In the run-up to holidays, businesses will often feel more generous and offer promotions and discounts to increase sales. But, what happens after the holidays are over?

To keep your clients loyal to your business all year round, they need regular recognition. So, how can you recognise your clients throughout the year so that you can improve growth and customer loyalty?

Check out these top tips in order to keep your clients happy and on your team.

Offer spending target rewards

A useful strategy to not only increase the value of a sale but to encourage a follow-up purchase is through spending target rewards.

This means if a customer spends over a certain amount, they receive a percentage off their new purchase. Not only does this encourage customers to spend more, but they will also return to your business to make use of their discount.

Loyalty cards or apps

If your business specialises in low-value but high-volume sales, then a loyalty scheme may be ideal to reward your customers all year long.

By accumulating points or ticking off a set number of transactions, you can keep customers returning so that they can enjoy their free item or make the most of the discount you have offered for their loyalty.

Get partnering!

Another way to help fellow business owners and to increase your presence in the market is to partner up with an associated business or businesses in the area.

By offering a discount for the other business by spending with you, and vice versa, you can both benefit from an increased customer base as well as higher sales. After all, building relationships is good for your community – and good for your business.

Offer freebies

If you are launching a product or service during the year, consider asking your clients to trial it for you for free. With this, you will receive valuable market research on your product while also advertising it to their circle of influence.

Through customers trialling goods for free, they will then buy with confidence and may even recommend your business to others. It’s truly a win/win situation.

Focus on customer service

This one might seem a little simple, but trust us – customer service is truly the way to a customer’s heart.

Remembering their name, significant details about their lives or even just inquiring after their little ones can all make a big difference when they are considering switching to a new service provider. We’ve all chosen to stay with a small business because we like the owner – be that owner and you’ll keep your clients with you in the long run.

Do you make the extra effort to recognise clients throughout the year, and not just at Christmas? Comment below and tell us how!