If you want to bring more customers into your store, you
have to give them a reason to come in. And there is no better
way to provide that reason than a personal invitation through
the mail. Here are 12 ways to make that invitation a special
invitation. And you can easily and inexpensively put these
ideas to work in your store.
1. Hold a private sale
Show appreciation of your best customers by inviting them to a
private sale. The sale can take the form of an extra discount,
or a chance to get sale prices a day before everyone else.
Good customers not only appreciate the exclusivity, they take
you up on it.
2. Hold a drawing
“Win a Free ______.” Fill in the blank with anything you
sell. For a chance to win, a customer fills out a form and
drops it into a fishbowl. This brings people into your store,
and helps you expand your mailing list for future promotions.
To make it easy, you can let customers use business cards to
enter.
3. Mail often
Most professional marketers say that any mailing program takes
time to build momentum. That is why you want to mail regularly
and mail often. Your mailings can be fun and involving. A
travel agent, for instance, can mail picture postcards from
exotic locations every month. A fabric store could send
swatches to customers as new patterns come in. The more you
mail to people on your mailing list, the more top of mind you
become.
4. Start a birthday or anniversary club
Imagine you own a bakery. A customer signs up to receive a
coupon for a free cupcake on his or her birthday. About two
weeks before the birthday, you send two coupons, one for the
free cupcake and one for a discount on birthday cakes. Are
there any special days where your store can do extra business?
Build a program around these days and invite your customers to
sign up.
5. Get behind a local charity
If there is an organization or cause in your community that is
very popular, send a letter announcing that a percentage of
all sales on a certain date will be donated to that cause.
6. Send a coupon calendar
Send your mailing list a calendar where each day is a coupon.
Offer $5 off on any purchase of $15 or more one day, $10 off
$50 in purchases on another. You’d be amazed at how many
sales a single calendar mailing can produce.
7. Start a store newsletter
Feature new products, employees, ideas for using products that
you sell, even upcoming sales. A newsletter can be great for
loyalty and business. Existing customers get more involved
with your store, and new customers do too.
8. Guest speakers, demonstrations and seminars
Ask a chef to demonstrate cooking with ingredients in a
gourmet food store. Or ask an interior decorator to speak at
your furniture store. Maybe a pediatrician could speak at a
children’s clothing store. Put together an event like this
and invite everyone on your mailing list. The speaker gets
exposure and you get traffic.
9. Get an endorsement
Is there someone in your community who is well-known and does
business with you? Ask him or her to write a letter endorsing
your store or a product you sell. Then send a copy to people
on your mailing list with an invitation to visit you.
10. Remind customers to come in
“You’re due for an oil change.” “It’s time to bring
in your pet for a bath.” “It’s time to check your
growing child’s shoe size.” Customers not only respond to
reminders like this, they appreciate them.
11. Hold a block party
Get other retailers on your block or commercial strip to join
forces for a block party. Bring in rides, games, clowns or
other attractions. Make a big sidewalk sale part of the event.
Advertise it. And before the big day, mail special offers to
the best customers on your mailing lists.
12. Start a referral program
Ask your best customers to provide you with the names and
addresses of friends and colleagues who they think would be
good customers. Then send these referrals a promotional offer.
If a referral becomes a customer, reward the original customer
with a gift.
