May 9, 2012
How to be Efficient and Keep it Personal
BY John Paul Narowski IN Sales and Marketing
Email is one of the most powerful marketing tools because of its personalized power. The challenge is to make your email personal, but how do you do this?
In the beginning
A relationship starts when the customer first meets you. They see your brand and decide that you’re the right choice…or at least for the meantime.
An initial email makes first-time customers feel special because they’re recognized. All too often people are left to feel like “a number”. Be sure that your email is sourced from an empowered personality. Thank them for choosing your business, but also don’t forget to ask for feedback that will help you hone your customer appeal and business skills.
Staying in contact
Newsletters, updates, or even just a “thank-you for their business” letter can help to continue a developing relationship. You want them to stay in a constant exchange of conversation with your customer. Customer relationship management relies on regular contact with your customers. The purpose is to manage your image in the eyes of the customer to keep them interactive with your brand.
Keeping them actively attentive
Not every customer will walk into your business every day. Customers may wait for deals, sales, or even a specific season before purchasing from you. Someone that hasn’t purchased anything recently needs a different kind of attention than a regular customer. Sending an email to them right when they’re getting ready to make a regular purchase keeps you fresh in their mind. Here, they are still aware and loyal to your brand, so all they need is a little incentive to return to you.
In order to do this, you’ll need to utilize your database. It’s imperative that you keep track of and take the time to identify customer patterns in your database. Analyze sales patterns, taking into consideration what the characteristics of your service or product are. A customer may be interested in your business for a particular item that may be seasonal, or they may even buy in bulk to last them long term. Consider what a customer wants from you, and use that information to develop a personalized email. You’ll be able to target and ensure that you send the right emails to the right customers. That’s when you increase your customer’s activity with your business.
Winning back a customer
Customers that have been inactive for long periods of time often just need some incentive to return. Some may have left for better deals, or they may even have forgotten about your excellent services. This is why newsletters and regular or quarterly updates are important in your email marketing strategy. If you have customers that have been inactive for long periods of time, you may also consider that they’ve chosen a new email address (this can be a big problem with hackers capturing social media accounts and email addresses), so be sure that your email asks for new updated email information regularly. You’ll be able to ensure a continuous relationship with your customer by taking the time to make sure you keep in contact with them, even if they move addresses.
Done in a very personal, interactive nature – email can continue to create relationship with customers so they’ll want to keep doing business with you.
Email is one of the most powerful marketing tools because of its personalized power. The challenge is to make your email personal, but how do you do this?
In the beginning
A relationship starts when the customer first meets you. They see your brand and decide that you’re the right choice…or at least for the meantime.
An initial email makes first-time customers feel special because they’re recognized. All too often people are left to feel like “a number”. Be sure that your email is sourced from an empowered personality. Thank them for choosing your business, but also don’t forget to ask for feedback that will help you hone your customer appeal and business skills.
Staying in contact
Newsletters, updates, or even just a “thank-you for their business” letter can help to continue a developing relationship. You want them to stay in a constant exchange of conversation with your customer. Customer relationship management relies on regular contact with your customers. The purpose is to manage your image in the eyes of the customer to keep them interactive with your brand.
Keeping them actively attentive
Not every customer will walk into your business every day. Customers may wait for deals, sales, or even a specific season before purchasing from you. Someone that hasn’t purchased anything recently needs a different kind of attention than a regular customer. Sending an email to them right when they’re getting ready to make a regular purchase keeps you fresh in their mind. Here, they are still aware and loyal to your brand, so all they need is a little incentive to return to you.
In order to do this, you’ll need to utilize your database. It’s imperative that you keep track of and take the time to identify customer patterns in your database. Analyze sales patterns, taking into consideration what the characteristics of your service or product are. A customer may be interested in your business for a particular item that may be seasonal, or they may even buy in bulk to last them long term. Consider what a customer wants from you, and use that information to develop a personalized email. You’ll be able to target and ensure that you send the right emails to the right customers. That’s when you increase your customer’s activity with your business.
Winning back a customer
Customers that have been inactive for long periods of time often just need some incentive to return. Some may have left for better deals, or they may even have forgotten about your excellent services. This is why newsletters and regular or quarterly updates are important in your email marketing strategy. If you have customers that have been inactive for long periods of time, you may also consider that they’ve chosen a new email address (this can be a big problem with hackers capturing social media accounts and email addresses), so be sure that your email asks for new updated email information regularly. You’ll be able to ensure a continuous relationship with your customer by taking the time to make sure you keep in contact with them, even if they move addresses.
Done in a very personal, interactive nature – email can continue to create relationship with customers so they’ll want to keep doing business with you.
I’ve been hacking at various business ideas since I was 16. I’m a full stack developer and love crafting user experiences. I’ve been nose deep in code since I put the legos down, and built several successful businesses in the process. I’ve lost some hair, gained some experience and throughly enjoyed the journey.
