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In our connected world, customers are more visible and powerful than ever. Fans can share their love of a product with thousands of people by posting on social media, and unhappy customers can write a bad review online that damages a company’s reputation. Your customer base can make or break your business, so gaining loyal supporters is essential. Raving fans — the ones who are obsessed with your company and everything you are about — can be a powerful force that drives the success of your business.
Read on to learn effective ways to earn raving fans and find out why they are so important.
How to Turn Your Customers Into Raving Fans
When considering the lifetime value of a customer, there is a big difference between everyday customers and raving fans. Customers who leave happy and fulfilled are likely come back in the future, but raving fans do much more for your company. While repeat customers will support you with their wallet, raving fans will promote your brand, grow your customer base, and help you create a better business.
If that sounds like the kind of customers you want, try these eight ways to turn your everyday customers into raving fans who cannot stop talking about your brand.
1. Offer Something Unique
Average brands will have average fans, but companies that offer something special will attract attention and build a loyal customer base. The thing that sets your company apart can be a unique flavor of coffee, creative packaging, or an entirely new product that no one else offers. Your unique offering can also be the values that set your brand apart, such as sourcing sustainably or supporting a local charity. Use this unique feature to drive your marketing campaigns and online content to distinguish yourself from your competition and make your brand memorable.
If your company sells products exclusively online, conveying this unique feature is even more essential. When customers cannot interact with you face to face, they may not know the personality of your brand. However, smart marketing can help your brand stand out online, too. Ship products in memorable and interesting packaging or add a personal note. Try including a free sticker with each order to show your company’s style — and get some free marketing when they slap your sticker on their laptop or water bottle.
2. Delight Customers With Your Customer Service
Excellent customer service is no longer an exception — it’s an expectation. Customers count on your brand to provide exceptional service, or they will head somewhere else. When good customer service is the norm, your brand must provide outstanding service to make a customer’s experience memorable.
Here are a few ways to gain loyal fans through exceptional customer service:
- Listen to Your Customers: Customers like to feel heard and acknowledged. Even if you cannot fix their problem, show that you care by actively listening and engaging.
- Respond Promptly: When customers contact you, do not leave them waiting to hear back. Answer phone calls, return emails and respond to customers that reach out over social media as quickly as possible. By answering questions and concerns right away, you show that your customers are your top priority.
- Be Friendly: Excitement and enthusiasm are contagious, so be positive and friendly in each interaction with customers. Your customers will associate your company with a good experience and are more likely to keep coming back.
- Be Timely and Reliable: Fulfill customer orders quickly and ensure you ship your products on time. If you fall behind, keep customers updated about when their product will arrive. When you deliver on promises, you earn your customers’ trust and loyalty.
- Focus on Great User Experience: If your business is online, make sure your website is easy to navigate so customers are not frustrated while trying to make a purchase or learn about a product. Poor user experience will quickly send customers elsewhere.
If you want to test the quality of your company’s service, try walking through it as if you were a customer. Consider each step of the customer experience, from the time they first step into your store or arrive at your website to the final purchase transaction. Ask if each moment was enjoyable and consider how you can make it simpler and more delightful in the future.
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3. Get to Know Your Customers
Every customer is unique, and you should strive to get to know each one of them. While this may seem impossible with a large company, tracking your customers’ orders can provide insight into what each customer likes and cares about. By paying attention to their purchases, you can recommend other products they might love and send coupons they will be excited to use. Use sales data to segment your marketing efforts to reach the right customers with the right messages.
If you do not notice the little things, you may end up annoying your customers instead of keeping them engaged. A customer who has only purchased cups for Keurig in the past, for example, will probably not be interested in a coupon for pods for Nespresso, and no one wants to receive an email promotion about a product they have already purchased. Avoid ending up in your customers’ spam folder by paying attention to their interests and getting to know their individual needs.
4. Engage With Customers Online
Social media and other technology has made it simple for brands to connect with people all over the world. Your coffee brand may use Instagram to promote new products or Facebook to advertise for events or offers, but your online engagement should go even deeper if you want to create raving fans.
Have conversations with your customers by responding to tweets or comments on your company’s posts. Express the personality of your brand through your online content and interactions with customers. If you want to make the most significant impact, tap into conversations your customers are already having about your brand or the product you offer. Hashtags make it easy to search for mentions of your brand and join discussions about the coffee industry.
5. Give Regulars the First Look at New Products
When you release a new blend or launch a line of specialty coffees, send your loyal customers a free sample before the product hits the shelves. Share your appreciation of their support and ask for their feedback on the new product. Customers enjoy knowing a company values their opinion, and giving them a sneak peek will make them feel special. Feedback from customers who are already familiar with your company will also be more valuable than third-party product testers who may not know what your business is all about. Plus, if they enjoy the sample, they will be excited for the product to be released, which can boost your initial sales.
