You’ve
GoMtail
Every business has a different approach to retaining customers. Retailers and experts discuss the upsides—and downsides—to utilizing email for customer retention. WORDS BY ROSA SOPHIA
M
arketing techniques are not one-size-fits-all. How a business approaches marketing and customer retention varies depending on a lot of factors, including demographics, location and niche. When it comes to customer retention through email, business owners must find a good balance in order to avoid alienating customers by sending too many emails. To make email marketing effective, a strategy has to be implemented that takes into account subject lines, content and graphics that emotionally engage the consumer. Jon Dewar owns Modern Media Geeks, a company based out of Kingsland, Ga. to help businesses with online marketing. Dewar has worked with businesses in a number of industries and acknowledged the difficulty of finding the right approach. “It’s a massive deal. Email marketing as
44 Mobile Electronics June 2017
a whole is not a strong sector. Any good email marketer will tell you, you want the email to be sent at five or six in the morning so it’s at the top of the inbox,” Dewar said, noting that most people turn off their alarm in the morning and then pick up their phone. “It’s a fighting chance you’ll be opened instead of swiped.” Use engaging graphics that spark an emotion, Dewar said, and choose a catchy title. “Constant Contact, Mail Chimp, Wix has one—any of those are fantastic,” he said, naming a few providers that help create attractive emails. These providers also offer templates that make it easier to design an email that’s both eye-catching and informative.
Client Connections The first and most common method of collecting email addresses is at the point of sale. Dewar recommended that an email address always be gathered when the sale is made. “We have to register you for the warranty. What email would
you like to use?” Dewar said. “You’re not imposing on them, but you have that information now. Build your list if you need to reach out to them for any reason.” An opt-in feature on a business’s website can also help gather email addresses if the business provides a newsletter. However, there are some key factors to remember: never send so many emails that you’re spamming customers, send email only when necessary and always provide quality content. Don’t rely solely on electronic means to make a personal connection with your customers. Not everything can be done through email. Kimberly Trainer, president of CarTunes, Inc. in Greenville, Miss., believes that a personal connection will help to keep a business top-of-mind. “Our customer is our best advertisement,” she said. “When a customer comes in, I can talk about anything—the weather, their car, their kids. Whatever. That may not have anything to do with what they came in for. When you connect, they keep