I am a firm believer in classic marketing principles, such as Customer Satisfaction, the four Ps, Branding and related topics. Many of those principles were drummed into me in my corporate marketing days and also through my MBA studies in Edinburgh.
I believe all business should have good customer service and I believe that all businesses should be taking advantage of the power of the internet and fully embracing what the internet has to offer in driving both offline and online business growth.
Now onto one of the most important parts of running a business now, let me ask you a question.
Have you hugged your customer today?
I'm not just being mushy! I don't mean literally. What I am saying is customer appreciation is the best way to create customer loyalty. Good customer service is the surest path to success in any business.
Lets face it without customers your business is dead. Repeat customers are the life blood of any business. It's a proven fact that happy customers make repeat purchases and not only that they tell all their friends. Which means more customers.
Tell me:
When your happy or excited about a product or service what is the first thing you do? You tell every on you know. Right? If you have a great experience with the staff at a store or restaurant what do you do? You go back again!
What if you have a bad experience, do you go back? NO! and that's not the end you make sure you tell everyone you know you had a hard time and never, NEVER to use that company.
Have you ever walked into a store and been snubbed, totally ignored at the check out, what to you do? You walk out with out making a purchase.
Now how many times have you walked into a store with no intention of making a purchase. You were greeted by a friendly face and a warm courteous atmosphere, then you end up walking out with a bag full of goodies. It's happened to all of us. Good customer service will never go out of style. It's so simple but it is where most business fail.
Show your customers that you appreciate them. It's the little things that matter. Like a friendly voice and prompt courteous service. Going that extra mile to make them feel special. You can create a huge following of loyal customers just by being nice.
But don't stop there, the possibilities are endless. Have you ever been to a nice hotel where they leave a chocolate on your pillow? Now that chocolate only cost them a few pennies but it made your experience nicer. It made you remember their hotel above others.
How about customer reward programs. Sales will soar when you tell your customers that they will get one free after they purchase three. A free gift with every purchase. Every one likes presents.
Customer appreciation days, sales and specials. Hold an event throw a party just for customers that you have done business with before. Make them feel special, like they matter, that they are important to you. Then watch your business reap the
rewards.
Guerrilla Marketing
In this part of the article I am going to talk about.
A cheaper alternative to high budget marketing it's called guerrilla marketing.
When you started your home business you may have prepared yourself to a large amount of your profits on advertising. Only to discover that you got very little or no response for your money and efforts.
Now comes the time for guerrilla marketing, it can be done with an almost no budget. This is the time when you change your way of thinking and realize that you are going to have to try just about anything to get publicity.
You have to make yourself known, it's time to pick up the phone and call local businesses and let them know who you are and what you have to offer. You may be surprised at just how effective this can be, since businesses tend to appreciate the effort that you made to contact them and offer your services. It saves them time.
Start mailing. It shouldn't be to hard to get your hands on a mailing list that covers your target market. Check with the post office, they can help you with your bulk mail campaigns. If the postage isn't in your budget then start passing out your mailers yourself.
Print out some flyers. Don't miss out on this one. It is cheap and easy. Handing out the flyers yourself will also give you an opportunity to meet your prospects and make a good impression. Just be sure to choose your location carefully and make sure you have a good offer.
Start giving. Handing out free gifts is always a good one. Hand out balloons, pens, magnets, little calendars with your business name on them. What ever you can think of. Try to make it something that relates nicely to your business and that they will use often, so that they will remember you. People love free stuff!
Remember your in business to make money. With guerrilla marketing it's all about having the guts to try anything. Do make sure that you continue to add to your knowledge base and constantly learn more about marketing on the internet.
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