From day one, use these strategies to create incredibly loyal customers who buy your product all the time.

Do a lot of your customers seem to purchase your products once and then dispensary? Want to create a repeat sales machine where customers are always looking for and purchasing your product?

Then read on! I’m going to share with you four tips to get more loyal customers. Really, it’s what has worked for me to  build an army of repeat buyers for Green Mountain Mustard. But these tips will work for any food business, including a restaurant, food truck, or cart.

This past weekend we were at a craft fair in New York. We’ve been doing it for four year now. And the best part (besides seeing fellow vendor-friends again) is the repeat buyers. The people who come back every year. People whose only point of the trip was to get more mustard.

It blows my mind every day with the loyalty I’ve created. And I want to sure what has worked with you so you can get the same loyal fans for your food product. Here goes:

1. Let customers know what you’re about

You don’t just make jam. You make jam with fresh – never frozen – fruit. You don’t just own a taco stand. You make your taco shells from scratch. You don’t just own a chia seed energy bar. You stand for sustainability, health, and innovation.

What I’m getting at, is your company is so much more than the products you create. Companies have values, mission statements, and visual identities. Your brand is what people get behind. It’s what people feel passionate about and tell all of their friends. Make sure you communicate it!

2. Come out with new products

One of the best ways I’ve built a fiercely-loyal customer base (to the tune of purchasing cases of product at a time and making our limited flavors like a collector’s item) is coming out with new flavors – especially for shows we do every year.

You’ve got to keep things interesting and one way to get people to come back is to launch new products. You don’t have to bring them on to your regular product line, but just keep your customers interested. This is easier to do at a farmer’s market where customers come back every week. We try to make a new flavor every month at the farmer’s market. Some flavors stick – others are flops, but customers value our creativity.

With that being said, creating new flavors can be expensive, so make sure you use a food product cost calculator to determine the cost of your new flavor.

3. Create incentives for repeat purchases

People won’t buy your products unless they have an incentive to buy again. The first time they’ll buy because they enjoy your product, but to generate repeat purchases, you want to look at offering different promotions. Anything from free shipping to coupons, frequent buyer cards to in-store promotions, you have to make it easier for customers to buy your product. Once they’ve purchased 2-3 times, they’re probably hooked. Work on keeping your loyal customers and cultivating new purchases. Then, you’ve got a plan to go from first taste to raving fan.

4. Engage on social media (mainly Facebook)

While many food producers I’ve talked to have sworn off social media, I think the trick is to pick one or two social networks. You don’t have to be on all of them. Find what works, what you enjoy, and where your customers are. For me, that’s Facebook, so I make sure to update my page 2-3 times a week with recipes, contests, and company updates. And I respond to my customers if they write on my page, place an online order, or simply email me a question.

Create and build relationships with your customers. Welcome them into your company home and chat with them. Learn who they are. Find out what they like, and cater to their every need. That way, you’ll build incredibly loyal fans and a great business to boot.

How have you built loyal fans? Let me know about your strategies below.