Developing strong customer acquisition and customer retention strategies are extremely important to your business’ longevity and to your online reputation. Though the cost associated and overall time spent to acquire customers is typically higher than that of customer retention, both elements have a direct effect on a business’ success and should be regarded equally. With the ever-growing Internet and Social Media space small and large businesses alike have enormous opportunities to reach new prospects and hold on to their established clients.  

Social media is an indispensable tool for any business that wants to remain pertinent and gain exposure online, because not only can it connect you with prospects who are right next door, but it can also help you reach out to people all across the globe. 

In an age of Social Media, Omni-Channel Retailing and extending global connections, the choices are becoming greater by the day for consumers. With so much choice, we are becoming more and more driven by price and service when making buying decisions. The flow on effect from this means that businesses are needing to shift focus to brand recognition, values and a strong reputation for great products and services in order to keep customers on board.  Keeping up can be daunting, but there are some simple things you can do to help to improve customer retention within your business and keep your brand heart beating strongly.

Being small doesn’t mean going unnoticed.  Think about David and Goliath.  Smaller in size, David strategically used his slingshot to attack Goliath’s weak spot.  And, just as in business, small businesses need to maximise their strategic strengths to enable their business to appear larger than it actually is while still celebrating their competitive advantage over their larger counterparts. Small businesses tend to have limited resources. As a result, the classic small business has to run from project to project and emergency to emergency rather than getting on track to achieve their business objectives. So what can your small business do to get noticed and get on course to achieve your goals?

The connected customer has emerged as the driving force in a world of constant innovation, mobility, and disruption. New technologies have put customers in the driver’s seat of the marketplace giving them power over which brands sink or swim in the digital age. Businesses that treat customers with awareness and intelligence and put the customer experience at the centre of their business strategies will succeed in this new connected world. 

It all sounds so simple, so why in 2018 are we still asking if your business is as connected as your customers?  And today more than any time in history, you customer is; Connected, Empowered, Purposeful. You've heard the terms but how can businesses keep up with their evolving expectations?