Marketing to new customers is important for the long term growth of a business. However, in order for the acquisition cost to be viable, customer retention is vital. There is no point in continually filling a leaky bucket and an acquired customer is worth two in the bush. In this blog, we cover ways you can drive repeat engagement and sales from current customers.
Here are the top marketing tactics to drive sales through customer retention and repeat purchases.
Direct marketing through SMS and email
Direct marketing is a tried and tested method of retaining customers, which is why it’s a good idea for businesses to have a clear direct marketing strategy. How you will acquire customer details, what channels you will use to speak to them, how often, and about what.
You need to remember that you should not spam your customers. Don’t send multiple emails and SMSes every week – think about how you want your business to be perceived and how you would like someone to communicate with you if you were the customer. With each interaction, you should have a clearly defined purpose. When customers give their details, make sure to inform them about the type of content you will be sending them. Use clear calls to action if you do want a customer to buy a product/ submit a query etc.
Consider WhatsApp Business
If you’re using your and your staff members’ cell phones for business-related communication, you should consider using WhatsApp Business. It’s ideal for communicating with customers, as it’s not as intrusive as phone calls, and yet is a medium that most people frequently engage on. Your customers can inquire about what stock is available, and you can let your loyal customers know about sales and promotions through this medium.
WhatsApp Business requires a separate phone number so customers won’t be able to contact you or your employees on WhatsApp Messenger after hours. It’s simple, quick and highly affordable to use as a way to retain customers.
Make use of loyalty programmes
Aside from quality products and value for money, few things encourage customer retention quite as well as a loyalty programme. This could take the form of an instant discount on a current purchase, a free item after a certain number of purchases, a private preview of new ranges, or free samples of certain products. Keep in mind that people often find immediate rewards much more satisfying. so getting one free coffee after 10 is less psychologically compelling than R2 off your next coffee. Whatever you choose to offer your customers to encourage repeat business, ensure that it is of value to your particular target market. Do your market research and speak to your regular customers about what they enjoy about your business.
Loyalty programmes tie in neatly with SMS and email marketing, as well as WhatsApp Business customer service and communication. You can make use of these mediums to let your customers know about the latest offerings available to those who are part of the loyalty programme.
Engage with your consumers on social media
Social media is a great medium to let your customers speak to you and to give them additional valuable information.
The most important consideration is keeping your content relevant to your audience. And ultimately remember that social media platforms provide you with the opportunity to have a conversation with your audience. While you’re providing them with useful information like upcoming promotions ahead of the season, they can also provide you with valuable content in the form of reviews and pictures of happy customers using your product. Don’t forget to let them know about your latest sales and specials. Letting them know in advance is great – as is giving them a reminder a day or so before.
New business matters and it’s important to attract more customers. But it is equally as important to retain the customers you have. After all, the customers you already have are the people who understand the value and quality of your offerings.
For more advice and information which could benefit your retail business, visit our blog.
Stacey Vermaak
Chief Marketing Officer, Lulalend
Performance-focused marketer who is passionate about helping businesses grow.
