One of the fastest ways to grab buyers’ attention is to give them something special. Whether insider deals or bundle packages, special offers help cement customer loyalty and keep them coming back. Using the example of a local coffee shop, let’s look at five ways you can use your marketing communications, whether print or digital, to make your customers feel valued and remind them why they love doing business with you.
- Offer bundle deals. Bundle items to give customers a bargain, but with little or no hit to your bottom line. For example, “Get a FREE Muffin with Every 7-Day Coffee Pass!”
- Let them earn free stuff. Design and print beautiful punch tickets that allow customers to earn free stuff—say, “Buy 10 coffees and get one FREE!” Take the time to create something colorful and well-designed and have it professionally printed on high-quality card stock. Punch cards allow customers to get extra value, and by making those punch cards beautiful and high quality, you convey value to the customer.
- Offer a class. Customers notice when you invest in them. Try offering a coffeemaking class (what goes into a caramel macchiato, anyway?) or offer a coffee tasting day with all of your gourmet roasts freshly brewed and available to try. This creates the sense that you care about and invest in your customers while costing you little more than your time.
- Make spontaneous offers. If you maintain an email list, randomly send surprise offers, so customers never know when they’ll arrive. “Surprise! It’s 10% off Tuesday!”
- Enter them into sweepstakes. Everybody loves free stuff, and sweepstakes allow you to create excitement around freebies with minimal cost. For every order customers place during the week, for example, offer to place their names into a jar with the winner to be drawn every Friday.
These are just a few ideas around one type of business, but you get the idea. Come up with your own ideas for engaging customers and making them feel that they are getting something special. Promote these offers in direct mail, email, and social media feeds. Let them know you are a place where customers get more than great stuff—they receive great value.