How can companies attract customers and retain them?

How can companies attract customers and retain them?

Traditionally, the focus of marketing has been on building new markets and attracts new customers. But it is not enough to be skillful in attracting new customers; the firm must keep them and increase their business. Now, firms are found giving more weight to attract customers and retain them. The key to customer retention is customer satisfaction. A highly satisfied customer stays loyal for long periods; buys more when the company introduces new product; talks favorably about the product and the firm; pays less attention to competitor’s advertisement and brands; is less sensitive to competitors price and other offers; provides ideas to the firm to improve the product; and the cost of servicing a loyal customer is lower than the cost of servicing a new.

Firms seeking to expand their market have to attract customers and retain them. For this, they have to spend considerable time and resources. They must develop several advertisements and places them in various indoor, outdoor, direct and display media that will reach new prospects. Advertising is the cheapest, fastest, and reliable medium to attract the new customers as well as current customers.

Besides these, customer retention can be done by the following methods:

1. Erecting High Switching Barriers

In order to make customer retained, the firm can erect high switching barriers. Switching may involve high capital costs, high search costs, and loss of attractive discounts for current customers. It could sometimes be wise to phone recent buyers and get information to what degree they are satisfied with the products and services.

2. Developing Relationship Marketing

Relationship marketing is best tool to retain the customers. Therefore, the firm needs to develop relationship marketing remembering customers between calls, building a personal reputation, improving customer relations, maintaining after sales services, providing solutions to their problems, etc. The firm takes steps to know and serve its customers better.

3. Customer’s Expectation

For the retention of the customer, it is also very necessary to set the customer’s expectation in prior state. The setting of customer’s expectation help to minimize the uncertainty level of offering your services to your clients. The expectation of the customers should be made developed as positive and delivering the services in the particular time. But sometimes, it may also lead to negative, if the delivery the services is not done in the particular time. Due to such negative expectations, the client/ customers may also cancel their order from the business.

4. Being the Expert

Now a days, the small business organization needs to be more dependent upon the services. So, being the expert in the particular services you are delivering surely help to retain the customers towards your services. The business organization should be trusted advisor for building customer loyalty and reduce customer churn.

5. Conduct Customer Surveys

In order to know the reactions of the customers towards the delivered services, it is also very necessary to conduct customer surveys. By conducting the surveys, the business organization can triggered out the weakness of the services and can turn into strength. The feedback of the customers also play great role because the information provided by the customers are very valuable for the services delivered in relation to the customers’ expectations.

6. Online Relationship

In the age of advanced communication technology, business can build online relationship with their clients very easily and building an online relationship is also taken as the way of retaining customers towards your services. Nowadays, there are a lot of social media networking sites that can connect millions of customers within your computer screen. It will be also better to create a social profile in some popular social networking sites like Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Pinterest and many others. Majority of the people are engaged in these media.

7. Post-support Services

Selling huge quantity for a time is not the entire goal of your business. But selling for a long period of time and retain customers for long period of time is a most. For that, business companies should provide post-support services or post-sales services to the clients. By providing such services, customers become more loyal towards your services and continue to use your services.

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Promotion Decisions in Nepal for Successful Marketing

The promotional works give information to target market about the organization and its products, influence them and remind them about the company and its products. Promotion gives complete information to the prospective customers about quality of goods, price, using/handling methods, benefits etc.

Like in other countries, the customers are provided information about products, so is in Nepal also. Promotion is an important element of marketing. Its role is increasing daily. The main elements generally used in practice are as follows:

Related Topic:

Meaning and Objectives of Promotion

1. Advertising

Sellers make various artistic presentations in order to sell their goods, the same is called advertisement. It makes flow of information about goods or services and gives necessary information and knowledge and reminds the customers of the goods or service. So, advertisement has become very popular in promotion of goods or services. This generally used by business firms, social organizations, government and governmental organizations. In order to have mass selling, mass communication is necessary. Nepalese entrepreneurs/producers use different types of advertising media which are mentioned as follows:

a) Print media:

Print media are used to give information to the customers or consumers about products or services. This media include newspapers. Notice, attitudes, ideas/views, descriptions etc. can be published. The many potential customers study such materials. Gorkhapatra, Kantipur, Nepal Samacharpatra etc. are its examples. A large number of customers or consumers look at such newspapers in city areas. But in remote villages, the customers or consumers cannot read such materials since most of them are illiterate.

