After Sale Marketing
07 Dec 2012 Leave a Comment
in creative offers, Marketing TIPS, Social Media Tags: offers, Sales Calls, thank you cards
Follow up with your customers after the sale is done.
Following up after a sale provides an opportunity to offer a heart-felt thank you and ensure customer satisfaction. It also lets you discuss additional services and improve a customer’s probable return to your business. Here are a few follow-up tips for after-sale marketing:
- Show your gratitude with a free offer that complements the original purchase. For example, a hair stylist could show thanks by offering a voucher for a free hair styling product. Include specifics, such as a $15 maximum value redeemable within 60 days of postmark.
- Boost sales by providing a coupon for free shipping or 25% off their next order. Encourage customers to pass it on if they don’t need to use the offer themselves.
- Suggest complementary products or services that will enhance the initial purchase and increase the customer’s satisfaction and loyalty. Consider creating an affiliate program with non-competing businesses to expand your offerings.
- Reward customers for providing referrals. Offer an exclusive discount to both your existing customer and a new referral to increase the number of referrals you receive.
- Highlight your contact information on an item your customers will keep, such as a business card, calendar, customized notepad, magnet, or pen.
- Become a resource to your customers by encouraging customers to sign up for an informational newsletter with industry tips and tricks. You might also consider providing valuable tutorials and training classes.
- Consider using the 10-10-10 follow-up pattern (or even a less-aggressive 30-30-30). Send an initial thank you within 10 days after the purchase. Contact them again after 10 days, then a third time after another 10 days. Vary your method of communication, such as a hand-written note, email, and phone call. Include an offer in all communications, and build on the urgency in each contact.
- Ask for feedback about the customer’s recent purchase or send a survey with an incentive to respond. Many customers will be eager to discuss their experience or may even have questions.
- A new idea might be to consider thanking them on Facebook or other social media.
If you need creative print ideas to stay in touch your customers, give us a call today. Our creative team is full of ideas to ensure your customers come back for more, and bring new customers with them!
Appreciation Marketing
31 Jul 2012 Leave a Comment
in creative offers, Discounts, Inspirational, Marketing, Marketing TIPS, Products, Services Tags: Loyality items, Promotional items, thank you cards
Everyone likes to feel appreciated. That’s especially true when it comes to your customers. Appreciation marketing can help you develop lasting relationships and make customers think of you the next time they’re ready to purchase.
Here are a few ways to show customers your appreciation:
- Send a hand-written thank you card every time someone does business with you. Larry and I remember purchasing a suitcase at a smaller store in the mall years ago, and they sent us a thank you card, for a suitcase no less! We thought that was pretty darn cool, so Print & Copy Factory started sending thank you cards to our customers.
- Reward repeat customers with special deals, exclusive discounts, and coupons. You should be tracking what your customers are purchasing from you, and use this to sell add-on services or products as a form of up-selling.
- Send holiday (we have a large selection), birthday, or anniversary cards. These simple, pressure-free greetings will help increase top-of-mind awareness throughout the year.
- Offer useful information and helpful tips to educate customers and promote your expertise via blogs, newsletters, social media, and the like.
- Invite customers to an exclusive appreciation event designed for existing customers.
- Collaborate with non-competitive local businesses to create a coupon book or discount program across a range of industries – check with the local chambers, some of them have welcome packets that they give to new members that include your marketing items – I know the Ferndale Chamber has one).
- Create a customer loyalty program, such as a loyalty punch card, upgrade offers, or cash rewards after reaching a specific purchase level.
- Respond quickly to customer questions or requests, and follow-up to be sure all questions were thoroughly answered.
- Ask for customer feedback in the form of surveys and response cards. (we also do this, using a pre-paid postcard, encouraging the correspondence)
- Send out a voucher or postcard for a free gift, redeemable at your business.
- Send out re-order cards.
- Send discounts and coupons “just because” to thank customers for their business.
- Include statement stuffer coupons with bills not only as a thank you but also to encourage customers to make additional future purchases.
- Give away free-bees, such as coffee mugs, pens or even hats with your logo on them, they stay with the customer longer and help you advertise too!
If you’re interested in any of the above print marketing ideas or need help brainstorming the perfect promo to show customers your appreciation, our creative team here at Print & Copy Factory is eager to help. Give us a call today!
