7 Must-Haves for Your Email Marketing Campaign
The world is full of businesses trying to promote themselves on social networks, keep in touch with their customers via email and what can be seen by some as pestering their customers. With so many businesses really getting on our nerves by doing this you have to ask yourself the question, "Why do they do it?"
The truth is that these businesses have the right idea but they are not a fan of doing things in moderation. They are all aware of the importance of keeping customers well informed and though they go over the top sometimes, the rewards they get from those people who aren’t so easily frustrated must outweigh the negative impact of their actions.
We have found that when done in moderation, keeping your customers well informed about what is going on in your services and products are key to a healthy relationship with your customers, an increase in customer retention and a rise in business turnover.
Here's why it is a good thing to keep your customers informed:
1. Customers are like your social media friends, they always want to know what’s going on
Your customers are every bit as nosy about your businesses and every aspect of your life as any of your friends might be. People are curious by nature and they like to know what goes on within your business, especially if they expect to part with their money in exchange for your services. Keeping your customers informed about company news, latest offers and even problems plaguing your business will show customers that your business is active and it will make sure your customers don't feel left out.
2. Informing a customer about a problem is better than them finding out on their own
It is a hard thing to admit when you’re wrong or that something isn't working and it's even harder when you are admitting that to paying customers. Sometimes though, the hard thing to do and the right thing to do are the same thing.
By informing your customers that you are aware of a problem and are working hard to fix it can indeed upset some customers and put them off your company. After all, no one likes to use a product that isn't working. But the other thing people don't like to do is actually having to work hard to do something when they don’t need to. By keeping your customers informed about a problem you are proactively showing them that you are aware of your the problem, you aren’t afraid to hold your hand up to it and you are doing something about it. For most customers this is enough to let them give you the benefit of the doubt and they will give you the time (a limited amount at least) you need to fix the issue.
The alternative is to ignore your customers and hope they don't notice. But customers notice everything! If they find a problem and they think you have been hiding it from them, then you will get no grace period to fix the issue, they will simply start looking somewhere else.
3. The standard setting of the human race is to follow the path of least resistance. They don't want to spend time and energy in doing something they don't have to and because of that you can never rely that your customers are going to search for the information that they need from you.
If you have something that your customers need to know then you can't hope that they will find that information on their own, you need to tell them about it. For example, if your business closes on a bank holiday then you need to let your customers know that you will be closed. The last thing you want is for them to be trying to contact you and not be able to get hold. As soon as your customers can’t get in touch and don’t know why they are going to start searching for someone else who they can get hold of, they are going to take their business elsewhere.
4. Keeping people informed reminds customers that you are there
Not every businesses is one that customers will use on a daily or even weekly basis. For these businesses, customer retention can be a real problem as it is a case of ‘out of sight, out of mind.'
Setting up social media pages and updating them regularly, blogging and sending out emails about your company can keep remind people that you are there and bring customers back to you looking for more. It doesn’t have to be much, just enough to keep customers informed and remind them that they want more.
5. You priority is customer service and you put your customers first
If you run an offer that you don’t actively tell your existing customers about, then you run the risk of letting them find out on their own and thinking that you were trying to hide it from them. The same is true for many other aspects of your business and this leads to the key reason to keep your customers informed; you need to remind them that they come first.
Customers are needy creatures, they want to be coddled and made to feel special. By keeping them informed you are keeping the focus on them, showing them that you value them as a customer and you will do what it takes to keep them with your business. If done right, keeping your customers informed can make them feel special and they will reward your business for it.