6. Be Grateful and Reward Loyal Customers
People like to feel appreciated, and a simple thank you can go a long way. When you show customers that you genuinely appreciate their business, they will be more excited to purchase from you again. Here are a few effective ways to express gratitude to your customers and turn them into serious fans of your brand:
- Email Coupons and Special Offers: After a customer makes a purchase, send them a thank you message along with a special offer for a discount on their next purchase. You can offer coupons to first-time customers or reward loyal fans after they reach a certain number of purchases.
- Offer a Loyalty Program: Loyalty programs are a standard for cafes and gas stations but can also be effective for any brand. Reward your customers for choosing your coffee brand by offering free products with a certain number of purchases or allowing them to accumulate points for a bigger prize. Your loyalty program can be as creative as you choose, such as allowing them to trade points for a charity donation or participate in contests to earn more credit. Connect loyalty programs to your company’s app so customers can always use their points — even if they forget their loyalty card.
- Use Social Media: Create a genuine “thank you” post online to show your customers you care. You can even use social media to promote special offers for loyal customers, such as a receiving gift if they bring in a receipt from their last purchase. This will make your regular customers feel valued and encourage others to join your loyal fan club.
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7. Solve Problems Painlessly
Even the best companies mess up every now and then, whether it’s by sending out the wrong product or accidentally charging a customer too much.
When customers call with complaints or to ask for a refund, they will likely expect to have to fight to get their money back. Instead, surprise them by listening sincerely to their complaint and solving their problem painlessly. Give refunds whenever possible or offer them a free product to make up for the mistake. Problems tend to stick in a customer’s head more than the things that went right, but correcting an issue well can be even more memorable and earn you raving fans.
Actively listening to your customers can also allow you to catch issues — even if the customer does not complain directly to you. Sometimes, customers may post their complaints on social media, so if you see a negative tweet or Facebook post about your company, respond to it immediately and offer to resolve the issue. Your customer will appreciate that you noticed their problem, and others will be impressed by your customer service.
8. Keep Your Brand Promises Every Time
Customers will be loyal to brands they trust, and you build trust by delivering on your promises time after time. Whether your company stands out for your fast deliveries, fresh coffee, or affordable products, keep your brand’s promise to your customers no matter what. When customers know they can rely on your company to provide quality coffee and excellent service, why would they go anywhere else?
Raving Fans Will Keep Your Business Thriving
Whether you have wowed them with your customer service or won them over with a killer rewards program, raving fans will be loyal to your company and stick around through the ups and occasional downs. Because of their connection to your brand, raving fans will carry you through tough times while providing feedback to get your business back on track. On top of this, when things are running smoothly, devoted fans will enjoy using your products and tell their friends to try them, too.
Here are five reasons why raving fans are essential to a thriving business.
1. They Tell Their Friends About Products and Services
Raving fans who know and love the unique things about your brand will want to share those secrets with everyone they know. When they learn about your business and discover the unique benefits of your brand for themselves, they may become raving fans, too.
When your fans tell you what they love about your brand, be bold and ask them to share it with their friends and family. Because they are excited about your brand, raving fans will most likely be willing to support you by spreading the word.
2. They Do Your Marketing for You
New and growing brands may not have a large budget for marketing or be able to hire brand ambassadors. Luckily, raving fans will often promote your brand for free by posting about your brand online and sharing your content with their friends. Creating a loyal fan base can help you cut marketing costs and save time — which you can then spend focusing on your business.
3. They Provide Feedback
Because they feel connected to your brand, raving fans are more likely to respond to online surveys and tell you what they like and dislike about your products. Raving fans will test new products and be excited to help your brand succeed by providing honest feedback.
Talking to raving fans can also provide deeper insight into market trends. Loyal customers can help you understand what motivates your customers to purchase certain products, and these insights can then direct your marketing efforts for a higher return on your investment. The best way to ask for feedback is by contacting your fans through social media or email, as they are most likely to provide honest and thorough responses online.
4. They Enjoy Buying From You
Raving fans are likely to spend more money than average customers and get excited about buying your products. Fans will be loyal in choosing your company over competitors and eager to keep their cabinet stocked with their favorite product you offer. When you release new products, raving fans will be the first ones in line to try them. Because they already love one of your products, they will be more likely to try and love another. Loyal fans are a reliable source of revenue for your business and can often carry your brand through tough times.
5. They Want to Feel Connected to You
Whether they are interacting with you in person or online, customers who love your company want to feel connected to you and be a part of what your brand is all about. Raving fans will take opportunities to connect with you more by participating in social media campaigns and going to special events. Having conversations with your loyal customers will deepen your relationships with your fans to increase the lifetime value of your customers. Fans who feel connected to you will stick around for the long run.
