Smarter Primate

Be proactive in getting and keeping customers. Here are five ways to use a marketing newsletter, whether printed or an email newsletter, to stay make the most of customer relationships…

Quicker Acceptance Of Innovations

Are you concerned about how long it will take for customers to adopt your new product? You’re right to be concerned. Don’t believe the better mousetrap theory (build a better one and the world will beat a path to your door). We now know that most new products go through a predictable ‘S’ curve on their way to widespread adoption. 

Marketing newsletters can move a product through the curve more quickly. The more customers know about the innovation, and its benefits, the sooner the early adopters will try it and the sooner others will follow their lead.

Don’t Be Downed by Dissonance

A phenomonen called after-sales dissonance occurs when buyers feel regret after making a purchase; perhaps they felt they bought from the wrong company, or they paid too much, and so on. When buyers feel that way, it may keep them from buying from you again, and they may tell their friends to avoid your products.

You can reduce buyer dissonance by being proactive in your marketing communication; one way to do this is by publishing the names of some prominent customers (with their permission, of course). They will feel reassured if they know that other people have already dealt with you, and are satisfied. Also, consider the security-in-numbers idea, reporting on the number of purchases made in a specific period.

Customer Feedback

To think of marketing newsletters only as vehicle for disseminating information misses one of their most powerful possibilities. Use marketing newsletters to bring in customer complaints, compliments, and suggestions.

And, using a newsletter to deliver a questionnaire or survey increases your reach at minimal cost. A newsletter also can set the context for questionnaire replies. Respondents get a sense of the organization’s purpose and plans, which means they better understand the type of information you want. They also get a better sense of how their responses to a survey provide value. Some of the more important customer responses include: complaints about product performance; ideas for improvements; suggestions for new products; referrals to new customers; satisfaction levels, and reports on needs or unsolved problems.

Match Demand with Supply More Effectively

For some firms, especially those selling seasonal or cyclical products, supply and demand seem complete strangers. And, while it’s unlikely you will ever completely change demand patterns to fit your production patterns, it may be possible to reduce the disparities.

Communicate. Let customers know about the advantages of buying before or after the rush in your marketing newsletters. For example, better service in non-peak periods, faster delivery, or perhaps financial incentives. Whatever the tactic, let customers know about the benefits through a marketing newsletter.