A frequent-customer program rewards your current customers for coming to you again. It can increase customer retentions and loyalties, which in turn increases your profitability. A video store may give out a card that is signed every time a customer rents a video. After several rentals, the last one is free. That’s a 5% discount, but in order to get it, the customer must first pay for several rentals!
One key to a successful frequent-customer program is to make it quick. It should take your average frequent customer less than a year to earn the reward, and your most-frequent customers should be able to earn two or three rewards or more. Small rewards earned more-frequently are more-effective than large rewards that take years and years to earn.
The secret weapons in frequent-customer programs, one that actually helps increase sales - and loyalty - even more. That’s called a climbing reward: increased frequency earns increased rewards. Let’s say your average frequent customer uses your product or service every other week.
A frequent-customer program is not expensive just quick-print some cards, and reaps huge rewards for you because it markets you to people who are already inclined to use your business: your current customers. It is smart marketing and my A-Number-One recommendation to any small business that can implement one.
A pre-sale program gives customers a discount when they pay in advance for multiple products or services like video, games or others. Unlike other programs, a pre-sale program is sold, just like any other product or service your business offers; it is part of your business inventory, and must be treated as such. Generally, pre-sale programs must offer greater discounts in order to be enticing - after all, your customer must pay for it all in advance. A video store might sell a “Video Saver” coupon book with 20 rental coupons, for the price of eight rentals. That’s a 10% discount, but the business gets the money for eight rentals up front - a significant cash flow boost.
A pre-sale program can also help get future business. For example, a tire shop could sell a “Lifetime Alignment Contract,” which offers free annual alignments for the life of the customer’s tires. When the customer’s tires wear out, guess who’ll be the first to know about it and the first to offer an estimate? To keep track of usage, future services could be logged on the customer’s original receipt. Another way to track usage is to sign, stamp, or punch a membership card.
A referral program rewards current customers for referring new customers to you like play-asia.com. Unlike the first two programs, a referral program is designed to get you new business. It is highly effective, because no other form of marketing is as believable as a personal referral from a friend. An auto dealer might offer current customers a free oil change or exterior detail for every person referred who takes a test drive. A video store might offer a free rental. A financial planner might offer an additional service, such as a free retirement planning analysis.Other good all-purpose rewards include pre-paid phone cards and gift certificates for meals or entertainment. Like a frequent-customer program, a referral program only works if you do the kind of work that earns referrals and repeat business.
We can combine these promotions. The video store, can fill in an extra space on the frequent customer’s card if he or she brings in a new customer who signs up for a frequent customer card and rents a video. The first customer still has to pay for eight rentals before getting that free one, plus there’s the value of the new customer’s future rentals. Make sure it offers something your customers value and will want. Make it easy. The written program description and rules should fit on one side of a business. Make it relevant to your business, your competitive edge, and your customers. Put your business data on any promotional program card or coupon you give away. Keep customers active by placing expiration dates on their program cards or coupons. Capture names and addresses /email / handphone when customers register for your program. Track the number of discounted sales or free giveaways earned by customers.
There are additional promotional tools that are often used in small business marketing. We assume these in a category well below the first four because they eat into profits, and cost money to promote properly. However, they can be effective marketing tools when used and promoted correctly.
With a carefully structured promotional program, you can give your best customers a discount of 5-25%. The worst reason to have a sale, is to attract new customers. You’ll only attract people who couldn’t ordinarily afford your products or services, and when your sale is over they’ll go back to their usual suppliers until your next sale. Few will become repeat customers or sources for referrals. Frequent sales may train even your current customers to buy only during your sales too, with disastrous results.
Use coupons /gift occasionally as directed. Coupons are unmatched at introducing new products or services, getting new customers to try you, and testing the effectiveness of advertising in various media..
Always include / gift on your coupon a way to track where it came from. Keep your coupons / gift fresh by placing an expiration date tu buy on them. Free samples: an irresistible introduction. The best way to introduce new products or services, is to let people experience it for free. This is especially true if your product or service is unfamiliar to them. A bakery could give away bite-sized samples of their cookies to promote cookie sales. A restaurant could offer a “buy one, get one free” deal to attract new customers or promote a new menu. A tax accountant could offer a free one-hour consultation to introduce a new investment service. Many software companies offer free trial to download. Publicize your promotion through press releases - before, during, and after - as well as in your advertising and by word-of-mouth.
Online movie/ DVD rental services must give many advatages compared to renting locally or buying dvds. The main problem with buying DVDs, is that it adds up to a lot of money. For about the price of an average DVD, we can have unlimited DVD rentals from an online service for a month. With local DVD movie rentals, we have to deal with late fees, due dates, traffic and waiting in line. With online DVD rentals, we don't have to worry about any of that.
Friday, December 7, 2007
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