Building relationships with customers is one of the best ways to win their loyalty. They’ll go somewhere else if they don’t feel connected to you.
A report by HubSpot states that “customers who have an emotional relationship with a brand have a 306% higher customer lifetime value” than those who don’t. In other words, people who are more loyal spend more money.
So what are the keys to building relationships with customers? And how do you maintain a great relationship over time?
Below we’ve outlined seven strategies you can start implementing today.
1. Get to Know Your Customers
According to Forbes, the core of the customer experience is that people want to “feel seen, known and valued” by the businesses they support.
To deliver this experience, you have to get to know your customers. Ask them about their desires, goals and stresses. Get their feedback on new products and give them opportunities to share about their experience with your brand.
Keep track of this information so that you can reference it in the future. It also comes in handy when reconnecting with customers. You can show you really listen to them and take their feedback to heart.
2. Exceed Expectations
One of the ways you can begin building relationships with customers is by creating a positive customer experience upfront. How do you do this?
Be above average and go beyond what your customers are expecting.
Here are some ways you can do this:
- Include a personal touch with your product once someone signs up, such as a thank you video
- Don’t just satisfy immediate needs — always go one step further
- Personally follow up after larger onboarding or training sessions with additional resources and exercises
- Reach out regularly to ensure your customers are getting the most out of your product or service
From the beginning of the onboarding process through product training and customer support — doing more than expected builds loyalty. This is because customers start to trust you’ll always do your best for them.
3. Show Gratitude
Telling your customers you’re thankful for them goes a long way towards creating genuine connections, especially at the beginning of a relationship.
According to Harvard Business Review, when someone feels appreciated, they’re more likely to stay in a relationship. In other words, they’ll still with your business if they know you appreciate them.
4. Communicate Often and Honestly
In any customer success role, you’re bound to encounter a variety of questions and problems with your product. Open and honest communication is crucial here.
In these situations, listen with empathy and give straightforward responses. Apologize honestly when appropriate, find helpful solutions and always follow up after you’ve addressed an issue.
And don’t forget to check in with people…just because. This reminds customers that you’re there to help them achieve their goals, not just when they hit a snag, but always.
So, what are some ways to remind your customers that you’re still around?
- Check in via phone, email, social media, text and video. Not everyone communicates the same way so try to use multiple channels of communication to meet people where they’re comfortable.
- Provide value by holding educational webinars that help customers use your product or service
- Send relevant content to train and educate your customers on product updates and new features
- Send progress updates and congratulate customers when they hit certain milestones
(on a related note, check out this article to learn strategies for dealing with difficult customers)
5. Showcase Your Human Side
Building deeper connections with people requires being vulnerable. No one is perfect and real relationships aren’t perfect, either. Don’t worry about making mistakes or coming across as…human.
One of the best ways to emphasize your humanity is to send personalized video messages to your customers. Video helps to convey your intent, empathy and tone of voice. Videos are more engaging and come across more authentically.
The more your customers see your face, hear your voice and get to know you — the more likely they are to feel like they know you personally. This feeling of familiarity helps to create trust and loyalty.
6. Focus on Customer Retention
When you think about customer lifetime value, you have to consider the cost of retaining customers versus the cost of winning new business. And acquiring new customers isn’t cheap.
In fact, it costs five times more than keeping your existing customers. You need to keep your current customers coming back.
What are some proven ways to avoid churn and keep your current customers coming back?
- Encourage product usage through training and education
- Track and share customer feedback from current customers and canceled accounts
- Surprise and delight your customers throughout their experience with your product
- Create a good referral strategy. The more a customer refers you to others, the more often they remember why they like doing business with you.
By building relationships with customers and continuing to nurture those relationships, you’re focusing on customer retention rather than customer acquisition. Making this a key part of your business model will save you time and money in the long run.
(here’s a post on customer experience platforms that can help you boost retention)
7. Provide Value Over Time
Building relationships with customers takes time and effort, which is why you can’t wait until contract renewals to reconnect with people. You have to keep delivering value.
Proactively reach out with stories about how other customers are using the product or best practices you’re seeing that generate tangible results. Don’t send “hey, just checking in” emails. Lead with value, every time.
Again, one of the best ways to deliver value AND build better relationships is through personalized video messages. Rather than send long, text-only emails or pdfs, share videos that provide additional commentary on why you thought a particular resource would be helpful.
You can also use video to explain new product launches or complex features. And they’re effective for answering FAQs or demo-ing something on your screen.
Video messaging opens the door for more conversations, and it’s a much more engage way for your customers to consume information. If you deliver value, and do it in a digestible way, your customers will reward you for it.
Build Stronger Customer Relationships with Video Messaging
At the heart of every loyal customer is a meaningful relationship. When people feel genuinely seen, supported and appreciated, they’re far more likely to stick around — and to spend more over time.
If you learn how to build relationships with customers, you have the ability to foster serious long-term trust. Remember: loyalty isn’t earned with a single great interaction — it’s built with small, consistent actions that show your customers you truly care.
Start putting these strategies into practice today, and you’ll not only create better experiences — you’ll grow a stronger, more resilient business in the process.
To start a free 14-day trial with BombBomb, click here.
You can also book a demo for your entire team here.
