How do you entice old customers?

Todd-Art4you

CGF, Certified Grumble Framer
Joined
Feb 13, 2003
Posts
122
Location
Ontario, Canada
As framing is not a service most people need monthly or annually, I was interested in knowing if anyone had a campaign/initiative to address this matter. I was surprised when I actually looked at the stats and found out how many customers were last in in 2003. I figure any idea to get these customers back into the store is better then my current initiative of doing nothing.
 
The idea of any marketing campaign is to make sure that new or past customers always think of your name first when they need your services. How you do that is the trick.

Now, how you create a perceived "need" for your services is an even bigger trick!

Unfortunately, I'm not the best Grumbler magician and will leave that up to other Grumbler's to expound on.

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Dave Makielski
 
You have only "lost" these customers if they have gone somewhere else to have framing done. And I'm sure we all lose customers from time to time, but I think a far greater issue is the fact that they are not having anything framed at all! In other words, they are just not "repeating."

As Dave said, the whole idea is to make sure that they always think of you when they need your services. We do that by staying "visible."

Most businesses think that if they have a great location, they are "visible" enough. Those of us who are either "other than store front" based or have horrible locations know that we don't have that "so-called" advantage, so we don't rely on it. (It's actually a false notion, anyway - in my opinion. Yeah, it helps, but shouldn't be relied on...)

We stay visible by being "in their face", not in a rude way, but by being everywhere they turn. There are a number of ways to do this - postcards, newsletters, newspaper articles, public speaking - anything to keep your name in the forefront of the customer's mind.

So, when they do need your services "YOU" are the one they think of. I call it "mental market share."

And it's in those postcards, newsletters, articles, and speeches that you give them the notion that they need your service more and more. Some have called it "cleaning out your drawers" or "from the shoebox to the shadowbox" or "framing your memories" or...

by the way, has anyone seen the PowerPoint presentation available from the PPFA? It is incredible! I will be using it this Saturday at a business expo.

Just another way of staying "in their face..."
 
I agree with Betty. Let me emphasize one point ... repetition! Sending out A newsletter isn't going to do it. It won't be until about the third one that the consumer realizes they're receiving them. ONE time for anything is pretty much a waste of time.

Betty, where did you get the PowerPoint presentation? I talked to someone from national about that at WCAF, but when I go to the site, all I have found is the "consumer slide show."

Thanks, Cliff
 
That consumer slide show is it, Cliff. I had to have my husband download it at work since I only have dial-up here. It is fabulous! I am so excited about incorporating some of my own photos into the show.

It runs about 8-10 minutes if you choose a 6 second delay between slides, and it will run continually until you stop it.

However, you have to supply your own music or commentary to it. I've chosen Acoustic Alchemy http://www.acoustic-alchemy.net/disc/ameng_pl.html as the music. (I'll have to ask my son which cd as this is his - but it is good stuff!
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Ok, I'll take a look at that.

I was looking for a Powerpoint Presentation for "talking to a group." It was my understanding they were going to put one together.

I have a couple of "art societies" to talk to in March and April and was hoping for a jump start that I could modify to my needs.

Thanks
 
If you know anything about PowerPoint presentations, you should be able to pick and choose which of these slides you want to use, and to advance them at whatever speed you want. As well as add your own work.

I just want it to run continuously as visitors pass by.

Just another way to "find new customers and entice old customers! (Didja like how I tied that back into the original topic so as not to frankenthread...
)
 
check out Bob Carter's latest post on losing/rgaining customers wherein he states having "sales"--like promotional-type sales--help too.

Couldn't agree more.

More basically, I believe it depends on where you are. Betty, for example, can be in a rural setting with a small population surrounding her.

I'm in a suburban shopping area, two Hobby Lobbys, a Michael's, a JoAnne's plus seven other framing competitors within five miles. Not to mention all the other "competitors"--dress shops, jewellers, hairstylists, day spas, etc--that compete for the shoppers' discrretionary dollars. In fact, one retailer in our center said we're in the middle of "retail h..ll" as we try to compete among ourselves for the shopping dollars.

So I guess your geography comes into play too.

You may advertise or direct mail more or less than I;l frankly, I feel my advertising/mailing/whatever has to bemuch more intense and more frequent because of all these other retail competitors, not only in my own industry but in other "leisure" industries as well
 
I hadn't really thought about it that way Mike. In some respects, a great location can have it's drawbacks, too. When a person comes to our shop, it's like they have "blinders" on - we're all there is! You have to decide to come to our place. It ain't on the way to anywhere!

Therefore, we ALL have to find ways to stay in the forefront of the customer's mind, regardless of where we are.

As you and Bob said, a sale is a great promotional tool, but if YOUR customers don't know about it, it doesn't help to bring them back at all!
 
tht's why we use demographically-=targeted direct mail coupled with the customer database mailing. A very targeted and direct approach to get into the store exactly the demographics we want
 
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