Your customers are a hot commodity. Everybody
wants them. So how do you keep them loyal to you? Make your relationship so
great that they don’t want to go anywhere else.
1. Market in the age of “me.”
Know your customers well enough to give them
a personalized experience. This goes beyond targeting with basic demographics
like gender, age, and household income. Look at the channels your customers
respond to, when they make purchases, and what they buy. Acting on this data helps
your customers see that you know and care about them. It helps with cross-sells
and upsells, too!
2. Coupons galore!
Consumers have a love affair with coupons, including
mobile. According to Juniper Research, mobile coupons are 10x more likely to be
used than printed coupons.
3. Don’t be channel agnostic.
Know which channels your customers are most
likely to respond to, then use them. If a customer requires two emails to
respond but responds the first time to direct mail, get them on the “mail first”
list. If someone else is more likely to respond to an email than a printed
newsletter, get them on the “email first” list. Keep your branding, message,
and imaging consistent regardless of channel.
4. Ask their opinion.
Use response cards, personalized URLs, and
other survey mechanisms to get your customers’ opinion on products, services,
and potential business changes. When one specialty retailer wanted to give its
location a facelift, it used a targeted direct mail piece with personalized
URLs to ask its customers about products and services they wanted but the
company didn’t offer. It got an earful! The retailer incorporated the most
popular suggestions, and its sales soared.
5. Remember to say “thank you.”
Everyone likes to be appreciated. Send a personalized
“thank you” letter, postcard, or other mailer once in a while. Attach a
no-strings coupon or discount just to engender their goodwill . . . and you
will.
Gaining customer loyalty doesn’t have to be
rocket science. You just have to put in the effort.
Please give us a call at 440-946-0606
Or visit our website here for more information.
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