The customers you currently have are likely your best source of future revenue. According to Paul W. Farris’ Marketing Metrics, it’s 50% easier to sell to a customer who has purchased from you previously than it is to get a sale from a highly qualified, but brand new prospect. To effectively market to past customers:
1. Contact customers at the right intervals after a sale.
Gathering the right contact information at the time of sale, allows you to reach out to customers again. If you sell consumable products, sending an email offer around the time they would need to order again is highly effective. For example, sending a 10% discount on pet food around the natural time of replenishment can have great results. Our customers report as much as a 70% increase in conversion, over generic email marketing, when they send these types of targeted offers. By contacting at the right time, you more easily secure an additional sale.
2. Follow up on abandoned carts.
A simple email reminder that your customer has a purchase in progress can result in over 10% percent abandoned cart conversion. On more valuable sales, consider following up with a personalized call or email to help them complete the transaction. Many OroCRM customers create rules, initiating a personal follow up to abandoned shopping carts above a certain monetary amount, even having their Customer Service Rep offer to complete the order. Below is a screen shot:
3. Go above and beyond to resolve customer service issues.
Industry analysts attribute poor customer service to $83 billion per year in lost sales. Nearly half of all consumers say they’ve left a business because they feel unappreciated.
No business is perfect. Orders get lost, wrong items are shipped and appointments are sometimes canceled or forgotten. When this does happen, it is in your company’s best interest to go above and beyond to correct the issue. In this highly connected age where every customer has the opportunity to be your brand ambassador or detractor, customer service is an extension of your marketing department. When they make a customer’s day, others will hear about it.
4. Create marketing content that benefits current customers.
A lot of content marketing is geared toward acquisition. It’s also important to create content marketing pieces that are of value to your current customers. Write blog posts that dissect issues important to members of your clients’ industries. Offer webinars to help customers learn about advanced product features. By providing useful content you gain ongoing customer mindshare and a perception of credibility.
5. Offer complementary products and services.
In some cases, the right complementary products are obvious. If you sell fly fishing poles, it’s reasonable to assume that your customers will also be in the market for lures, line and reels.
Offering complimentary products and services such as a free hat with purchase of a high-end fishing pole or free shipping over a certain order amount can create a sense of excitement among existing customers. Internally, having a single view of your customer across all sales channels can help you make connections on complimentary products you may not have seen before. Also segmenting customers into specific buyer personas can help organize the right set of offers for the right group. Many of our customers are creating segments they never saw previously as they analyze cross-channel data, opening up a world of interesting marketing opportunities. Here is a screen shot of our customer segmentation feature:
The customers with whom you already have done business likely represent your richest asset for future sales. How will you nurture those relationships to increase your business growth and ROI?