5 Ways to Nurture Existing Customers & Capture Repeat Business

Repeat customers are an essential part of your audience. After all, acquiring new customers takes valuable time and money. Since repeat customers are nine times more likely to convert than first-time visitors to your website, your marketing efforts in this group will yield a better return on investment.

In fact, just a 5% increase in customer retention produces more than a 25% increase in profits for your business. 

If you’re not targeting past customers, now is the time to start! Use these five tips in your marketing campaigns to capture repeat business.

Go Above and Beyond with Customer Service 

Capturing repeat business starts with providing an experience that customers will want to enjoy again and again. It’s not just about the tour or activity itself. A positive experience includes a simple booking process, great communication before and after the tour or activity, and a follow-up after the experience requesting feedback.

If a customer has a concern during or after their tour, how you handle it can determine whether you end up with a negative review or a happy repeat customer. Follow our tips for dealing with challenging customers to turn a potentially difficult situation into a positive outcome.

Strive to Build Personal Relationships

You’re likely meeting dozens of customers a day, and they all want to feel special. Do your best to remember their names and any personal information they share. This becomes easier as you build a relationship with repeat customers. 

Use the information you gather about your customers to further personalize your offerings. For example, you can log whether a customer successfully solved your escape room on your FareHarbor Dashboard. If they couldn’t solve the puzzles, invite them back to try again at a discounted rate (perhaps with a quick hint or tip for solving the room!). 

Personalization is easier than ever with online platforms, giving you the option to use personalized subject lines and greetings in email communications and more. Learn more in our guide to personalized marketing content. 

Get Customers Excited About Your Emails

Email is one of the easiest ways to keep in touch with customers after their first experience with your business. Give them the option to opt into your email list when booking a tour or activity, then get them started on a lifecycle email campaign that matches where they are in the customer journey. After signing them up, send past customers emails with special deals for returning customers only. Read more in our guide to choosing the right email marketing campaign. 

Keep the Conversation Going on Social Media

Encourage customers to connect with you on social media by asking them to tag you in their tour photos or offering to tag them in any photos or video you capture during the experience. You can create further engagement with user-generated content campaigns and giveaways. 

Once you’ve gotten them to follow you on your social channels, keep them interested with high-quality content and promotions that will entice them to come back for another tour or activity. Don’t forget to foster the relationship by replying to comments and messages promptly.

Start a Customer Loyalty Program

Keep your customers coming back with a loyalty program that rewards their commitment to your business! Local customers or those who travel to your destination often are the best targets for this type of program. For example, you can offer a rewards point system or punch card that gives them a free tour or activity after they’ve visited five times. This works best for rentals and activities that can be enjoyed over and over, like axe throwing and escape rooms. 

Another way to incentivize return customers (and get new ones!) is to offer a referral bonus. Send existing customers a referral link or code to share with friends, and when one of their friends books with you, the existing customer gets a $20 discount on their next visit. 

There’s always room to experiment and reach new target markets, but don’t neglect your past customers. As you can see, it’s easy to keep in touch with them, and the benefit to your business is huge. You’ll soon see this type of outreach pay off!