Have you seen How To SELL Anything?

This incredible sales handbook distils an expert's lifetime of sales and marketing experience and hands it to you on a platter, in a simple, easy-to-follow format. With existing customers being the most valuable source of income for any business, this book will teach you how to increase your return business and make more profit from your most loyal customers - and even how to reduce the costs of dealing with your least profitable customers.

Get it on Amazon (Kindle/Print)

Ten ways technology can increase customer loyalty

Poorly used technology could simply result in disengagement not only from communications, but from the brand altogether.

So how can you ensure that your brand is using technology to deliver the most relevant and timely communications in order to drive your customers to spend more, spend more often, and remain engaged? Ikano Insight offers the following ten tips for using technology to increase customer engagement and loyalty:

1. Make your customers' lives easier and simpler
   With so much choice on offer, if you're not offering a personalised, relevant and streamlined experience across all channels, chances are you won't keep your customers for long.
2. Be consistent ... Everywhere
   Responsive websites and social channels that are integrated with your other systems and processes are a must-have.
3. Don't talk barbecues when it's 5 degrees outside
   Location-based notifications can add value when they're timely and contextual! Consider time, location, demographics and individual needs when planning your messaging.
4. In-store tech can enhance customer experience
   Kiosks and interactive tablets provide an additional touch-point in the customer journey and can be used to collect data and trigger engagement - think personalised offers, self-service ordering, or membership and loyalty sign-ups.
5. Get real with real-time participation
   Drive your customers to participate in real time. Consider topical and timely tweets, targeted digital, gamification and interactive TV ads.
6. Tune in to your customer's wants and needs
   The 'Internet of Things' is a massive opportunity. But always think about how what you're doing benefits your customer - for example, would anyone really want a fridge that tells them not to eat any more cheese? Make sure you are 100% tuned in to how your customers expect to interact with you and what they want and need.
7. Build communities of like-minded individuals
   Where possible, segment your customers according to their interests as well as their preferences or demographic profile. The better you understand people as individuals, the more likely they are to be loyal.
8. Don't drown in data
   It's tempting to gather every piece of data that's ever created - but be brutal about its value. Only collect data that you know will directly affect sales and influence customer behaviour.
9. Technology is nothing without the human touch
   Remember the last time you used that self service checkout and it wouldn't let you put that bottle of wine in your bag until the assistant had been over and pressed a button? Real people make processes and transactions simpler, easier and more user-friendly, and are vital to maintaining happy customers.
10. Match the technology to your customers
    Personalised offers aren't new. Whichever technologies you choose to invest in, ensure you create a seamless customer experience from start to finish to keep your customers coming back. 'One size doesn't fit all' has never been a more important mantra.

Ikano Insight has published a detailed white paper providing greater detail and additional tips, entitled Using technology to boost customer loyalty and ROI, and has made it available for free download from the company's web site - click here (free registration required).

Have you seen How To SELL Anything?

This incredible sales handbook distils an expert's lifetime of sales and marketing experience and hands it to you on a platter, in a simple, easy-to-follow format.

With existing customers being the most valuable source of income for any business, this book will teach you how to increase your return business and make more profit from your most loyal customers - and even how to reduce the costs of dealing with your least profitable customers.

You'll learn to sell yourself, sell your products, and sell your brand on the internet, writing high-conversion landing pages, social media posts, and more. You'll start attracting customers you didn’t even know existed, and learn the top trade secrets for customer retention.

You'll become a lean, mean selling machine. See how the experts do it and learn to adapt what they've done for your own profit. You'll learn to write strong, powerful, effective sales copy, whether it's for a sales script, sales letter, flyer, insert, advert or just about anything else.

You'll learn how to sell whether you're selling by telephone, by mail, or even meeting prospects face-to-face. You'll find out how to size them up, present yourself, nail down their true needs, close the sale, and learn to tackle the tricky ones.

You'll discover the biggest secrets of successful direct mail sellers, sales letter writers, and how to segment and choose the right prospects for each campaign.

Get it on Amazon (Kindle/Print)