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The Lifetime Value of a Customer
Customers are the core of any business. In fact, one of the most important metrics for determining the growth of your business is the lifetime value of a customer or LTV. Earning a new customer always requires an investment on your part — think of the cost of sales and marketing. When you measure LTV, it helps you determine how long it will take to recoup those losses.
Understanding the lifetime value of a customer helps you determine your marketing budget and predict the future revenue you can expect. Here we will explore what the lifetime value of a customer can mean to your business, including what it is and how to calculate it.
Lifetime Value of a Customer Defined
Basically, the lifetime value of a customer is how much revenue an individual customer will generate during their business dealings with you. You can use this metric to determine how much business you can expect from one customer. The longer that customer purchases from your company, the higher their LTV becomes.
How to Calculate Lifetime Value of a Customer
If you’re not sure how to determine the LTV of your customers, there is a simple formula you can use that allows you to calculate the total revenue from a single consumer. Here’s the step-by-step process:
- Calculate Average Purchase Value: To find this number, take your company’s total revenue for a set time period — such as one year — and divide this number by how many purchases were made during that same period.
- Calculate Average Purchase Frequency Rate: Determine how many purchases were made during that same set period and divide that by the number of individual customers who made purchases.
- Calculate Customer Value: Take the average purchase value from step 1 and then subtract from that the average purchase frequency rate from step 2.
- Calculate Average Customer Lifespan: This is the average number of years a customer does business with your company.
- Calculate LTV: Multiply your customer value by the average customer lifespan to get an estimated lifetime value of a customer. This number tells you how much revenue you can expect a customer to generate over the course of their relationship with you.
How to Use LTV to Solidify Your Marketing Budget
Once you determine the lifetime value of a customer, you can use this number to solidify your marketing budget. It doesn’t make sense to spend more on your customers than they do on you. Otherwise, you will not make a profit. Knowing your LTV gives you the power to make critical marketing decisions, such as:
- When to increase or decrease your marketing budget
- Focusing and spending more on valuable customers
- Allocating additional resources toward the acquisition of satisfied customers who will bring more revenue
- Trying out different marketing strategies — emails, online ads, social media and even postcard marketing
- Linking LTV to customer personas, so you understand the importance of each customer
Why Joe’s Garage Coffee Believes in Outstanding Service
When we established Joe’s Garage Coffee as a private label coffee manufacturer, we knew we had to make our company stand out. After all, there are other options available in this competitive industry. So we decided that we would provide a few core benefits to all of our customers, no matter their size or the size of their order. At the top of this list is outstanding service, which is something we strive to bring in every interaction we have with you.
Exceptional customer service starts from your first conversation with our team and continues until your order is complete. But what defines outstanding service? You’ll feel it in the way we speak with you, in the services we provide and in the quality of the product you end up with.
When you choose to work with Joe’s Garage Coffee, you’ll realize quickly how much we believe in the power of outstanding customer service. It’s a competitive advantage that trickles down from us to you to your customers. Although we have 20 years of experience under our belt, we’ve kept outstanding service at the forefront of all that we do. Every one of our team members is trained to know how valuable customer service is to your business.
We Go Above and Beyond With Each Interaction
When people choose to work with Joe’s Garage Coffee, they see that we’ve developed a reputation that now precedes us — service that goes above and beyond our competitors. There are many facets to partnering with us as a contract manufacturer, and sometimes, the process involves multiple interactions, including:
- Calling to find out about lead times
- Developing a new blend with our coffee experts
- Perfecting your signature roast
- Working out your packaging needs
- Utilizing our coffee lab services
No matter what phase of the production process you’re in, you can expect kindness in every conversation. We’re grateful that you’ve chosen to partner with us, and we want to make sure you know that every time you interact with our team. It doesn’t matter if you’re hiring us to assist with the production needs of a national campaign or you’re an online entrepreneur seeking to develop a private label product — we treat any sized order with the same level of care.
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Become a Raving Fan of Joe’s Garage Coffee
At Joe’s Garage Coffee, we know a thing or two about creating raving fans. We put exceptional customer service at the forefront of everything we do and provide fast turnarounds, so your customers are never waiting for the coffee products that they enjoy. With our superior-quality coffee that master roasters and licensed Q-graders test and perfect, both you and your customers are sure to love it.
Joe’s Garage Coffee offers a variety of coffee roasting and packaging services to support your customers’ changing needs. Our competitively low minimums make it easy for your coffee brand to get started, while our high volume capacity means we can always keep up with your growing coffee brand. Contact Joe’s Garage Coffee to learn more about our services and become a raving fan of your new coffee supplier.
