As I said in my previous blog, listening to your customers is an extremely important step to customer retention, but there is no way you’re going to remember everything about every customer especially what they’ve all purchased, how often and how much they spend. That’s why having an accurate, detailed database is vital. But, database marketing only works to build retention if the customer benefits from the retention strategies. Which means that you can have all the information possible about your customer but if your marketing retention strategy doesn’t interest them, there’s no point in doing it. So, really pay very close attention to the information you have and strategically design your marketing strategies from the customer’s point of view.
So, what kinds of strategies work? Well, that depends on your industry and your clients’ preferences, but here are some commonly used things that work well.
· Membership cards
· Welcome and thank you communications
· Satisfaction surveys
· Enhanced technical support with follow up satisfaction calls
· Frequent Buyer Programs
Most importantly, as I’ve said before, listen to what the customers want. Do they want free stuff? A Frequent Buyer Program might be a great option. Do they want to share their input on your products, services and company? Having their voices heard might mean they’d take the time to complete a satisfaction survey. But, get creative. Personally, I use a referral program. When one of my clients refers another client to me, the referring client gets 15% off their next purchase. As most of my clients are owners of very small businesses, they are more than happy to save some money on professional services.
The key to customer retention is to ensure that you have developed a very comprehensive Integrated Marketing Communications plan aimed specifically at your existing customers, designed to build loyalty. Have fun with it. Get creative. Better yet, ask your customers what they want and give them exactly that.
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