October 22, 2010
Author: Carmia Lureman
You make sales on a regular basis. But do you have lifelong customers? Those people who keep coming back for more?
Email marketing is the tool you use to communicate with your subscribers, clients or customers on a regular basis. It’s a customer relationship management tool. So why not use it to take those once-off sales and turn them into lifelong customers? Lifelong customers are more engaged with your brand, more likely to promote your company via word-of-mouth and, of course, generate regular sales.
A few ideas on how to keep your customers coming back for more:
Create an email campaign to gather post-sale feedback
Offer consumers the opportunity to share their thoughts with you. You can try to put yourself in their shoes and anticipate their experiences with your product or service, but the fact of the matter is that you’ll only get the truth straight from the horse’s mouth. In order to further your relationship with individual consumers, email them shortly after their purchase. (You can set up a scheduled email to do so.) Not only are customers at this stage still very engaged in the purchase and more likely to give feedback, but it also sets a more lasting tone of engagement. It also means you’ll be able to resolve any concerns or discontentment early on in the relationship. Ask them for product reviews, feedback on your customer service or conduct a product satisfaction survey.
Follow up with a recommendation
A very easy way to build lasting subscriber or customer relationships is to follow up sales with recommendations for related products. Amazon does this often – whenever I order a DVD or book I receive emails recommending other works in the same genre or by the same director or author. It’s a good way to promote further sales (especially since you’re targeting a relevant audience), and to let subscribers know that you stay on top of their interests and preferences.
Just bear in mind that you don’t want to flood your customers with sales emails! Send an email a week, or even a month, after a purchase (depending on the nature of the products you sell) as a subtle nudge. You can always follow up with further recommendations, but make sure that your emails are staggered, and draw the line if you see that these emails get no reaction from the customer.
Offer perks
It’s an old trick, but it works. When a customer makes their first purchase, why not email them a special discount or coupon for their next purchase? Or create a customer loyalty program, whereby they earn points for every purchase made? It’s a good way to incentivize customers, show them you appreciate their support, and also engages you in frequent communication with them. They’ll come to associate your brand communications with value-added deals and information.
These types of emails help you establish how happy consumers are with your service, product or company, allowing you to adapt and improve to resolve their concerns. Emails like these can also easily be set up and automated.
All about GraphicMail
Quattro Internet Solutions (Ltd) t/a GraphicMail’s hosted email marketing solution is used by customers Cosmopolitan, SA Airlink, Europcar and the American Medical Association since 2002. It is available in eight languages and is represented by over 16 offices globally. Follow GraphicMail on Twitter, Facebook and their email marketing blog. Contact: Barbara Ulmi, GraphicMail Marketing Manager, barbara@graphicmail.com
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