Guest Post: Your Guide To Building Customer Loyalty in 2023

This week, we feature an article by Claron Kinny, Content Specialist at Uniqode, the one-stop solution for all things QR. He writes about the strategies and tools to build customer loyalty.

Building and maintaining customer loyalty is more critical than ever in today’s highly competitive business landscape. In 2023, businesses face unique challenges in understanding and retaining their customer base.  

In this piece, we will help you navigate the intricacies of building customer loyalty and how to use unconventional tools and technology to achieve success. 

How to Build Customer Loyalty In 2023 – 3 Must-know Strategies 

A few strategies in your pocket can help you build customer loyalty better by keeping your customers engaged and loyal. So, here are 5 strategies you need for the same:  

#1. Providing Exceptional Customer Experiences 

Creating exceptional experiences at every touchpoint of the customer journey is vital. This includes smoother interactions, personalized recommendations, and a proactive approach to customer needs. By going above and beyond to exceed expectations, businesses can foster a more profound sense of loyalty. 

#2. Implementing a Loyalty Program 

A loyalty program is one of the best tricks in the hat to improve customer experience and encourage repeat purchases. Customer loyalty programs include points-based systems, tiered rewards, and VIP treatment. Technology such as QR Codes and VR to enhance these programs can further improve customer engagement and retention. 

#3. Fostering Customer Engagement and Advocacy 

Social media and online communities play a significant role in building customer loyalty. Businesses can create a loyal community of brand advocates by engaging with customers on social platforms, responding to feedback, and encouraging user-generated content.  

Customer Loyalty Software and Tools to Check Out In 2023  

Now, let’s explore some powerful customer loyalty tools and software that can ease your customer loyalty initiatives:  

#1. Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Software 

Imagine a business owner needing to stay on top of customer interactions, sales data, and marketing tasks. This is where CRM software comes in as your savior. Let’s look at some well-known CRM software out there in-depth.  

Insightly 

Insightly serves as more than just a CRM platform. It is a comprehensive solution for organizing and overseeing customers, business leads, projects, and contacts. Its user-friendly interface can be easily tailored to your needs and even offers a free plan for up to two users. You can kickstart your experience with a free trial. 

Some features include: 

With an easy-to-adapt interface, Insightly suits your needs. 

• Centralized data hub to improve sales processes, profitability, and customer relationships. 
• Efficient lead handling, sales pipeline tracking, and customization of project stages. 
• Enable remote teams with mobile apps. 
• Ease customer journeys for accelerated growth. 
• Convert visitors, conduct scalable campaigns, and perform A/B testing with user-friendly email templates. 

Pricing 

Insightly offers a free plan accommodating up to two users. For broader functionalities, plans start at $29/month. 

#2. Marketing Automation Platforms 

Marketing automation platforms enable automated customer communication for personalized messages. With these tools, you can send tailored promotions to loyal customers, create segmented email lists, automate personalized email campaigns, and engage customers effectively.   

Let’s look at some of these tools in depth: 

Beaconstac 

Uniqode’s QR Code Generator lets you create custom QR Codes that bridge the gap between the physical and digital worlds, offering unique interactive experiences. You can enhance your brand recognition by customizing the QR Code with a logo, brand colors, and unique patterns. You can also gain valuable insights from the built-in analytics. This is in addition to the Google Analytics integration they have, which will give you more in-depth analytics, including unique user insights like demographics, behaviors, and interests.   

Features: 

• Advanced customizations with pre-designed QR Code templates, customizable forms, landing pages, and much more. 
• Create over 10+ types of QR Codes. 
• Use analytics data to connect with customers through their preferred channels. 
• Attract customers by offering rewards or discounts using QR Codes for loyalty programs.  
• Intuitive and user-friendly interface. 
• Integration with over 4000 applications, including CRMs like Salesforce, sales and automation tools like Zapier and Workato, and HR tools. 

Pricing 

Experience a 14-day trial period with Beaconstac’s static QR Codes. To unlock enhanced features and dynamic QR Codes, you can explore their starter plan, available for just $5/month.  

#3. Social Media Monitoring and Management Tools 

Monitoring customer sentiment and engagement on social media is crucial for understanding customer perceptions and feedback.   

With social media monitoring and management tools, you can: 

• Monitor brand mention 
• Engage with followers 
• Identify influencers and advocates 
• Address negative feedback 
• Track competitors 
• Run contests and giveaways 
• Share User-Generated Content (UGC) 

Let’s look at some of the best social media management tools. 

Hootsuite

Hootsuite is a simple and easy-to-use social media management platform. It allows businesses and individuals to manage, schedule, and analyze their content across various social media platforms from a single dashboard. Hootsuite is designed to streamline social media marketing efforts, enhance engagement, and monitor social media conversations.  

Features: 

• Centralized dashboard where businesses can manage multiple social media accounts such as Facebook (Meta), Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, etc.) in one place.  
• Schedule posts in advance. 
• Monitor and engage with social media conversations in real time.  
• Monitoring tools enable you to track mentions of your brand, products, and industry keywords across social media platforms.  

Pricing 

Hootsuite offers a free trial period. Following this trial, you can select from its Professional plan ($23/month), Team plan ($90.7/month), Business plan ($739.7/month), or Enterprise plan (pricing available upon inquiry). 

Closing Up 

Building customer loyalty in 2023 requires a multifaceted approach that combines excellent customer experiences, personalized engagement, and using technology such as QR Code generators, VR, and IoT to its fullest potential. 

By implementing effective loyalty programs and using the suggested tools, businesses can create a loyal customer base that drives revenue and acts as an advocate for the brand. As technology continues to evolve, staying up-to-date with emerging trends will be crucial for sustaining and growing customer loyalty in the future. 

Claron is a Content Specialist at Uniqode. He loves gathering customer insights on the use of simple tech like QR Codes and converting these insights into action-oriented steps to write off business problems. 

Read Shep’s latest Forbes article: The Zero Consumer Revolution: Adapting Your Business For A New Generation