Looking for an inexpensive and easy way to encourage repeat purchases at your small business? Here is a simple way to entice customers to return to your shop and bring friends. By setting up a basic guest book on your counter, you will create your own mailing list for future promotions.
Instructions
1. Select a decorative journal or notebook that fits the look and feel of your small business. You may even want to cover a blank or plain journal with craft paper, an old music sheet, or even wall paper to fit your business’ theme. Simply measure, mark, cut, and glue the paper over the journal cover.
2. Inside the cover of the journal or notebook, list your business name, address, email, website, and phone number. On the first page, list the headings for name, address and email. List the phone number as optional.
3. Ask customers to sign the guestbook when they visit your business location. If the person clearly doesn’t seem interested in your products, then it’s probably not necessary. The goal is to get a customer mailing list for sending out future promotional messages.
4. Inform customers that you will not give out their personal information, that it is strictly to keep them informed of special events and sales you will be hosting at your business. Let customers know that there may be occasional extra offers or discounts for guestbook members only.
5. Create a mailing list on your computer so that you can easily print out mailing labels for your promotional cards without needing to retype them each time or hand write your repeat customers’ information. Create a separate email list for those customers offering their email addresses in the guest book.
6. At least once per season and for your business’ anniversary, send out postcard mailers to your customer list. You may wish to offer discounts for select items or on their total purchase (possibly over a specific dollar amount to encourage sales), a set dollar amount off if they bring a friend, special drawings, refreshments, or early guest-book only previews of new merchandise. The goal is to encourage customers to come back to your location, see your new products, and make purchases. Make it a win-win situation for both you and your return customers.
