5 ways to market to your existing customer base

Often when we think about marketing, we think about finding new customers for our business. The truth is, it costs a lot more money to convert brand-new buyers than it does to market our products to our existing customers. The existing customer has already indicated that they are interested in our product, they know the quality of our work, our fulfillment time, our attention to detail, etc. It will take a lot less decision making on their part to buy our work than that of a complete stranger.

Have you been consistently reaching out to your existing base? Have you had repeat sales? Many of the top Etsy sellers will tell you that a large percentage of their business is from repeat customers. Here are 5 easy ways to reach out to your existing clients.

1. It all starts with a mailing list. Mail Chimp is a free service that will help you create and maintain your list. Once you have this list, you should update your clients with news about your shop on a regular basis (not too frequently or customers will feel spammed).

2. Try a birthday promotion. Ask customers to include their birthdays with their orders to join your "birthday club". Then send out a "happy birthday" coupon to them to be used during the month of their birthday. They will feel special and will probably have some extra cash to spend during that month. Several big retailers (like Banana Republic) have been using this for years.

3. Offer some sort of a "secret" promotion to existing customers. Even if it is only a small token of an offer, it will bring people back to your shop. The fact that it is exclusive will help to create excitement and a sense of urgency.

4. Send all of your customers a Thanksgiving holiday card, thanking them for their business this year. You will be fresh in their mind for the upcoming holidays.

5. Make sure to include flyers, business cards, and perhaps even a little extra in every order shipped. When people are excited about opening a box, they will likely read through accompanying information.

These are just a few of many ways to strenghthen the relationship that you have with your existing customers. Remember them the next time you are working on your shop marketing!