The Marketing Strategy That Brings Repeat Business

Are you looking to have the customers or clients you already have come back again and spend more?

I certainly hope so!

All of the small business owners I speak to are always asking how they can get more NEW customers, but that’s the wrong question. As my dad always says “It’s cheaper to keep ‘er….”

The White House Office of Consumer Affairs put out a report that it’s seven times more expensive to attract a new customer than it is to retain an existing one. So if you’re focusing on getting new customers, I’d highly encourage you to shift focus from simply finding prospects to keeping your current customers coming back for more.

So I bet your next question then is “What’s the best marketing strategy to keep the customers I already have?”

Glad you asked!

That strategy is direct mail marketing. No, it’s not the newest “tech solution”. It’s a strategy that has proven itself to outperform and outlast the most innovative digital campaigns. The reason physical mail has proven effective over time is because it focuses on customer retention, referrals, and relationships. These key factors ensure that your marketing investment does not go to waste. Here are a few reasons why, when it come to customer retention, direct mail is king.

• RELATIONSHIPS: It is a fact of life that consumers prefer to do business with the people they like and trust. This likeability is a powerful factor, even more so than the cost of a product. An American Express Survey even found that seven in 10 Americans would be willing to spend more with companies they believe provide excellent customer service. Direct mail fosters this sense of customer service and relationships because it allows consumers to see businesses on a personal level and have a feeling of exclusivity and importance. These factors are enormously helpful in staying top-of-mind and becoming a go-to-resource for their needs in your specific industry.

EXAMPLE: In my coffee and smoothie business I send out a “smoothie in a box”. It’s a package that people are excited to open, gets them to better understand what it is we do/offer and it     builds a relationship with them. It’s something tangible so they hang on to it for a long time, which keeps me front of mind. While they can easily click through something online and forget about me, this direct mail piece stands out, gets remembered, and builds a relationship.

• REFERRALS: Brand advocacy and work of mouth marketing was identified by Forbes contributor Kimberly Whitler as the most valuable form of marketing. Why? Because in customer opinion surveys, 74% of all consumers say that the opinions of family and friends are a key influencer in their decision making. A study by Van de Bulte, Skiera, and Schmitt found that referred customers have approximately 25% higher lifetime values than non-referred customers and are 18% less likely to churn. Fortunately, these referrals and brand advocates are a specific focus of direct-mail campaigns. Monthly newsletters provide customers with a “wow experience” and give them something to talk about with family and friends. These physical mailers also have great pass-around value and staying power around the house. This gives people a reason to talk about your brand and start referring their friends and family.

EXAMPLE: In my coffee and smoothie business, I send out a thank you card right after each event. About 2 weeks later, I then send a letter asking that if they liked their event to please send us a testimonial (which most already have without us asking) and letting them know a referral is the highest compliment we could receive. An easy-to-fill out form is included where they can recommend others to us. Our phone is always ringing with someone saying “I heard about you from ________”.

• MEMORABILITY: But how can clients refer you if they don’t remember your name? Many businesses only see their customers a few times per year, and in the months between visits it’s easy to forget great experiences or a likeable staff. Direct mail is one of the best ways to stay top-of-mind, because it not only builds a relationship with customers, it also uses informative articles and prestige to establish you as an expert in your field. Don’t leave your retention strategy up to chance; make sure that customers know you, like you, and choose you for their purchases moving forward.

EXAMPLE: Most clients use our catering services once or twice a year, so it’s important to stay front-of-mind. We use various forms of direct mail, such as newsletters, fun postcards, and lumpy mail. I’m always shocked how many times someone will tell me they remember a specific mailer we had sent out months before, but because they just received another piece of mail, it “reminded” them to book another event with us.

Now is the time to focus on customer retention. By implementing a direct mail campaign, you are investing in a relationship with customers that will not only keep them around, but will also improve your referrals, retention rates, and repeat businesses throughout the year. Use the long-lasting power of print to build relationships with your customers and market for success.

About Stacey Riska

Stacey Riska, aka “Small Business Stacey” is a serial entrepreneur who is passionate about saving small business and rebuilding Main Street. She helps small and local business owners #CrushIt by teaching them marketing strategies that get MORE: MORE leads, MORE customers/clients, MORE sales, and MORE money. Stacey is the founder of Small Biz Marketing Specialist, THE go-to place for marketing tips, techniques and strategies that get results. Stacey is also the creator of the Daily Deals for Massive Profits Training Program, an online video training program that teaches small and local business owners how to use daily deal sites like Groupon to skyrocket their business growth and get massive profits. In this program she teaches from experience, as it was the key strategy that transformed her coffee and smoothie business from being $500K in debt to a 7-figure profitable business. When not saving the small business world, she enjoys sipping red wine, eating chocolate (who doesn’t!) and spending time with her amazing husband.