How can you create a Digital Strategy that focuses on customer retention?

1. Understand customer behaviour with data analysis and customer journey mapping 2. Focus on personalisation and seamless customer experience 3. Design loyalty programs 4. Develop engaging “value added” content and communication on all touch points 5. Collect and act on feedback and reviews 6. Proactive customer support 7. Use predictive analytics and AI 8. Have a strong innovation and new product development roadmap 9. Measure KPIs and analyse 10. Have customer education programs 11. Implement data security and privacy stringently

Understanding where your brand’s customers spend time and how they search for your product, service, and brand is essential to identifying tactics and strategies that aid customer retention.

It starts with understanding your customers and segmenting them based on their interests and behaviors to be able to address their pain points. To be successful in retention, personalization plays a crucial role. Doing so in an omnichannel approach in at least all the digital channels will help with retention and engagement as well. Another important tool is a loyalty program where you can consistently address your customer's needs. So keep being relevant with your value proposition all the time and not only when customers show high propensity to churn and monitor the retention KPIs closely.

Begin by deeply understanding your customers' behaviors, preferences, and needs. Leverage data analytics to gain insights into their interactions with your brand across digital channels.

Customer journey mapping doesn't start at the point at which a customer starts interacting with your brand. It should start a lot sooner than that. The digital strategy needs to cover all the touch points in ways that places your brand top of mind all the time.

Once you understand your customers and have identified segments, you need to get clear on your goals to cultivate loyalty. To start, ask yourself: 1) How can we continue engagement with customers and what action are we looking for them to take? 2) What are customers expecting and/or needing from us and how do we fulfill that? 3) What business goals do we have and what impact does cultivating customer loyalty have on those goals? 4) How do we define success and measure it? Through thoughtful exploration, you can create SMART goals (specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, time bound), which inform strategy and approach to cultivating loyalty and best metrics. Compare metrics quarterly to verify effectiveness and reevaluate when needed.

Insbesondere im B2B sind Metriken oft Vanity Metrics die schön aussehen aber keine wirkliche monetäre Aussagekraft haben. Ein MROI ist insb. im B2B extrem kompliziert ... hier gilt aber der alte Grundsatz "Ein schlechter Plan ists besser als keiner". Vanity Metrics (Likes, Shares etc.) können instrumentale Ziele sein und im Zusammenspiel mit Placeholder-Conversionrates einen MROI zumindest simulieren. So kommt man in kleinen Schritten dem Ziel näher Ausgaben an einnahmen zu knüpfen. Das setzt natürlich ein granulares Tracking der Aufwände voraus.

In my journey through IT consulting, the heartbeat of success lies in building authentic connections with clients. During one client engagement, I went beyond the lines of code and delved into the intricacies of their business ecosystem. My commitment to their success became tangible over time. When a critical IT snag threatened operations, I was there, not just as a problem solver but as a dedicated partner ensuring a seamless recovery. The client felt more than just serviced; they felt understood. That was a collaborative victory, and soon, referrals cascaded in. So, in IT consulting, where solutions are abundant, the real differentiator is the fusion of technical prowess with a genuine understanding of clients' unique challenges.

Don't choose channels or tactics until you've heard from the customers first. Go ask them these questions: - Where do you typically learn about products like ours? - What stands out to you with vendors like us when you are looking? - How have vendors in the past got your attention when you aren't looking? - What are the most memorable pieces of content you can remember from a vendor and why? Implement an open-ended question of: "How did you hear about us?" can also provide some key data points to find areas that might be working. Leverage your data and analytics to decide what's working and what isn't and then optimize and cut. I have found 3 core channels usually produce the best outcomes, the others help but need less focus.

