Customers can be fickle. Even if you do everything right, they can defect to a competitor. One survey found that, even though 72% of consumers were highly satisfied with the products or services received from the companies they did business with, 88% said that they were willing to switch providers “for any reason!”
Just like you, many of your competitors offer a quality product and service at reasonable prices. How do you keep customers loyal to you? It’s something surprisingly simple — pay attention to them. All things being equal, your customers will naturally go where they consistently feel well treated and appreciated.
You care about your clients, so it’s important to show it. This requires more than offering quality service and good prices. It requires ongoing attentiveness and creativity in your communications.
Direct mail is often viewed as a way of winning new customers, but it is a highly effective customer loyalty tool, too. Because print has a tangible cost, sending direct mail (especially personalized mail) says to your customers, “You are worth the effort.”
Consider setting up a series of regular mailers throughout the year. Make it a continuous contact program that demonstrates at regular, pre-planned intervals that you are grateful for their business and care about their relationship with you. Some of these may be direct sales solicitations. Others may not. Mix it up!
- Send a variety of “thank you for your business” cards, birthday wishes, and recognitions of customer anniversaries.
- Mail out customer surveys, showing that you care about what they think and value their opinion.
- Offer valuable tips, and send newsletters, press releases, case studies, company brochures, and timely incentives that remind clients of your commitment to service, value, quality, innovation, and loyalty.
- Direct mail isn’t just for customer acquisition marketing anymore. It is a critical part of effective customer retention efforts, too.
