Turn holiday shoppers into loyal customers
After the bump in sales over the Christmas and Boxing Day period, what do you do next? It’s time to think about how you can turn new sales into repeat customers. Repeat business is responsible for 40% of total revenue, plus it’s generally cheaper to nurture an existing customer than it is to acquire a new one.
With the Silly Season already underway, let’s take a look at a few of our favourite techniques for turning your holiday shoppers into loyal and long-lasting customers.
Encourage new customers to join your loyalty program
Loyalty programs are an effective way of encouraging new customers to stick around. They also allow existing customers to spend more with you by promoting new products.
The catch with holiday shoppers is that they may not necessarily have thought about shopping with you again, so getting them to sign up to your loyalty program can be a little more difficult.
To get around customer hesitation, incentivise potential new customers by providing them with a free gift, a noticeable discount or even an upgrade on their current purchase. Sure, they might only join your program to receive the discount, but this gets your foot in the door to retarget them with personalised marketing activities in the future.
Build your connection through email marketing
Sending your new customers a series of welcome emails is a great start to establishing a long-term relationship with them.
Welcome emails receive a considerably higher open rate than promotional ones, so take advantage of this opportunity to increase the likelihood that your content will get seen.
That said, the last thing you want to do is get them across the line and then bombard them with sales and special offers that they probably aren’t interested in right now. To help increase your chances of creating a repeat and loyal customer, try including some of the following into your welcome emails:
Don’t sell; educate! Include content that helps customers get more out of your products or helps them solve an issue they are likely to be experiencing.
You don’t have to create all of this content yourself – linking to a reputable source of information in your industry can be just as good.
Entertain them
When educational content doesn’t fit your brand or messaging, sharing entertaining content is another great avenue for engaging with your new customers. Try a funny video or meme that relates to your industry or product. Anything that’s in line with your brand and fun is fair game.
Showcase other customers
People are more likely to trust other customers than your brand, so use that to your advantage. Case studies, user-generated images, and product reviews are all great to include.
Tell your story
Have a compelling company story or brand mission? Tell your new customer more about yourself (without selling anything!). Talk about why you started your business, what drives you and the goals you hope to accomplish.
Go above and beyond for your new customer
The holiday period brings high levels of competition as businesses compete for share of wallet. With so many brands using the same marketing tactics, it can be hard to stand out. Help customers remember you after the holidays by providing them with an incredible experience.
Be personal
If your business allows it, include a personalised note with your product packaging. There’s nothing like the delight of seeing your name handwritten, especially when you compare it to the impersonal treatment from most brands.
Say thank you
Thank each customer for their sale, whether via email or a note in with the product packaging. Include your name and even an image of your team for a personalised touch.
Provide exceptional customer service
A dissatisfied customer is unlikely to become a loyal customer. To avoid unnecessarily losing repeat business, get ahead by reaching out and offering assistance before they get the chance to complain. Send an email a few days after your product has arrived to check in and make sure they are satisfied with their purchase. You can also include tips and tricks for getting the most out of their new purchase.
Create a community on social media
Ask your customers to share the love on social media by tagging you or using a brand hashtag. They can then connect with other customers, and you can like, share or repost their content to return the favour. You’d be surprised how many people will be thrilled to see their posts shared by your brand.
Keep your brand front and centre with retargeting
Sometimes customers need to hear from you a few times before converting or subscribing. Retargeting allows you to track visitors to your site and then tailor your ads specifically to their searching habits as they navigate the internet. Remind them of your products, any special offers you might be running and prompt them to come back to your store (or sign up to your mailing list).
Be careful: if you don’t have a lot of traffic to your site, you’ll have to regularly refresh your ads so you do not burn out your audience. Things to try with retargeting include:
- Showcasing a new product or new variations of an old product
- Sales, special offers and deals
- Specific deals for retargeted shoppers
- Upsell and cross sell other products on your site
- Ask for a review
Continue growing your relationship after the sale
While many businesses think of a sale as the end of the line, in reality it’s just the beginning. Think of your new customers as a new relationship, and the purchase as only the first date. From there, you need to nurture that relationship and offer a reason for them to want to spend more time with you. You need to pay attention to their needs and continue to provide value long after that ‘first-date’ to encourage the relationship to blossom into something deeper and more meaningful. The same is true for turning holiday shoppers into loyal customers.
Re-engaging one-off shoppers is one of the best ways to boost your bottom line. If you’ve got an e-commerce store and are keen to start harnessing more opportunities with your one-off shoppers, get in touch with us on hello@lemontreemarketing.com.au and let’s get the ball rolling!