1. Use your web pages to build your database
When your website is optimized for organic traffic, then your visitors are most likely there because you’re part of their search engine results. This means that they know what they’re looking for and they think that your website can help them.
If your content is relevant, well written, and easy to read, your visitor could come back and spend some more time in your website. Instead of waiting for a second date with them, why not try to reach out?
Include an opt-in section in every web page. Insert a simple e-mail field that says “If you’d like to hear about our updates, special articles about (insert a topic that is important to your niche market), and new products, please submit your email address and we’ll send you updates! Rest assured that we won’t share or sell your information to anyone else.”
This allows you to build a database of your market. You can classify your database into:
• Prospects – people who have not bought anything from you yet, but have visited your website
• Customers – people who have bought from you at least once
• Clients – people who have made repeat purchases from you
• Advocates – high-value clients who love you so much they recommend you to everyone they know. The goal of online direct marketing is to turn prospects into advocates.
Organizing your database this way helps you keep track of purchases made, and the contact information enables you to stay in touch with your market.
2. Maintain constant communication with your database
Having constant communication with your market can be done in a manner that doesn’t make you annoying to them. Make sure that you only send out to people in your database. At the end of your email, always offer them a way to opt-out, meaning, you’re giving them the option to stop receiving messages from you. This tells them that you respect your customers.
3. Make communication personal
Just like your website content, your digital direct marketing effort should always be relevant. Give them something they’d be excited to read—better if it’s something so cool or informative that they’d want to pass it on to their friends and family.
As much as you can, personalize each message that you send out. Instead of “Dear Valued Customer,” starting with “Dear Jackie” would make your customer feel more special. They’ll appreciate the effort and they’ll reward you with their loyalty. There are a lot of tools offered online that can help you personalize email blasts.
It is important to allow people to reply to your messages, so that you’d get to know them more, to help you serve them better.
4. Reward loyalty
You have to work all the more to keep advocates happy. You have benefited from their unwavering loyalty, now it’s time to reward them. Give them exclusive perks, but not price discounts. You don’t want to spoil them by allowing them to purchase only when there is an exclusive sale.
Rewards should make them feel special; make them feel that you really know them. Based on the details they have shared with you through feedback, you’ll be able to get a good picture of that your market likes. Are they fond of vacations or are they avid movie goers? Reward them with things and treats that they like, even though these don’t have anything to do with you product