Christmas… In July?
13 Jul 2012 Leave a Comment
in creative offers, Design, Marketing TIPS Tags: christmas in July, Holiday advertising
While the holiday season is still a few months away, now is the ideal early time to start planning festive marketing campaigns to promote your business. Here are a few creative ideas to consider:
- Give your business a seasonal twist. For example, a grocery store could offer tips on how to eat healthy during the holidays. A financial institution could provide a tip sheet on controlling holiday spending.
- Consider special pricing on gift certificates, such as buy $40 and get $10 free or buy two gift certificates and get one free.
- Rather than risk having your holiday card get lost in the shuffle at Christmas, consider sending a greeting focused on Halloween, Thanksgiving, or even New Year’s.
- Give loyal customers something that keeps on giving. Consider a bonus for referring a friend, a holiday coupon, a discount for subscribing to your e-newsletter, or other fun promotions.
- Offer a “Coming Soon” report for the upcoming year. For example, offer a sneak peek at a new product you’ll be revealing, a workshop or webinar your customers would enjoy, an add-on service, or something similar.
- Offer tips, discounts, and programs to help people meet their New Year’s resolution goals. For example, a health care facility might offer a special package that waives the sign-up fee and provides a discount if you bring a friend.
- Build relationships, and enjoy the opportunity to meet and mingle with new people at holiday mixers. When the season is over, you can contact your holiday party connections and work on further building your relationship.
- Ask for the opportunity to donate your product or service as a door prize at holiday parties or other business gatherings.
- Plan a seasonal open house with beverages and snacks. Consider a special featured discount, and offer giveaway items your attendees can sign up to win.
- In addition to providing an overall price discount, highlight product offerings for every budget level from $20 to $200. Create a customized holiday flyer or brochure to make customers aware of your multiple price points-but most importantly your value that you offer.
If you’d like help creating the perfect direct mail piece to advertise your holiday promotions, stop by today. Our creative experts will help you create the perfect mailer to successfully promote your business any time of year.
Also check out our new catalog of Holiday Greeting Cards! Yep, order early while supplies last, it is hard to believe, but come November, there is not much left….
Good, Better, or Best
01 Jun 2012 Leave a Comment
When it comes to upselling your product line, a tiered marketing strategy can accelerate the research-buying process for your customers, give you a competitive edge, and increase your bottom line through increased revenue. Here are a few tips to help you take advantage of a tiered selling technique:
Provide a comparison chart that outlines various differences and focuses on the most importance benefits to motivate buying.
Describe product differences using an emotional appeal rather than technical verbiage.
Use descriptive headlines or titles that distinguish between the product service levels. For example, try basic, premium, and ultimate; or fast, faster, and fastest.
When displaying in your store, group your products in close proximity to one another, making it easier for customers to comparison shop.
Provide upselling options in sales proposals, especially if an RFP asks for minimum or bare bones specifications. You may be surprised how many organizations choose higher price points after understanding their benefits.
Even if you offer a large variety of products or services, select a few of your best choices as a starting point that won’t overwhelm your audience. When possible, note that other options are available as well.
Draw attention to the most expensive option with extra benefit statements and intriguing visuals that will resonate with readers and support the additional expense.
Tiered marketing can not only paint your product line in a positive light but also help your customers make educated decisions based on benefits that are most important to them. The result is a win-win for you and your customers.
Turn Customers into Salespeople
01 May 2012 Leave a Comment
in creative offers, Discounts, Marketing Tags: customer referral program, differentiate, recruit customers
One of the most cost effective ways to grow your business is by letting your customers do the selling for you via referrals. Here are a few tips on how to grow your business through customer referrals:
- Create a customer referral program. For example, provide custom printed referral cards that provide an exclusive discount to new customers. Also reward existing customers based on how many new customers they recruit.
- Educate your customers with the information they need to market your products. Make sure your customers have access to adequate print literature, website links, blogs, newsletters, and other materials relevant to your company.
- Differentiate your business based on a key feature or benefit you offer that your competition doesn’t, such as free shipping or low-price guarantees. These differentiators make great selling points to entice new customers.
- Ask for referrals. If you’ve just talked to a happy customer who complimented your business, ask if they would be willing to refer others on your behalf.
