Running a business and trying to keep increasing sales and profitability is a never-ending task. You must constantly stay ahead of the crowd with your marketing techniques in order to thrive. So what are you doing and how effective is it for you? I may have some ideas for you.
As a business services representative and small business consultant, I have been privileged to see some clever ideas during my career. Gift certificates have been used by merchants for years, but these were mostly purchased by someone to give as a gift to someone else. Well, gift cards have arrived, opening the door to more creative uses. I remember when they were first introduced, but the merchants didn’t take them much at first. After all, their “gift certificate” program was working great for them. But then, some creativity kicked in, and completely new ideas were launched for them.
When a customer made a return to the store, instead of a refund, the original purchase amount was put on a gift card which, of course, meant the customer had to go back to the store to redeem. And consider the following statistics regarding gift cards:
72% of customers will spend MORE than the value of their card
On average, the recipient will spend 20% MORE than the value of their gift card
90% of gift cards are used in the first 60 days
Now, as great as it sounds, you still need to get people into your establishment before they can buy a gift card, right (unless, of course, you have an online presence where they can make a purchase?) )?
Maybe you have a great location and people stop by just because. Or maybe they’ll find you in the yellow pages (remember those things). Possibly use some type of print media in a local publication that offers some percentage off or a BOGO deal. Maybe you’re really more tech-savvy and use some sort of social network to get them there… great for you. But, once they’ve been in, what are you doing to capture their contact information so you can proactively market to them in the future? Obviously, since they’ve been to your business, something drew them there and wants them to keep coming back. So how are you doing that? I have some ideas to share with you that you may not have implemented yet… but you should.
What are you doing to capture email addresses? There is a certain “style” and “technique” to doing this, of course. People don’t like to give out their email addresses randomly because of all the spam they already get, so you have to make it count. And, instead of asking “would you like to be on our email list” (bad business… never ask a closed question where the answer can only be YES or NO). Instead, say something like “If you’d like to join our Preferred Customer List and receive advance notice of sales or new merchandise, simply enter your email address on this list (and, of course, you should have a list on the counter) and also, you will receive a 10% discount on your purchase today”. You’re giving them an immediate gratification reward in exchange for their email address and now they feel special being on your “Preferred” list. Once you have their address, you can upload them into an autoresponder (which, by the way, is very simple to do) and within minutes, you’ll be able to send out a mass email for future specials which, of course, runs, dirty drives. If you are not already doing this, you should do so immediately. It is one of the most effective and profitable forms of marketing you can do.
Next, I want you to consider… oh wait a second, I need to review this text message that’s coming to my phone. Ah ha, I was wondering where I would take my wife for a nice Valentine’s dinner and that text just reaffirmed it. I signed up for the texting program at one of our favorite restaurants a while back, and the text that came through offered me half off my second entrée on Valentine’s Day. If you’re not using SMS text marketing to drive sales with the most effective INSTANT marketing methods on the planet, then you’re really missing out on sales. Consider the following SMS text marketing facts and statistics:
SMS campaigns perform 7 times better than email campaigns
90% of mobile users who signed up for SMS loyalty clubs felt they had benefited from participating in the program
Coupons sent by SMS have redemption rates 10 times higher than printed coupons
90% of all SMS text messages are read in three minutes
The open rate for SMS text messages is 98% compared to 22% for email.
Mobile offers are redeemed 10 times more frequently than print offers
90% of consumers who have joined mobile loyalty programs feel they have gained value from them
70% of consumers say they would really like to receive offers on their mobile devices
SMS text marketing is one of the most powerful mobile channels you can use and that’s why it’s trusted by top brands to drive engagement and sales. Simply put, YOU ARE CRAZY FOR NOT ADDING MOBILE MARKETING TO YOUR CURRENT STRATEGY. Let’s face it, everywhere you look, people are texting. Why not do it in front of them, in an instant, and creatively drive sales and profits?
Well, that’s all for now. I have to run out and take advantage of that Paczki “special” I just got on my phone. I mean, hey, it’s FAT TUESDAY and this creative vendor has my business. So he goes to the gym tomorrow!!!
