(By Loyd Ford) What is a client worth? What is a loyal client worth? Advertising clients come and go, but creating loyalty with advertising clients is a set of skills valuable to anyone involved in selling radio advertising today. It’s more than commercials. Becoming excellent at creating client loyalty goes well beyond regular transactions. It’s also more than generating additional experiences that add value to their relationship with your brand.
Here are a few ways to excel at creating the loyalty every seller wants:
Excel By Being The Person That Regularly Communicates With Your Client
Every seller loves the feeling of walking away with that new sale, but the sellers that offer their clients regular updates on the progress of campaigns and transparent communication build trust and make clients feel involved in a positive process. This builds loyalty.
Add Personalization To Experiences
Build your advertising solutions for clients to meet their very specific needs. As an industry, we don’t spend enough time focused on quality customer experience. This includes really personalizing each individual client solution and experience. Consistently show them you understand their business and provide personalized recommendations, solutions, and personalized experiences, too.
Be Someone They Can Depend On To Give Them Great Intel
The real value in business is knowing more than the other guy. Your role in helping clients know more will always be rewarded. Provide your clients with educational content related to the advertising industry, trends, and best practices for their business and industry. This not only positions your brand as an industry authority but also helps clients stay informed and have even more confidence in you.
Connect Your Clients To Important Others
Creating networking events or opportunities for clients to connect with other business owners in their industry can make you look like a rockstar, but that’s true because doing so also gives them confidence in what you know and what they can learn through meeting others like themselves. This can enhance their overall experience with you, show that you care, and foster a sense of connectivity.
Add To The Experience Of Being Your Client
This is not the era of taking your client for granted. Make it a regular event to surprise your clients with unexpected perks, discounts, or personalized gifts. Make the experience of being your client enjoyable beyond only the solutions you provide. This kind of unexpected generosity creates positive emotions for your clients and increases loyalty, but providing regular unique experiences may also make your clients never want to leave.
Be Someone Who Encourages Feedback
Regularly create opportunities for feedback from your clients. Value them by involving them in the decision-making process when decisions touch them or their business. This collaborative approach shows them you care what they think and creating more of a true partner strengthens your relationship.
Make Your Customer Service Excellent
Provide exceptional customer service. Period. When you respond promptly to inquiries, address concerns efficiently, and go the extra mile to resolve issues, it can significantly impact loyalty.
Don’t Forget Who Works For Who – Create Regular Performance Reviews
Make regular performance reviews of the advertising campaigns part of your regular sales process and tell clients about it up-front. Share successes and areas for improvement quarterly, and work with your client collaboratively to build bridges to future strategies together. This shows your commitment to the client’s success and makes them feel you are really on their team.
How’s Your Loyalty Program For Clients?
Don’t have a loyalty program that rewards clients for their continued partnership? I wouldn’t be surprised. Radio rarely does this, but creating such a program should include discounts on future services, access to exclusive features, or other perks. And when you do it, you stand out as something really special.
When The Client Needs Change, You Change
Always respect being flexible and regularly adapt to your client’s changing needs. When their business evolves, make certain that your advertising strategies evolve right on time with them. Proactively suggest adjustments to campaigns so you consistently align with their goals.
Don’t Take Long-Term Relationship Building For Granted
Focus on building long-term relationships rather than short-term gains is another area where you can stand out and become an essential part of the lives of your clients. Demonstrate your commitment to being a real and reliable partner in their success. Never take the relationship for granted.
Loyal customers are worth their weight (and yours) in pure gold. When you develop these strategies and others to enhance the experiences and value of your relationship with your clients, you will create experiences for your advertising clients that go beyond the basic transactional relationship most of your competitors have with them today. The only potential outcome from this is loyalty and long-term partnerships that help you grow your business… and theirs.
Loyd Ford is president and chief strategic officer at Rainmaker Pathway Consulting Works (RPC). They help local radio with ratings and revenue. Reach him anytime at 864.448.4169 or [email protected]. Read Loyd’s Radio Ink archives here.
