{"id":581,"date":"2019-10-22T15:02:33","date_gmt":"2019-10-22T12:02:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chatra.io\/blog\/?p=581"},"modified":"2021-04-22T16:38:57","modified_gmt":"2021-04-22T13:38:57","slug":"how-to-build-loyalty-through-customer-intimacy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chatra.com\/blog\/how-to-build-loyalty-through-customer-intimacy\/","title":{"rendered":"How to build loyalty through customer intimacy"},"content":{"rendered":"

The concept of putting your customers first is nothing new.<\/span><\/p>\n

However, doing so in 2019 and beyond is about much more than just <\/span>providing stellar customer service.<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

Food for thought: trust is <\/span>the number one factor<\/span><\/a> for consumers today when it comes to building long-term business relationships.<\/span><\/p>\n

And creating that sense of trust doesn\u2019t happen by accident.<\/span><\/p>\n

Instead, it happens through consistent conversations with your customers. The more you understand your customers and walk in their shoes, the easier it is to serve their needs.<\/span><\/p>\n

Enter the era of customer intimacy.<\/span><\/p>\n

In this guide, we\u2019ll break down everything you need to know about customer intimacy to transform buyers into loyal, long-term advocates.<\/span><\/p>\n

What is customer intimacy, anyway?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Let\u2019s start with a quick definition of customer intimacy before we get into the nitty-gritty.<\/span><\/p>\n

Customer intimacy is the proactive process of aligning your business with the needs and values of your customers. This process involves building a back-and-forth relationship with customers, adapting your product and business based on their specific needs and pain points.<\/i><\/strong><\/p>\n

The principles of customer intimacy go hand in hand with the <\/span>Relationship Era<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

After all, consumers today crave personal connections with the brands they support. Creating that connection comes down to having meaningful conversations with customers and making sense of their behavior (think: pain points, objections and so on).<\/span><\/p>\n

Why customer intimacy matters so much<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Having conversations with customers might seem like a no-brainer.<\/span><\/p>\n

That said, the benefits of consistent back-and-forth with your customers really can\u2019t be overstated.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Below are three key reasons why companies should make customer intimacy a top priority.<\/span><\/p>\n

Fewer churned customers<\/span><\/h3>\n

For starters, high customer churn rates are a widespread problem among businesses struggling to stay afloat.<\/span><\/p>\n

Making the effort to have ongoing conversations and consistent touchpoints sow the seeds of customer loyalty. Being proactive beyond simply providing a product or service shows your customers that you\u2019ve invested in them.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In turn, they\u2019ll be more likely to invest in you rather than bounce to a competitor.<\/span><\/p>\n

More word-of-mouth from satisfied customers<\/span><\/h3>\n

Modern customers aren\u2019t shy about letting the world know how they feel about any given business.<\/span><\/p>\n

By emphasizing customer intimacy and ensuring that your buyers have a positive experience, you\u2019re more likely to create opportunities for <\/span>customer marketing<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Every retweet, testimonial, or review represents powerful social proof that simply can\u2019t be bought. Organic shout-outs from customers are arguably the best form of marketing for your business, authentic and prime for sharing with prospects.<\/span><\/p>\n

Brands such as Chewy are a prime example of how customer intimacy can result in positive word-of-mouth. From surprise gifts to their generous return policy, Chewy consistently scores points with customers by <\/span>showing that they care<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

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New opportunities to improve your product or service<\/span><\/h3>\n

If nothing else, focusing on customer intimacy allows you to better understand ways to improve your product or service.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Want to know which of your features your customers can\u2019t live without? Wondering what new features they\u2019re hungry for?<\/span><\/p>\n

Just ask.<\/span><\/p>\n

Establishing trust with customers gives you <\/span>more specific, insightful feedback <\/span><\/a>that you can apply to your business. The more you engage, the more you can learn.<\/span><\/p>\n

Here are 10 strategies to foster customer intimacy<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Customer intimacy requires a combination of multiple engagement strategies rather than a single \u201csilver bullet.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The following ten tactics represent actionable ways to foster relationships with customers and learn how to better serve them.<\/span><\/p>\n

1. Curate client success stories and celebrate them<\/span><\/h3>\n

Putting your positive relationships with customers front-and-center throughout your sales and marketing is a smart first step towards creating a sense of intimacy.<\/span><\/p>\n

Reviews, testimonials, and success stories represent some of your best marketing firepower. They also not only prove that your business creates satisfied customers, but also that you want to hear what your customers have to say.<\/span><\/p>\n

For example, Casper publishes glowing reviews on their product pages and encourages new customers to do the same.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Casper also makes a point to celebrate their customers on social media. This includes <\/span>retweeting shout-outs<\/span><\/a> and personalizing replies to show off the human side of the brand.<\/span><\/p>\n

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2. Make yourself as accessible to customers as possible<\/span><\/h3>\n

Achieving customer intimacy means keeping clear lines of communication<\/a> open between you and your buyers.<\/span><\/p>\n

In other words, give your customers multiple avenues to ask questions and provide feedback. These <\/span>customer communication channels <\/span><\/a>might include:<\/span><\/p>\n