7 Ways to Keep Customers Coming Back
Monday, June 29th, 2009While not everyone who visits your business is actually your customer, it’s likely a good number are. Those are the customers you want to return. The other smaller group will naturally fall off the grid. Leaving the more important group to concentrate your marketing efforts on.
While this may seem sensible, many biz owners believe they should reach out as far and to as many potential customers as possible. Thinking they’re all possible customers. Not so.
For instance, you sell infant and baby clothing and gear. Teenagers (unless pregnant) won’t usually be your best, returning customers. For a variety of reasons. However if you’re selling hot, cutting-edge clothing and shoes in dramatic colors, teenagers could be your best customers.
Your customer base may contain a variety of groups. For instance, seniors likely have grandchildren and great grandchildren. They’ll buy infant and baby clothing or gear as gifts. Women in their 40-50’s are still having kids these days. Plus, people in a variety of age groups are adopting children. In short, it’s not just the younger mother-too-be you should appeal to today.
Here’s how to keep customers coming back:
1. Run short term specials. These aren’t full blown sales, but simple short term specials. 1-6 specific items for a 2-4 day sale. This not only allows you to bring in new and old customers, but clean up your inventory too.
2. Piggyback on current topics, trends, events. This can be almost anything in the news or on the Internet. That may - in some way - relate to your customers or business. For instance, Tax Savings Day, Shop Early Summer Scorcher Days, Olympics Celebration Days.
3. Hold a contest or ask for customer input regularly. Keep customers involved with your biz by getting them in a participatory mode. Ask for their input with a project, for scheduling hours open, simple changes you’re making. Ask them how you’re doing, for suggestions.
4. Send a newsletter. Customers who shop regularly, or even semi-regularly, generally want to hear from you. So sending a simple newsletter keeping them up to date on what’s happening with your business, upcoming sales, to advertise special items, an article or two or how-to info, links to products for example. Are all great customer sales generators.
5. Have a website. In today’s unique economy a website is a must-have. And you can bet your customers will visit yours if you have one. Include info about new stock, sales, upcoming functions. Have a how-to video. Links to products for sale. Have Paypal or other appropriate way for them to buy items on the site. Very importantly, add something new on a regular basis to keep customers returning.
6. Capture email addresses when customers buy. This allows you to send regular messages out. Including info about a sale, new products, changes, for example. To send them a monthly newsletter or ezine.
7. Send out Postcards every 90-120 days. Postcards are one of the most effective and inexpensive ways to bring in new sales. A postcard need not just be about a sale. It can be an announcement, info about a new product. However, to be effective it must have a “call to action”. Something a customer must do.
Jean L. Serio has 35 years experience with 4 top retail corporations. Started up 8 businesses of her own. She’s the founder and executive director of Womens Marketing and Business Network. A network which helps women start up their own successful businesses. For more info: www.womensmarketingandbusinessnetwork.com
