When marketing your brand it is often the simple actions you take that can make a big difference with your customers.
Heather Smith who is releasing a new book soon called Learn Myob in 7 Days sent me an email about a company she bought product from as a suggested topic for a blog post.
The product was a lip balm and apparently the best she has used.
The only problem was the company didn’t take any marketing action to develop the relationship, from the time of purchase, through to delivery and post purchase.
- The pack arrived looking like pharmaceutical products
- No letter, email or thank you for your purchase included
- No follow up to develop the relationship
- It was left to Heather to contact them or the website to repurchase or buy other products
As Heather mentioned there was a big wasted opportunity and she is right.
Now this may be obvious to many of you, however there were some simple fundamentals that were missed.
Before you worry about marketing tactics to action, it is important to make sure the customer has the best experience when they buy from you. After all how much time or money was put into getting them as a customers.
Map out the customer experience
It of course starts when they first buy your product or service. Actually it starts back from here but I will just look at after they have decided to buy for this post.
Look at each part of the process, such as when they have bought, during delivery and after delivery. Map out how you can strengthen and build the relationship at each step. If necessary ask someone to help you as you can get too close and their ideas can often be something you would not have thought of.
Decide on what you will do
Taking the example from Heather’s experience, a simple letter included in the package with a free sample is a way to not only say thanks but introduce relevant products. This can also be done via email and just tell them that you gave included the sample.
For a service as often is the case you develop closeness to the customer as you work through the project. Take this opportunity for example to introduce your newsletter, especially if there is an article that would interest them.
You have the big opportunity during this time when customers have bought and it is a shame if you do not make the most of it.
What tips can you share that have worked for you to build these new relationships?
Image credit: Shutterstock
Hiya Susan,
I’ve just come to experience Send Out Cards, which is a great program that I am now planning to use as appreciation marketing for my clients. I already appreciate them with gifts – and I truly believe that a little bit goes a long way.
Going the extra mile – usually it doesn’t hurt, so long as you know your limits and do not give yourself right into bankruptcy. Basically, if you PLAN to add in a little extra, such as a letter or free sample, you can budget for these things and they will be part of your business model. Rather than being an “extra” thing, good service will be part of who you are and what you offer.
Hi Tia,
I have heard of them and now a few people that like using them. You make an excellent point about know your limits and budget. If you determine a budget then you can make sure that whatever you do will be consistent and all customers get the same experience. We can forget that our customers do talk to each other and no one likes to be left.
And if you’re focused on the customer’s needs, it’s also a big loss to not help them out with the use of the product and helping them find other products that could be of great use to them. Right?
Hi TJ,
You are right and it is the way we do it that makes a difference. The easier for them the better.
Hi Susan:
A well written post based on your personal experience. Write up like these bring a good read and
awesome comments.
Depending on the situation there can be many marketing strategies that can be uses. Back end sale is on of them.
Or if you feel customer gets to know you better than another sale, then offer a freebie.
I enjoyed reading the well written post.
Fran A
Hi Fran,
Thank you and it was actually Heather’s experience and she suggested it as a post which I appreciated.
You are right there are so many things the person could have done. It also struck me that we sometimes think of sales as one offs and forget that our customers may not be aware of all the products or services we offer.Revise our think can lead to opportunities.
Hi Susan,
First, enjoyed the article very much. Including short surveys helps to know a bit more about your customer. These worked particularly well for me when I was an Avon rep. Knowing what was important to the customer furthered the relationship.
I also found that people, especially women, love getting free stuff. Whether it be a discount or free product, that was extremely effective, as you mentioned.
Have a great weekend.
Hi Kathleen,
Glad you liked the article. Surveying customers is a good idea to know more about them. One addition to this is to be a little careful of the feedback as sometimes we need to interpret what customers say before we take decisions regarding our business.
Did you find when you were an Avon rep the full sized products which were given away as samples increased in sales?
Yes full sized product as well as order discounts increased sales. Most customers had a set budget and would spend up to that amount. The full size allowed the women to purchase other product. I always tried to give them something I knew for certain they liked and could use rather than something they had not experienced.
Thanks for sharing this information. I liked the way you would give them what you knew for certain what they would like. Much more effective than just hoping they may like it.
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