The goal of every marketing campaign – from distributing promotional items to updating social media pages – is to increase business. Unfortunately, without effective strategies, it’s difficult for small business owners to attract consumers.
The most important feature of every marketing plan is the end goal. You should always have a target in mind when you introduce new advertisements. There are two primary benefits to having an specific goal – metrics and growth. You can effectively measure the success of your advertisements against your target and continually set greater expectations for your business.
While there isn’t any one surefire method of increasing sales, many businesses rely on numerous tactics because of past successes. Incentives, customer retention programs and special promotions are three of the most effective strategies for finding customers and raising revenue.
Incentives
Sometimes your customers may be hesitant to make purchases, especially after the holidays when budgets are tighter than usual. Additionally, many consumers are becoming increasingly frugal as the economy struggles to reach a sustainable level of recovery. You don’t have to let tightened purse strings affect your business, however, as you can give your clients incentives to continue their patronage.
Unique promotional products can be used to motivate shoppers, instead of as advertisements. Consumers will likely appreciate receiving small gifts with their purchases and the fact that you recognized their loyalty to your company.
You should scale your incentive program so that there is a direct correlation between the gifts you distribute and the size of the purchase order – the larger the sales total, the more extravagant the giveaway. Promotional pens can be given to every customer, while gifts like coffee mugs and tote bags should only be given to clients who buy sizable amounts of merchandise.
Customer retention
Entrepreneur Magazine writes that customer retention programs are vital to long-term success. The news source notes that the most successful plans typically revolve around well-maintained channels of communication between businesses and their clients.
Customers want frequent updates about the companies they frequently work with, but loyal patrons don’t want to receive the same messages as other consumers. Small businesses should create databases of contact information and regularly reach out to their clients to improve communication and foster loyalty.
Ask customers for their email addresses and phone numbers so you can regularly contact them. Create a consistent schedule and send your clients regular updates and information. You could even use your retention program as a way to debut sales pitches and market new products.
If you choose to use telemarketing for customer retention, consider giving your employees individual lists of customers. Your clients may be more likely to stay with your company if they develop personal relationships with a single representative instead of speaking to a new staffer for every purchase.
Special promotions
Special promotions can help you increase sales by targeting your customers who don’t want to miss any deals. Whether you choose to offer discounts or distribute promotional marketing products, you attract clients by only giving away a unique deal for a limited time. Frank Jurden, a marketing lecturer from Kansas University, told the Lawrence Journal-World that a deadline can be particularly motivating when it comes to discounts.
“The idea of the sale exploits the idea of a limited opportunity. The basic psychology behind a sale is that this is an opportunity that’s going to come, ‘once in a lifetime’ or ‘once every 12 months’ and that’s the primary motivation,” Jurden said to the news source.
Develop a unique promotional and market it as a limited event. You can see a spike in sales by forcing your customers to make quick purchasing decisions.