Checkup Calls

• Marketing to existing customers is usually less expensive than securing new customers; it pays to keep your current clients happy. As part of your regular marketing plan, identify your biggest or most loyal customers, pull up details of their past purchases and make calls simply to check up on them and ask if they have any questions. Give them specific tips and ask about details they were concerned about going into the purchase. In doing so, you have an opportunity to answer questions and to present yourself as a helpful source of information. Even if they have no questions, your customers will remember that you took the time to call and that you addressed their specific needs.
  
  

Marketing Emails

• When you don't have time to call customers or when you want to reach out to a large number of people, use marketing emails. Based on products that customers have ordered in the past, send emails that are designed to help them get the most out of your products: offer tips for extending product life, show them how the products can be used in unexpected ways or give hints about cleaning and maintenance. By focusing on their needs and helping them get the most out of the purchase instead of sending outright marketing messages, you can create trust and position yourself as an expert.
  
  

Research Your Audience

• The more you know about your audience, the more personalized you can make your marketing messages. Investigate the things that are important to your customers and find out what is impacting them -- economic concerns or social change, for example. Target your marketing materials and copy to meet their needs and comfort their fears. During a recession, you can use messages that show how your products save money or last longer. When a person feels like your company understands what they are going through, it can help build a relationship.
  
  

Client Appreciation

• Often, businesses focus on selling to their clients; for an unexpected touch, let your clients know how much you appreciate them. Hold client appreciation events or dinners, for example, or offer special discounts to people who have been with you for a long time. You might also focus on people who referred business to you as an incentive to continue the behavior. In doing so, you can let customers know that you value their business.