Keeping in touch can dramatically increase business, when done properly.It’s a fact that your customers are your best leads. This means that
most likely people to purchase your products and/or services are ones who have paid for them before. It’s also a fact that it costs far less money to keep a customer than it does to go out and get a new one. These are two reasons that using direct mail to keep in touch with your customer database is a must. There are a few principles to follow when marketing to contacts in your company database that can maximize your bottom line.
Rule #1 - Collect all of their information.
It sounds like a no-brainer but you would be surprised. The more information that you have on your customers, more likely it is that you will be able to get in touch with them to let them know about specials or to remind them it’s time for their next service. Also, don’t neglect to ask for your customers' email addresses, most everyone has one and most will give it up pretty easily.
Rule #2 – Don’t treat your customers like prospects.
Make sure when you collect information in your database you differentiate between people who have placed an order in past and people who have not. Customers want to feel like you are paying attention to them and when they have placed a few orders with you and are still getting your "10% for First Time Buyers" postcards they tend to feel unappreciated. Bottom line, if they don’t qualify for an offer you are sending out, don’t send it to them.
