I received this post card in the mail this week and it reminded me that all customers should not be treated equal. The closest clothing store to my house is JCPenneys and we are there often because (it seems like) we are always needing something. Because of this, I was able to find out about their upcoming sale BEFORE the general public. When it comes to small business marketing, it builds loyalty when you treat your current clients much better than your prospects. This sounds obvious but it is amazing how often I find out about cool things happening at stores where I love to shop after the fact. Usually these are smaller, more unique stores and I really want to be informed. As a good customer, that can be so frustrating.
It is critical for proper brand building to let clients know about anything exciting happening in your business BEFORE you promote it to the masses. For example, current clients should get first dibs on your Saturday photo session opportunities before you post it on Facebook or put an ad in the paper. If you need to clearance out some old framing inventory, let your best clients come in and pick before you let non-clients know about it. They deserve this perk and when you are loyal to them, they will return the favor by being loyal to you. Even when you start offering a super cool new product or service, your current clients should get the privilege of knowing about it first.
We know that it takes so much more time and energy to attract a new client so we should be treating our current ones the way so great that they never want to leave us. We would love to hear what you are doing for your clients that you don’t do for your prospects!