2013 marketing plan
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Strategies For Client Retention To Include In Your 2013 Marketing Plan

Bylori

Before you finalize your 2013 marketing plan, take one more look through. Chances are you’ve left out at least one potentially profitable client retention strategy.

Adding even one of these smart strategies will help you nurture valuable relationships with past clients while also leveraging those relationships to pull in warm, ready-to-buy leads.

  • Ask for opinions — Client satisfaction surveys give you a clearer picture of what’s working for your clients and what isn’t. The information they provide is invaluable for service development, pricing, and employee training. Lead generating surveys tap one of your greatest assets — your existing client base — to find out when they will be re-entering the market for your services. Surveys also let your clients know you care what they think, which improves client retention.
  • Market with more — Printed marketing material can’t always do your offerings justice. With additional images, videos and other media on your website, you have a much better chance of turning a mildly interested reader into a sales lead. QR codes on your printed material move your readers seamlessly to your website. Don’t waste the opportunity by dumping them at your home page, though. Direct your leads to a response form or other specialized lead-capture page.
  • Keep in touch online — Whether or not a regularly scheduled email newsletter is part of your 2013 marketing plan, e-mail marketing should be. eCards make it quick and easy to keep your loyal clients in the loop on special deals and new offers and keep your name in front of them.
  • Make it eventful — This year, give event-based marketing a try. Events draw in fresh leads and give your existing fans a fun way to interact more with your business. .

Here’s another trick to try this year: Always request referrals. Subtle referral requests in all your print and emailed material bring in warm leads as you strengthen relationships with your current clients.

Have any promising client retention ideas for your 2013 marketing plan? What changes did you make this year?

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