How often do you reach out and “touch” your customers with some kind of marketing contact? Only when you are selling something? Or when it’s time to send a bill? If so, then you need to rethink your strategy. Successful marketers have regular contact with their customers, whether they are selling something or not. Let’s look at three examples of reaching out in ways that go beyond the direct sale:
At the holidays, one software manufacturer sends each customer a personalized greeting card to demonstrate its cross-media capabilities and stay top of mind. To stay top of mind year round, it sends a personalized wall calendar with extensive personalized imagery.
Using an automated system, medical and dental practices send automated, personalized appointment reminders using their customers’ preferred method of contact—personalized e-mail, text, or postcard.
To nurture customer loyalty, one manufacturer launched a quarterly, personalized customer newsletter. It segments the newsletter by vertical market and uses personalized URLs to track which articles customers read. This gives the manufacturer invaluable insight into its customers’ business needs.
These are just three examples, but there are many others. Consider the benefits of customer surveys, open house invitations, birthday cards, company announcements, and more.
Notice that these campaigns contain personalization, and yours should, too. Customers are used to seeing personalized communications, and their contacts from you should be no exception. You should personalize your direct mail and e-mail communications, even if it’s simply greeting the person by name. Your competitors and their other business partners are personalizing. You want to stand out for what you are doing instead of what you are not.
So reach out and “touch” your customers. Do it regularly. Do it often. When you do, be sure to personalize it!
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