Foundation 2 Goal:

• Build a plan to regularly contact your customers.

3-Point Foundation to Effective Marketing

Marketing Foundation II:
Sell to Customers, Don't Lose Customers

It's both easier and cheaper to market to customers than it is to attract new customers, but that's not the only reason to pay attention to your customers.

Send a newsletter or be forgotten.

It's not that your customers are not happy with you, but just like you they are busy. If you don't remind them you exist they probably will go with whatever option is closest to them at the time.

Newsletters make sales.

I was talking to the marketing manager of a rather large company and out of all their advertising and partnerships it is their weekly newsletter that brings in the most revenue.

So easy to start with an email newsletter!

Use an email marketing service. The emails will look better, be CAN-SPAM law compliant and more emails will make it to their destination.

We use iContact, which is the best option for small business. And now GoodMarketingIdeas has partnered with iContact to make it even better. Try it out for free for 15 days and see what you think -- goodmarketingideas.icontact.com Learn more about our co-branded email marketing service.

Market Your Newsletter

There are two ways to get customers lining up to signup for your newsletter.

1. Offer a newsletter that sends out coupons and special offers. (A salon offering $10 off coupons or $30 off when you bring a friend)
2. Offer a newsletter that educates your customer in what they are interested in. (A CPA sending tax savings tips)

You can get email addresses from a signup sheet in your store, from collecting business cards from your customers, or hand out your own business cards that direct customers to your website to signup for your newsletter.

Create new products and services

Instead of attracting new customers it's almost always cheaper to offer new products and services to your current customer group (That is of course if you have been maintaining a good relationship with them). Your product offers one set of benefits that meet a need for your customer, what other needs are there among your customers?