- Popularity sells. If your business has a very high number of referrals, promote the fact on your marketing materials and website. For example, “More than half of our new customers are derived from customer referrals” would make a great tagline somewhere on your website or in your product literature.
- Ask new customers how they learned about your business. It’s always exciting to see real-world results from your marketing efforts, especially from word-of-mouth.
- Include a statement on the back of your brochures, business cards, and other collateral that encourages customer referrals. “A customer referral is the finest compliment we can receive” would be a good example.
Don’t forget to show your sincere appreciation to customers who refer others to your business. A handwritten thank you note is a great way to follow-up, and that one extra step will reinforce the reasons why they recommended you in the first place.
The Power of Words
13 Jan 2012 Leave a Comment
in creative offers, Inspirational
The Power of Words
Here’s a little story about how the power of words can evoke emotion, especially in the world of marketing.
An elderly blind man was sitting on a busy street corner with a cardboard sign next to an empty tin cup. The sign read, “Blind — Please help.” People would glance at the sign, but nobody gave the man any money.
Then a young copywriter saw the man with his sign and empty cup. He felt disappointed as he watched all the people walk past without an ounce of empathy, so he took a marker, flipped the sign over, and rewrote the blind man’s message.
Suddenly, people started putting money in his cup until it was overflowing. Surprised, the blind man asked a stranger to tell him what the sign said. He replied, “It’s a beautiful day. You can see it. I cannot.”
Making Connections
13 Jan 2012 Leave a Comment
in creative offers, Design, Inspirational, Marketing, offers, Services Tags: budwiser, chevy cruze, hallmark, You Tube videos
Inside every human being is a desire to connect in real and tangible ways. This desire for connection permeates everything we do and every decision we make: even our decisions of what to buy and when. We respond to ads because we connect with them somehow. A spokesperson, scene, or catchphrase resonates with us and makes us laugh, or cry, or both.
- A soldier sits down in a quiet moment to listen to a recordable storybook his child sent from home.
- A team of clydesdales pulls an iconic wagon into New York City, then bows silently before the Statue of Liberty in reverence.
- A couple drives frantically to the top of a parking ramp. The man jumps out and signals his confused girlfriend to follow, just in time to… miss the airplane banner flying by, asking her to marry him.
Each of these commercials (and many others like them) tells a story that, at first glance, has little to do with the product they’re selling. Instead, they show the product (or in the case of the clydesdales, a symbol of the product) in real-life situations that make it far more relatable than a simple product shot or feature list ever could.
Here are links to the three commercials I mentioned in this post. A quick warning: If you haven’t seen these, you might want to have a box of Kleenex nearby for the first two. Feel free to list some of your own favorites in the comments at the end of this post.
“Active Duty” Hallmark Commercial
Wherever Life Takes You (Chevy Cruze ECO)
Creative Coupon Offers
13 Jan 2012 Leave a Comment
in creative offers, Design, Marketing, Products
It’s an age-old debate. Which is better: percentage off or dollar-off coupons? There is no right or wrong answer, since both options can be very appealing to consumers looking to save money. Here are a few creative offers for your next coupon campaign:
- Offer the best of both worlds with a coupon such as: “$15 off or 15% off, whichever is higher.” This will also encourage customers to buy more to save more.
- Consider offering a bonus item to increase the value of your coupon. This will also let you compete with your competition without actually lowering prices.
- Offer incremental percentage-off amounts based on what the customer spends. An example of this would be “save 30% on $150 or more, 20% on $100 or more, or 10% on $10 or more.”
- When using a dollar-off coupon, customers respond best to round dollar bill denominations whenever possible, such as $1, $5, $10, or $20 off. Not only are the amounts easy to calculate, but it easily translates to a bill in their pocket.
- Try a BOGO (buy one get one) campaign, such as buy one get one free or buy one get one half price.
Use easy-to-remember codes like FEB20 rather than KTR10R44YZEX to make it easy to use during online checkouts.
Another great way to increase the value of a coupon campaign is to offer a follow-up survey for customers based on their purchase with your coupon. Offer another coupon as a thank you for completing the survey. Adding a survey will help you gain valuable input about what types of coupon promotions influence your customers.
