One of the best things any business can do is foster customer loyalty. Customer loyalty means getting repeat business from customers that will consistently choose you for their needs. It’s important that businesses focus on their existing customer base and not just work to try to get new ones. Loyal customers will drive revenue and over time can be predictable year over year. One of the best things you can do to retain customers and build loyalty is to create a personalized experience for them through direct mail. The perfect way to do this is by sending postcards. Here’s how.
Loyal Customers
It’s important to remember exactly what a loyal customer is. It may not be the same as a repeat customer, although loyal customers definitely do repeat coming to your business. Loyal customers are those who are not just regular customers, but feel a personal connection to a brand. They relate to it, in some cases they make a brand part of their outward appearance or personality. This is different from people who are repeat customers due to incentives or other strategies to retain customers. They do not build that personal connection, and therefore do not have a deeper relationship with a brand. Loyalty is much harder to earn, but also much more rewarding. Postcards can help you do that.
Postcards are Surprising
Let’s face it, in the days of email, it’s simple to add a customer to a list and send them an update and a promotion every once in a while. It’s also easy for customers to delete them, skip them, or filter them into a spam or marketing folder. They are very easy to ignore. Traditional mail is not used nearly as much as it used to be, and often what comes in the mail is quickly discarded, too. However, with the right personalized postcard, you can surprise a customer and show them appreciation. They might be delighted to get something that isn’t generic, since it will be tailored to them, and that is from a brand they’ve already interacted with. Just by being different than email, your postcard can stand out and offer a different experience for customers.
They Don’t Have to be Difficult
Making a personalized postcard may seem difficult, but it doesn’t have to be. You can use a service like My Creative Shop to create a custom design to send to your clients. You choose a template that works for you, and fill in the blanks with your content. All you have to do is click to see postcard templates, and the hard work is already finished. You’ll find you enjoy putting in content when you don’t have to worry about the design or if you have the right balance of photo to text. It will already be set out for you.
Types of Postcards
There are several functions that a personalized postcard can serve when you are trying to build customer loyalty. What you choose might depend on the type of customer they are, what kind of promotions you are running, and what time of year it is. Here are some examples.
Build Brand Community
You want your consumers to feel like they are a part of your community, and you also want them to feel like they are contributing to your success. Both of these factors can go a very long way towards building loyalty to your brand. You can send out postcards with special incentives for inviting family and friends to use your services or buy your products.
If they are recommending you to others, even if it’s because of an incentive, it will still register in their brains that they trust your company enough to refer you to their loved ones. The postcard can also invite them to participate in surveys, follow on social media, or visit your website. There are many avenues you can take to get your customers to feel more a part of your community and build a connection with your brand.
MVP Postcards
These postcards are the ones that tell the customer they are very important to you. They have reminders of special events, sales, and other important dates. However, you can label them as only being available to your best customers, or that they can have early access or some other reward. Everyone wants to be an MVP, and your postcards can make your customers feel like they are. The fact that you took the time to mail something, as opposed to email, and put something personalized on the postcard will mean that much more to them.
Incentives and Sales Related to Interests
Another type of postcard is one that has offers related to customer interests. These can be tailored to each customer based on their purchase history. This is known as cross-selling, and it’s important to build loyalty because the bottom line is that the more a customer buys, the more loyal they will be. If they aren’t encouraged to purchase different products and services, then they may not have a reason to shop your brand any more.
There is no possible way to convert every single customer into a loyal one. However, with smart direct mail postcard strategies, you can create many of them, and they will be what helps your business reach its goals.