Retention, Part 40: The Customer Knows Us

By Sanya Weathers

Last week, I told you that I’d noticed two themes shot through the retention series. Last week, we covered the theme of “the details let us community types really know our customers.”

The other theme I noticed is that “the details let our customers know us.”

Reciprocal relationship building is the redheaded stepchild of retention programs. Or, put more simply, you have to let people invest themselves in your company if you want them to have a personal reason to remain. I rarely see this recognized during the formal planning process, and so I heartily encourage you to consider it going forward.

Give users a sense of the process you use to make decisions, and where user feedback comes into play. Reach out for that feedback, but don’t depend on polls. Focus groups, drawn from your existing user base, are especially powerful when you encourage those groups to share what they’ve learned about you and the product. Promote the things they share.

If you can’t offer opportunities to contribute, or your chances to do so are limited, you can still trust the power of details to let people feel connected. Share your sense of humor. Introduce the users to the company, especially names and faces they’re likely to see.  Give advice, answer questions, hang out on your forums just because it’s fun.

Most of all, community managers: Be yourself, be truthful, and remember that your customers are people like you. They’ve got the same interests, or they wouldn’t be customers of the company and you wouldn’t be working for the company. If it’s interesting to you, it’s interesting to them. So share. Don’t hold back. Don’t muzzle yourself out of fear. Let them know you, and be invested in your success.