Cultivate Stronger Customer Bonds

4 ways to market effectively in a downturn and maximize customer feedback.

By: Gail Goodman

Have you noticed your inboxes are filling up faster lately with promotions from businesses desperate to get your attention? If you're like me and getting bombarded with multiple promotions, then your first inclination is to just tune them out, click delete and move on to the business of the day.

When the economy is down, businesses tend to get desperate, and the knee-jerk reaction is to increase the frequency and volume of their customer communications. It seems like a simple solution just to e-mail customers more often, but, that's the opposite of what you should do.

Many consumers are stressed about the state of the economy. And some will just completely forget about you in the winter months. Don't make it worse by throwing everything you've got at them. It won't be effective. Instead of overdoing your communications and turning off your customers for good, create stronger bonds with them in the off-season. Here are four creative ways to do that.

1. Take their pulse. In this changing economy, it's more important than ever to get ongoing feedback from your customers. Using inexpensive online surveys, you can quickly learn what your customers are thinking at any given moment. Another great way to be on the pulse of your customers is to become active in local online windsport communities, forums, and groups. Ask how you can help them. Offer tips. This is powerful information you can use to make real-time adjustments to your business based on your customers' current needs.

The closer you are to your customers and the better you are at asking for their feedback and answering their questions, the more likely it is they'll turn to you when they need a service you offer. No matter what the economy looks like, customers would rather buy from a business with which they have a good relationship. Keep checking their pulse; adapt as needed, and you're more likely to keep their business.

2. Have a dialogue with your customers. Don't just feed information to your customers and talk at them; invite them to engage in a conversation with you through your e-mail marketing newsletters or your blog. Do this by writing content that inspires your audience to talk back in a Q&A or a "stump the experts" section. Ask readers to submit their questions or concerns, and then publish answers and opinions. When you feature a conversation with customers, you demonstrate to your readers that you share their concerns and that you're also dealing with the pressures of the economy. Providing timely, interesting and entertaining content shows off your expertise, while listening and responding show that you care.

3. Co-host an event with another local business. Whether you're a retail business with a Main Street shop, a manufacturer with global distribution, or a small service business working from home, teaming up with a related business is a great way to cross-promote to likely customers.

Think about other businesses related to yours that could benefit from exposure to your customers and vice versa. Consider co-hosting a special event where you demonstrate your expertise to customers face-to-face. It's fun, it's free, and it's a great investment in customer-relationship building. Examples:

• A kiteboarding/ski shop wants to not only drive business for ski tunes and rentals, but be known as the go-to shop for ALL outdoor sporting supplies. So, they call the local ski reps and ski area to see if they want to host a ski movie. The ski companies kick in, the local ski area "sponsors" it with prize giveaways, and the local brewery donates beer. Everybody wins.

Use your e-mail marketing tool, Facebook, your website, and blog to publicize these live events and leverage both your list and your co-host's list. Always have an e-mail signup book readily available to collect new addresses from future customers.

4. Do good and drive business to your business. Consumers are becoming more aware of social issues and their impact on the world around them. Tap into your customers' desire to give back to the community. Team up with a local charity that will use your business as a drop-off location over the holidays, or make a donation in your customers' name in a charity holiday gift drive as an incentive for them to do business with you.

Use e-mail marketing to inform customers about your involvement with the charity and invite them to join you in your support by offering their time, money, or ideas. You'll be doing something great for the community while increasing awareness for your business.

In difficult economic times, your business survival depends on strong customer relationships. It's not how often you communicate with customers--it's the richness and quality of those communications that's important. Your goal is to establish the strongest relationships with your customers no matter what the economy looks like at the time. If you build and nurture those relationships, they will come.

Gail F. Goodman is the "E-Mail Marketing" coach at Entrepreneur.com and is CEO of Constant Contact, a web-based e-mail marketing service for small businesses. She's also a recognized small-business expert and speaker. This article was edited slightly for added relevancy to the AWSI windsport industries.

Comments

[robert]

My wife & I own a home in Los Barriles, Mexico which we rent out, frequently to kiteboarders. Ii's become a very popular location, especially in winter months. I wondered if someone could give any suggestions on where would be a good place to advertise our rental home for kiteboarders ? -many thanks