Kunde>Thema>Kanal>Taktik ... es mag Einzelfälle geben in der dieser Prozess nicht passt. In meiner Erfahrung sorgt er aber in der Regel dafür, dass viel mehr passender Content auf viel mehr Kanälen stattfindet. Hier stoßen wir aber oft auf Organisationen die in Silos organisiert sind (Social Media Team, Website Team etc.) die sich schwertun in einer Content-Repurposing Logik zusammenzuarbeiten. Ich sehe hier aber einen riesigen Hebel vor allem für kleine Teams. Personalisierung ist in diesem Kontext ein gefährliches Buzzword ... so ähnlich wie data-driven Marketing. Da verheben sich selbst die größten ... die Basics richtig machen ist vermutlich eine bessere Idee.

Picking your digital battleground. It's not about being everywhere, it's about being where it counts. Mix and match - owned, earned, paid. Your website, emails, social media, content, SEO, PPC, influencer marketing - these aren't just channels, they're your arsenal in the digital realm. But coherence is key. Ensure that every tactic, every platform, speaks your customers' language, resonates with their journey. It's about targeted, integrated, personalized approaches. Choose wisely, for in this choice lies the power to connect and engage.

Ultimately, cultivating customer loyalty relies on creating consistent positive experiences and exceeding expectations across every touchpoint, from first contact through fulfillment and beyond. You can’t promote excellent service, for instance, and deliver mediocre. You need to back up your brand values and customer promises through authentic customer-centric action. To help, ensure everyone within the company is clear on operating in alignment with those values; understand your customer behavior and anticipate scenarios so you know how to best manage and protect the customer experience; and if a customer has a bad experience, listen, empathize, and respond with care to turn around the situation.

Ein unheimlich wichtiger Punkt! Ich bin Ansprechpartner in unserem Event-Business für unsere Hochzeitspaare bei der Hochzeitslocation-Planung. Mich freut es unheimlich, dass meine Kunden besonders den Mehrwert schätzen, den ich bereit bin, über den normalen Auftrag hinaus zu leisten - in individuell erstellten Videos, Bildern oder Hilfestellungen, die über die Kernleistung weit hinaus gehen, um positive Erlebnisse zu kreieren. Uns es ist eigentlich ganz einfach: ich habe mich gefragt, was mir wichtig ist als Kunde - was ist meine Erwartungshaltung, die durch ein Angebot kommuniziert wurde? Wenn man den Job mit Herzblut macht, dann kommen diese Ideen darüber hinaus ganz von selbst. Man macht die Geschäfte von Mensch zu Mensch.

Mehrwert ist Key ... und der liegt nicht in Produkt-Features, zumindest nicht in ToFu und MoFu Content. Echter Mehrwert ist gar nicht so schwer ... einfach mal die Brille des eigenen Produkts ablegen und überlegen wobei man als Unternehmen seinem ICP helfen will ... und dann Content daraus erstellen. Am Ende kann dann die Produktsicht je nach Position in der Customer Journey mal mehr mal weniger hinzugefügt werden.

Deliver value and delight. This isn't just about products or services that tick boxes. It's about solutions that genuinely solve problems, exceed expectations. Think high quality, think transformative. But there's more. Exceptional customer service - responsive, helpful, empathetic. This is your chance to shine, to show customers they're more than transactions. You're crafting experiences, memories that resonate, that echo. Make your customers feel valued, cherished. That's the essence of delight, the core of lasting value.

In my past IT consulting engagements, my team faced a client's urgent system glitch. Instead of just fixing the code, we dove deep into their operations. The solution not only resolved the issue but streamlined their entire workflow. The client was astonished—an IT fix turned into a transformative efficiency boost. This experience taught us that true value goes beyond the immediate problem; it's about understanding the client's core needs and delivering solutions that reshape their digital landscape.

I built a Loyalty program around customers, providing points and benefits for continued engagement with the brand/business. There are many creative ways to build Point/Loyalty programs. Double point days are always a pull for more engagement and loyalty. Another strategy is a Referral program; share this and earn a reward.