Magazine is also included in print media. Information about goods or services can be given to the customers or consumers by publishing poems/verses, articles, notices, descriptions etc. in commercial booklets, fortnights, bulletin, journal etc. Such publications attract attention of all customers. House magazine, business journal etc. of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Nepal, Himal, New Business Age Core Express, are some examples of Nepalese magazines. Information, advertisement and messages of business firms become comparatively long, descriptive, analytical and explanatory in such type of print media. They may be difficult to understand for the customers living in villages.

b) Audio media:

Information and messages about goods or services also can be broadcasted/ disseminated through radio. So, this medium is also called radio advertisement. Consumer goods, sports goods, household goods, small equipment, etc. are advertised. Radio advertisement has become very popular in Nepal. All the potential customers of all parts of the kingdom can hear and understand notices, messages, description, etc. at a time. So, the Nepalese business firms give priority to radio advertisement.

c) Audio-visual media:

Audio-visual medium is also used to advertise goods or services in Nepal. Information is given about the quality, utility, price, benefits, using methods etc. of the goods which is intended to sell. Colored pictures, scenes of the products are attractively presented decorating at right place through this modern media. Such type of presentation attracts potential customers and wins their heart. Nepal Television is the strong example of audio-visual media in Nepal. Nowadays advertisements are given in front, in the middle and in the end of news.

d) Visual media:

Information and messages about goods or services can also be communicated by pasting posters. Posters can be prepared by writing or printing information or messages with colored pictures and pasted on walls, public places etc. Posters attract the attention of the customers. Such posters are also pasted and exhibited at Tripureshwor Stadium, Pokhara Stadium, Airport, Highways, Bypass roads bus stops etc. Advertisements can be made through bill boards, hoarding boards, etc. at different places such as airport, bus stops, super markets and other important public places. But such boards are located only in some city areas. Electrical signs are also used for advertising goods. Generally, such advertising media are in practice in Nepal.

2. Publicity

The function of providing information and messages about products, company's policy, programs etc. without any fee to the customers is called publicity. Such publicity is made by other sectors than the concerned organization. Such advertisement done through any person, organization, or group becomes reliable and trustworthy for the customers. This type of publicity has also become very effective as well as popular in Nepal. Programs such as press conference, display/exhibition, inauguration by ministers or socially respectable persons etc. are also used for publicity. Organizing annual ceremony of business firm, presenting annual reports etc. also become effective to publicize any company's products or services. This method of advertisement is also practiced in Nepal.

3. Personal Selling

Personal selling is also an important as well as effective tool for promotion. In this method, customers are directly contacted and communicated the messages about company and products. Potential customers are met and the goods are described to them. This is also supposed to be very effective means of promotion. It creates demands in potential customers. The personal seller should be skillful. Personal selling is Nepal has become effective in city areas and has begun to enter in some villages.

4. Sales promotion

Besides personal selling, advertisement, publicity, propagation, and other activities can also be conducted for sales promotion. Among them efforts for creation of demand, promotion of company etc. can be taken. Consumers' promotion, trade promotion, sales force promotion etc. methods should be used to make it effective. Gifts, price-off discount coupon distribution etc. can be provided to attract customers towards goods or services. Most of the Nepalese businessmen have used these methods.

Trade promotion is the second method of trade promotion. In this method, middlemen/intermediaries and channels are encouraged. Allowances, cost free goods, price cut/discount facilities are given to different channel members and sellers to encourage them in selling. Producer can also encourage dealers, wholesalers and retailers by providing facilities. Such activities have become successful to increase sale quantity in target markets in Nepal. Sales force promotion is the third method of sales promotion. It encourages the manpower/sales force involved in selling. The employees/sales forces are encouraged through arrangement of gifts, bonus and commission, sales contest etc. The promotional methods become very effective in sale of goods or services. So, most of the business organizations have used these methods of sales promotion.

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• Methods of Sales Promotion

• Process and Areas of Marketing Research

• Advertising: Its Meaning, Objectives and Importance

• Personal Selling: Its Meaning, Objectives and Importance

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