As a small business owner, your first priority of the day is to retain your existing customers; only then should you pursue new business
When was the last time you spoke with your customers? To retain customers for life, you should “touch" (communicate with) your existing customers at least quarterly, preferably more.
Communicate with your customers efficiently and effectively by collecting and using the following three pieces of information. What’s more, regularly check in with your customers to confirm their contact information is current. Keep in mind that approximately 20 percent of the population moves each year.
Find out what's happening in North Readingfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
- Postal mailing address
- Primary email
- Mobile number - so you can text extremely last-minute offers and/or text your hours for the week, etc.
When getting to know your customers, ask for additional information to help you communicate with them on a more personal level, e.g., customer birthdays and anniversaries.
Finding Time
Find out what's happening in North Readingfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Rather than adding another marketing activity to your to-do list, try facilitating your customer-touch activities during one of your daily rituals. For example, hand-write customer thank you notes during TV commercial breaks; or while you’re cleaning up your morning email, send one or two emails to your top clients. Tie your highly-personalized customer communications to your current habits, ultimately creating a healthy revenue-generating habit for your small business.
If you need some creative subject line ideas, you’ll find a brainstorm of tempting email subject lines that inspire readers to click, browse and buy inside Sharron Senter’s Kindle eBook, Email Marketing Subject Lines that Sell.
Have you found unique times to facilitate your customer communications? Or interesting communication vehicles that have captured your customers’ attention? Help other small businesses grow. Share your thoughts, ideas and questions in the comment box below.
Learn more about the article’s author, Marketing Consultant Sharron Senter, by visiting her website at http://www.sharronsenter.com. Sign up for her free monthly marketing tips while you’re there!
Check out another Patch blog post by Sharron Senter called, 4 Strategies for Competing with a Large Competitor that’s Just Moved into Town.
