fofkdszk

One of the best pieces of advice I ever received on customer retention was this: "Never forget a customer. Never let a customer forget you."

But putting that maxim into practice is the hard part. How do you stay in touch with someone who is not ready to buy this quarter? How do you stay in touch with a customer who just made a purchase and is not likely to make another one for a few years (car sales comes to mind)?

The answer is drip marketing. Drip marketing is the process of sending repeated, relevant messages to your prospects and customers until they are ready to buy. Drip marketing is like drip irrigation, where farmers and gardeners apply small amounts of water to plants over long periods of time instead of all at once.

Drip marketing is direct mail marketing with a calendar. The key to success is to mail or email your customers and prospective customers things that interest them throughout the year at planned intervals.

So what, exactly, do you mail? Here are some ideas.

Announcements
New product or service, or changes to existing.

Annual and quarterly reports
Include a cover letter directing reader's attention to relevant pages.

Article reprints
Written by your firm on a topic of interest to your customers.

Blogs
Email a link to recent posts that will interest your readers.

Book summaries
Like those published for re-sale by Soundview Executive Book Summaries.

Brochures
Must be relevant and customer-centred.

Case studies
Always useful to prospects and clients because they show how similar organizations are solving similar challenges.

Holiday greeting cards
Joe Girard, the world's greatest salesman, mailed a greeting card every month to prospects and clients, including St. Patrick's Day and other off-beat holidays.

Customer satisfaction surveys
Everyone likes to give their opinion, plus, you'll learn something.

Dimensional mail
A printer in Seattle, Washington, sends a box of Washington apples to prospects and loyal customers as a way to stay fresh in their memory.

Emails
Informal, informational, not promotional.

Invitations
To attend a trade show, industry event or customer event (golf, anyone?).

Letters
Informal, informational, not promotional.

Media clippings
Articles written about your firm.

Newsletters
Print or email, or both, with articles that address customer challenges.

News releases
Just as long as they present news that readers will value.

Product catalogs
With cover letter directing reader's attention to product pages and articles that are relevant to them.

Reference guides
Glossaries of industry terms, directories, how-to guides.

Research reports
Presenting findings from your research or that conducted by third parties.

Special reports
Think industry trends, what's hot, buying guides.

Technical bulletins
Brief, relevant, helpful.

Webcasts and podcasts
Send a link in emails.

White papers
Discussing industry trends and challenges, and solutions.

This article you're reading is drip marketing in action. I'm the faucet. If you need help with your drip marketing, give me a call at 877 SHARPE COPY (742-7732).

About the author
Alan Sharpe is a direct mail copywriter who helps business owners and marketing managers generate leads, close sales and retain customers using direct mail and email marketing. Learn more about his creative direct mail writing services and sign up for free weekly tips like this at www.sharpecopy.com.

2007 Sharpe Copy Inc. You may reprint this article online and in print provided the links remain live and the content remains unaltered (including the "About the author" message).

posted by gektal  # 7:04 PM