During the holidays, marketers and brands are heavyset on attracting as many prospects as possible and driving up revenue. It’s easy to get lost in all of the ruckus we call holiday marketing, so much so SEO agencies, Internet marketers and businesses forget what their top priority should be – earning the trust of customers and turning them into loyal fans.

According to Harvard Business Review, a 5 percent increase in customer retention rates can translate to increased profits between 25 and 95 percent. Nothing great ever comes out of a fling, so make sure your focus this holiday season is on long-term relationship building. Here’s what you can do to do just that.

Give Something Away for Free

‘Tis the season for giving, so why not show consumers you’re festive mood by giving away a product or service for free? You could even do something creative like OfficeMax and Office Depot’s Elf Yourself campaign. Nine years later, the campaign is still going strong, generating its own revenue in the form of mouse pads, mugs and DVDs. People are able to engage in this campaign for free. It offers a personalized, yet unbranded experience that consumers enjoy.

Make Holiday Searches Simple with Custom Content

The holidays are a hectic time of year. People are shopping around, looking for information and deals. You can lend a helping hand by ensuring your website design is fast and simple to navigate. You can also create customized content that caters to shoppers. For example, share a list of gift suggestions and implement sort-by functions in your website design to make browsing quicker.

(A local SEO services provider in Los Angeles

can assess how your website design is rated on the world wide web. An SEO agency can also write and share content across social media for you.

Create Personal Connections Using Data

The more you learn about your customers, the more personalized you can make your responses. For example, collecting data about gift purchases will allow you to send personalized follow-ups offering buyers a coupon to get something for themselves this time around.

According to research done by the Journal of Applied Social Psychology, waiters increased their tips by 23 percent just by giving a second set of mints to their customers, and making it appear that it was for them and only them. Consumers like to feel special!

Turn Fine Print into Features

A lot of purchases are being made, some of which are going to be returned for whatever reasons. Make it easier for customers by shedding light on your return and exchange policies. This may attract customers and help minimize issues with returns and exchanges. Transparency can be helpful, but make sure you have a strategy in place for potential complaints on social media. Online reputation management can be implemented by an expert from an SEO agency that offers Internet marketing services.