they also stay loyal to brands that share the same values as them. You can combine rewards and values in many ways.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Suppose you are a clothing brand that believes in sustainability. You can reward customers that recycle old clothes with exclusive rewards and loyalty points. Or you can similarly incentivise donations made to a cause supported by your brand (and customers) to build deeper connections.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    4. Make sharing feedback easier and fun <\/span> <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    Requesting feedback has two major benefits:<\/p>\n\n\n\n