Companies are constantly looking
for new and better ways to keep up with their customers. They know the
importance of cultivating repeat customers who may return to a business dozens
or even hundreds of times. This effort becomes much easier when a company has a
connection with its customers and knows how to stay in touch. According to Dr. Pierre Courchesne, the companies that master email marketing, social media,
and community events have the best chance to cultivate these incredibly
important loyal customers.
Email Marketing
Email marketing is an indispensable part of the common process of staying in touch with customers. Companies often collect email addresses from the websites that people visit. Some companies purchase these email addresses for small amounts per address. In other cases, they offer discount programs that allow individuals to receive coupons or deals when they sign up for emails. Once the company collects those email addresses, they have to send out emails that will lead to more interaction with customers.
Email marketing may consist of frequent updates and information about a company’s specials. As Pierre Courchesne notes, there may be a newsletter that a company put time and effort into crafting. Some companies will solicit feedback and reward customers for that feedback through email. These efforts are handled either by an employee or a skilled email marketing company depending on scale.
Social Media
Social media is helpful for companies and firms for a number of different reasons. Companies can add their customers on social media and post updates about specials, new products, and different hours. They can quickly communicate to tens of thousands of people practically for free. There is also the possibility of paying social media companies to directly target a large number of individuals who may be interested in buying a product.
In addition to directly sending messages out to customers, Pierre Courchesne argues that social media can also be used to provide feedback and engage with individual customers. Companies can use social media to respond to reviews and customer complaints. They can send out questions and then respond to their customers’ answers. Through this process, the company starts to build a personal bond with an individual and gives them even more of an incentive to stick with that company over months or years.
Community Events
Some companies are in situations where they can throw regular events for their customers. A number of companies have a schedule where they set up block parties or bring in food trucks. These events are beneficial for several reasons. Community events may be more appealing than digital marketing for customer groups that are not particularly internet savvy. They are also a way that a company can give back to its community. Many community events are publicized by local newspapers and television stations for free.
Leaders of the company can interact with the public and give them a service that individuals may want to repay by becoming customers. They can put a public face on what may have otherwise been seen as an anonymous leadership group. Finally, these events help build employee morale and bring employees closer to the customers they are entrusted to serve. No matter the specific type of event, companies that utilize community events will have a much easier time reaching their customers and cultivating relationships with them.
Conclusion
Any company that wants to stay in touch with its customers needs to embrace digital platforms as well as in-person connections. They should have robust plans for both approaches. In most instances, companies need to hire and pay social media coordinators as well as individuals and companies that will handle email marketing. A small investment in customer engagement can end up making a company thousands of dollars over the long term.