Ich frage regelmäßig in jedem Schritt meine Kundenkommunikation nach Feedback, auch bei nicht erhaltenen Aufträgen und nehme dieses Feedback sehr ernst und setze Ideen um, die ich umsetzen kann. Und das sind in vielen Fällen keine Rabatte oder Werbegeschenke. So kann ich mich von meiner ersten Mail an den Lead, dem ersten Gespräch über den Kostenvoranschlag bis zum erhaltenen Auftrag und nicht zuletzt bis nach der Durchführung des Events kontinuierlich über Kundenfeedback verbessern. (Branche: Hochzeitslocation-Planer).

No se trata de recolectar estrellas y reviews. No se trata solo de pedir opiniones; es escucharlas de verdad. Las sugerencias y quejas de tus clientes son oro puro para el crecimiento. Actúa según sus comentarios; que cada ajuste en tus ofertas y procesos sea un eco de sus voces. Pero no termina ahí. La lealtad es un tesoro que se debe cultivar. Recompensa a tus clientes, no solo con palabras, sino con acciones concretas: incentivos, descuentos, regalos, reconocimientos. Haz que se sientan especiales, que sepan que su fidelidad es valorada. Así, no solo se quedarán contigo, sino que se convertirán en embajadores de tu marca.

Feedback and Loyalty go hand-in-hand. By integrating a post-purchase feedback loop into your marketing strategy, you can help customers feel more valued and give them an opportunity to give you a direct commentary of their experience. This feedback can be used in subsequent marketing campaigns and platforms such as Feefo and Trustpilot allow you to utilise feedback as marketing material. Feedback can also be used to close gaps in your offering and develop more customer-centric products and services. Loyalty points systems and referral schemes offer an additional dimension to keep customers coming back, growing sales within your customers networks.

Actively seek and attentively listen to your customers' opinions, suggestions, and even grievances. The key here is not just gathering feedback but to use it as a compass.

Experimentation is the core of digital experience, in addition this Personalization is crucial; treating repeat customers differently is key. Consider these suggestions: 1. Conduct AB tests throughout the funnel. 2. Tailor experiences by segmenting users according to their purchasing behavior. 3. Utilize heatmaps and screen recordings to gather test ideas, establishing a pipeline for experimentation.

In B2B, it's all about building trust and providing consistent value. Here, retention relies on understanding each client's unique business needs and offering tailored solutions. The focus is on fostering long-term relationships through strategic partnerships, quality service, and regular, meaningful communication. On the other hand, B2C retention strategies revolve around creating an emotional connection with the consumer and ensuring a personalized, convenient experience.

Retention is driven by usage (of a product or a service); inactive clients will be at risk of churning. To increase retention, create a plan that promotes, encourages, facilitates, and, if necessary, incentivizes usage.

In meiner Erfahrung kommt eine Strategie zur Kundenbindung "ganz von alleine" wenn man anfängt Revenue Operations im Unternehmen zu etablieren. Kundengeschichten (als Ergebnis erfolgreicher Kundenbindung) sind der Treibstoff für das Marketing um MQLs/SQLs zu genieren die der Vertrieb dann in Kunden verwandelt. Wenn dieser Kreislauf verstanden wird steigt die Bedeutung der CX-Abteilung immens und damit der Anreiz Prozesse und Strukturen so zu optimieren das am Ende wirklich erfolgreiche Kunden stehen.

In the realm of digital strategy and IT consulting, adaptability emerges as a silent protagonist. Consider the scenario where a client's needs unexpectedly pivoted amidst an ongoing project. Instead of rigidly adhering to the initial plan, our team embraced the change, redefined goals, and ultimately delivered a solution that not only met but exceeded the client's revised objectives. This flexibility echoed a broader truth—successful consulting requires not just technical prowess but the agility to navigate unforeseen shifts in the industry or client expectations. It's a reminder that the ability to pivot gracefully, coupled with a forward-thinking mindset, is often the key differentiator between merely meeting expectations.