It costs less to encourage current customers to buy more than it costs to acquire new customers. You probably have heard this many times before. And, yet, we see it time and time again — companies are focused on dollar signs and, instead of nurturing current customers, they focus almost exclusively on driving new traffic to their websites.

I can’t shout this loud enough: when it comes to increasing web sales, your digital marketing strategy MUST include a nurturing program, with emails and texts, to your current customers (and also former customers who need a reminder about your company!)

Getting out there and attracting new clients is awesome. 

The more the merrier! However, if you already have a list of people who are doing business with you (and those who have done business with you), why wouldn’t you stay in touch with them? By staying in touch with them on a regular basis, you are getting onto their radar screen…staying top of mind.

People get busy, right? Do you ever buy something, love it but run out and forget to reorder? Or, maybe you bought something online, really enjoyed it, but never went back to that website to see what else might have your “name” on it? This has happened to all of us!

But you can do something about it right now. It’s never too late to nurture current and former customers.

Shortly after your first sale, email the customer and ask them to leave you a 5 Star Google review. And offer them an incentive to buy again or try something new!

If it’s someone who hasn’t purchased in a while, make them some sweet deal offers. People respond to BOGO or a significant percentage off of the current web price. If a customer forgot about you, remind them with a deal they can’t refuse!

You can also ask them to actively refer your company to a friend in exchange for an incentive.

Paying for Clicks is More Expensive than Email Nurturing

These days, the world of PPC is very crowded. Unless you do something or sell something that is incredibly rare, paying for clicks is going to be an investment. Sure, it’s an investment that will pay off in terms of winning new customers. But, while you are doing PPC, you shouldn’t forget about the customers whom you’ve already won!

Think about it this way…why spend all of your time and money trying to get the attention of someone who doesn’t know you when you can also be catching up with old friends (paying customers!)

When was the last time you reached out to an existing client? Maybe it was to just say “thank you” for making a purchase. Probably right after you collected payment for services rendered or products delivered, right?

No. No. No! It’s so important that you stay in contact with customers early and often; you want to be on their radar screens. If you don’t remind them to buy from you, who will? You can increase sales exponentially by simply working on a strategy to re-engage current and former customers. 

If you are wondering where to even begin, here’s the simple answer. Reach out to Harmonia Media and ask about email and text nurturing campaigns. This is what we do (among plenty of other digital marketing services and we would love to help you!)

Here’s a Quick Look at What a Customer Retention Program Might Look Like

To begin with, what exactly is customer retention? Great question! A customer retention strategy is simply an effort to get customers–people who have made purchases from your website– to visit your site again and be encouraged to click that “buy now” button again and again!

In the past, when snail mail postcards were all the rage, companies sent them out to customers, incentivizing them to buy again. No reason to cut down trees! We have email and it’s very easy to set up a series of emails — a campaign funnel, if we are using digital marketing speak — to stay in touch with your customers and give them reasons to return to your website.

Additionally, as mentioned, a nurturing campaign for former customers is a great way to bring them back into the fold. Perhaps they didn’t buy again for a good reason. That doesn’t mean you can’t say “hello” and give them a reason to try something else you sell.

You have absolutely nothing to lose and plenty of sales to gain! If you reach out and they “unsubscribe,” no harm, no foul, right? But….what if they buy again??

According to Shopify, “Customer retention strategies enable you to both provide and extract more value from your existing customer base. You want to ensure the customers you worked so hard to acquire stay with you, have a great customer experience, and continue to get value from your products.”

It’s time to find out if Harmonia Media’s concierge service is right for you. 

Call us at (800) 531-3704 or fill out our convenient online contact form and we will reach out to you.