Are you tired of talk of the tough economy? As our new leadership says, it’s going to get tougher before it gets better. So now is actually the time to “think outside the box” or at least think beyond what you normally do when it comes to getting your message out to your customers and prospects. There are a few easy things you can do with your list and messaging today to “push” people along the purchase cycle. And just because you just might not be thinking about it now, don’t worry – you’ve got a million things to do to run your business. Besides, it’s my job to put ideas in front of you to help you market better!

Step One: Segment Your Lists

When you upload your list to send an email marketing campaign, why not break it up into Best Customers, those can be customers who previously purchased over a certain amount, or purchased a certain number of times; One Time Purchasers, those customers who bought from you only once; and Prospects, people who have never purchased from you but they’ve agreed to get emails from you.

Step Two: Your Messaging

Now that your list is broken into three parts you can easily message and track them separately to see what’s working and what isn’t.

Best Customers: Send your best customers an email with a discount on the product or service they’ve purchased in the past or a complementary product or service and call it your “frequent buyer program”. Give them a special deal for being a long time customer to make them feel special AND to get your name in front of them again. Continue to treat them special and they’ll continue to come back for more.

One Time Purchasers: Send an email to your customers who’ve purchased from you only one time enticing them to buy a product which might be a nice add-on or a sweet deal on a product they’ve purchased before. Give them encouragement to get into your “frequent buyer program” where they’re sure to get continued discounts and deals.

Prospects: Send an email to those prospects that have not purchased a very low price deal or a free trial to get them in the door. Let them know it is an “introductory” or “one time” offer so they don’t come to expect it, but hopefully once they receive your product or service, their experience will be so good that they’ll need to come back for more.  Then you can move them into the One Time Purchaser list.

Now track these lists separately to see how they’re doing. The idea is to keep each of these groups going down the path of being a member of your successful frequent buyer program.

© 2009 – 2012, Contributing Author. All rights reserved.