Be genuine about your rewards. How many times have you received a "preferred member" plastic card with a toll-free number on back? Where is value?

Don't promise world. If you cannot deliver on your promise, you could seriously damage you reputation and credibility.

When conversing with your customers, you should do it genuinely and not generically. Sending a letter that starts off with "Dear Valued Reader," will not be as effective as "Dear Jim,". Remember you are trying to develop a relationship. Frequency marketing communication is one-to-one, not one-to-a million.

The most important aspect of a successful frequency marketing program is to add "real" value to your customers. You have to look at your product or service and decide whether it warrants a repeat purchase. If you do not offer a high quality product or service, your frequency marketing strategy will fail miserably.

Frequency marketing is not for all businesses. They usually apply to business that have a high need for repeat business. You should also be in a business where it is hard to distinguish between you and your competitors to effectively use a frequency marketing strategy. If you have a monopoly in your business, it does not make sense to implement a frequency marketing strategy. Everyone has to purchase from you no matter what.

The downside to frequency marketing is that once all your competitors realize how successful it is, they will jump on same bandwagon. Pretty soon, whole strategy becomes meaningless if everyone else is doing it. That is why a frequency marketing strategy needs to be well thought out and constantly reapplied or revamped.

Frequency marketing is still in its infancy on Internet. There are many programs evolving at this moment. There will be a lot of companies implementing this long-term strategy into their marketing efforts. Will yours be next?

They're also easy to install on your website - and can go to work for you instantly. Start sending out newsletters, sales letters, product updates, or anything else you want your customers to receive on a regular basis -- without personally sitting there staring at your computer screen for hours on end. If you really want to rub it in, you can even have an autoresponder attached to your email address that will send everyone who emails you a message that says, "Hi! I'm on a beach in Caribbean, and won't be back in office until..."

But, of course, you don't necessarily want your customers, or potential customers, to know that you're not sitting right there waiting to take their order. So one more thing you can do, if you haven't already done so, is arrange for a voice-mail message on your telephone. This is another simple business tool that's readily available for free, or nearly free. Yet I am constantly surprised at how many home-based business owners still either just say 'Hello?' when you call them, or even have their children answer phone!

SMART marketers have a voice-mail message set up, and smart customers now expect and anticipate having to leave a message when they call. One businessman I know is sitting at anchor right now in some out-of-the-way exotic little cove - while his voice-mail system is taking care of business!

So... what part of Caribbean do you think you might visit first? Maybe I'll see you there - we can have a drink together, and toast our mutual success!