Two Easy Customer Re-Engagement Strategies for Small and Medium Manufacturers
by Vin DiGioia
We’re almost in Q3 here so chances are your 2022 marketing plan is fully underway – that’s great! As the global economy continues to open up after covid, marketing for manufacturers needs to be a priority for any firm looking to remain competitive.
With the bulk of your plan in place, though, and budgets firmly committed, you’re probably looking for other cost-effective ways to help move the needle a few percentage points in the back half of the year. It may sound simplistic, but when was the last time you re-engaged with your past customers? (HINT: It’s probably not a recent as it could/should be.)
Statistics show that it is up to 25 times cheaper to retain an existing customer than it is to acquire/convert a new one! So in addition to delivering great products/services and providing exemplary customer support, it is critically important that you also regularly engage with past customers. It doesn’t need to be daily or even weekly, but some sort of regular effort that keeps your brand front of mind with the customer and reassures them that you are still the best choice to meet their needs, is essential. This can happen in a variety of ways across a whole host of channels, but here are two examples that can be pulled together fairly quickly and deployed in the next 90 days (or less):
- Customer Surveys/Product Feedback – Tools like Survey Monkey and Qualtrics make it easy to put together a simple online survey that can be distributed to past customer lists via email. Not only is this a great way to keep an open line of communication with your list, but the feedback you receive can also help inform your new product development process.
- Case Studies – Citing real world applications of your product or service is instant permission to believe that you’ve got a solution that really works. Reach out to some of your past customers and ask if they would be willing to participate in a case study. This is one of the best ways to acknowledge a great customer – and an even better way to strike up a conversation about any new needs they might have. (Pro Tip: Once complete, make sure you promote the case study across your social channels and tag your customer!)
In our crazy margin-driven world, it becomes easy to take an “on to the next prospect” mindset when it comes to sales. However, sometimes what you need to do is stop and take a minute to acknowledge those existing customers that helped you get to where you are today. The reward for showing a little bit of unsolicited love now could yield significant returns for your manufacturing firm in the not-so-distant future.
Need some assistance putting together a customer re-engagement plan? We can help. Drop us a line today.