Constant/regular, relevant contact with your customers (ideally interactive, and with their permission) where you are adding value at each touch point, is crucial to profitable future sales.

Which of these will be the best option for your business?

1. A simple customer loyalty strategy.

2. A more sophisticated Key Customer Management campaign.

3. Tactical loyalty techniques in sales promotion marketing

And how should referral marketing be part of your strategy?

Remember that outside of a quality product or service that is delivered on time, the single most impacting tactic you can employ to retain customers is to reinforce your company's position to them; the sound business reasons why they chose - and continue to choose - to do business with you.

Why do higher retention levels improve profitability?

Understand brand loyalty.

1. Identify your target audience.

2. Target them through a cost effective media neutral strategy.

3. Sell your product/service.

4. Capture information on each new customer.

5. Build/analyse your database.

6. Contact your customer base regularly via a loyalty programme.

7. Increase their spend (Cross-sell/up-sell/renewal)

8. Increase their Customer Lifetime Value.

9. Analyse/invest in your database.

Continue the cycle.

1. Direct Marketing

2. Sales Promotion

3. Digital

4. Advertising

5. Public Relations

6. Field Marketing