Virtual Suburbia
Building Relationships in Your Digital Communities
By Deirdre Cavener

Published in Bay Area Business Magazine

It is proven that the real value of a new customer isn't in the first sale, but in the continued relationship you have with that customer. You want to make your customers feel connected to your business, which in turn fosters the brand loyalty that keeps them coming back for more. One of the most effective ways to create loyal customers is by creating a relationship with them. Most businesses spend much more time trying to get “new” customers, rather than selling to people who have already made a purchase from them. Engage and cultivate the natural communities that form around your products and/or services with a digital marketing campaign.

Creating a digital marketing campaign is easy, fast, and affordable! With the click of one button you have the ability to communicate to all of your customers. Digital marketing is also a great way to test products and offers before putting them in print. Try it on your current customers and if it works, put it in print to capture new customers!

The first step to building a successful digital community campaign is data collection. The old adage, less is more, applies to asking customers to join your digital community. Ask them for less and more will join, so keep it simple!

• Customer First Name, Last Name

• Customer Address, City, State, Zip

• Email Address

• Phone

Capture data at every opportunity:

• Have a sign-up sheet available at your register and train your employees to ask your customers to join at every sale.

• Have a sign-up button prominently displayed on every page of your Web site.

• Have a sign-up button available on your Web site thank you forms.

• Collect addresses at tradeshows, networking events and meetings.

• Include a “Tell a Friend” link on your Web site and in your email.

The second step is planning each of your digital communications. Figure out what you want your email to accomplish by setting a specific goal. For example, you may want to pull traffic into your restaurant on your slowest day, deplete excess inventory, promote a store sale, or introduce a new product. Direct mail marketers have been writing copy and sending letters out for decades. Email is not much different.

Digital communications are an opportunity to create a bond with your customers. Do not make it a sales only tool, but a killer communication tool. This is a fabulous way to pull people into your store or push them to your Web site.

• Introduce a new Product and/or Service (include benefits, prices, pictures, link to Web site for purchase, etc.)

• Promote a Holiday Sale!

• Promote a new Web site

• Tell them what’s new at your business and make it personal!

Examples:

• Florist – Prior to a holiday (i.e., Mother’s Day), blast an email out as a reminder to all of your customers. You will be helping keep them on track with family & friends and they will love you for it.

• Restaurant – Videos, Recipes, Menus, Coupons, Taste Testings, Pictures (yes, of your real customers), Upcoming Events, Introduction of New Menu Items.

Make sure each email includes your contact information, Web site address, business description, address, logo and map (if applicable). If your customers send your email to a friend (word-of-mouth) it will be your first communication with them, so it is important that you introduce your business and give them what they need to know to make a decision about doing business with you.

Step 3 is tracking. If you don’t track it, you will never know if it worked! Email marketing programs have built-in tracking tools, making this much easier than the days of direct mail. In order to track success inside your store, you can include a promotional code, coupon, “print this email”, etc.

Engage and cultivate the natural communities that form around your business. It will help increase revenue, retain existing customers, cultivate word-of-mouth marketing, reduce inventory, establish new customers (i.e., Tell a Friend links), and, most importantly, create “your” own community. Nourish your existing customer relationships and keep them coming back again, and again, and again.

Remember, loyal customers and their repeat purchases are the cornerstone of your long-term business success. We tend to do business with the people we know, like and trust, and repeat communication is a surefire way to build a great relationship with your customers.

A loyal customer is a golden egg to your business.

Deirdre Cavener, MCP is president and CEO of K.I.S.S. Marketing, Inc. and founder of www.PinellasLife.com, www.TBLife.com, and www.MyGreenPages.com National Communities. She has lived in the Tampa Bay area for 23 years. Deirdre is a Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP) in Analyzing Requirements and Defining Solutions Architecture and graduated Magna Cum Laude from the University of South Florida in 1996 with a degree in Management Information Systems from the College of Business.