1. Understand your Customers
Smart marketing relies on fully understanding your customers. You need to know not only who they are and what they buy, but why they buy and why they choose to buy from you. Put effort at discussions through newsletters, social media, message boards, and blogs. You want to get direct feedback from customers, clients, or via your front-line salespeople.
2. Use Promotions
Use special incentives to drive customers to doing business with you. Consumers are looking for good prices and great value. Promotions are a winner with most economic groups; everyone loves a good deal. Coupons are extremely important and there is a major rise in the desirability of online coupons.
3. Stay Fresh
Don’t rely exclusively on a small team or just your marketing staff to produce fresh ideas. Make innovation everyone’s responsibility by doing brainstorming sessions, company retreats, or giving special recognition to individuals with good ideas. Sometimes it is even a good idea to let your customers do some brainstorming or asking your customers what is something more they would like to see from your company. By asking your customers what they want you are also marinating strong customer loyalties.
4. Retention Campaigns
Do you have regular e-mail or direct mail promotions that go out to your entire customer base? Do a newsletter by putting it on a consistent weekly or biweekly schedule. Soon you will discover which incentives and messages workout best to retain customers and gain prospects
5. Be a Giver
Social responsibility is extremely important. Customers and prospects want to know you’re a good business citizen. Join with a nonprofit and to demonstrate that you not only care just about your business but about the people and area around you. You can do a promotional campaign to raise charitable funds to help others. Just be sure to promote the undertaking via your website and the press. You’ll provide help where it’s needed most and earn appreciation from customers that leads to sales.
