The key to the success of any business is to know how to build, maintain and expand a solid database of customers. One very, very successful New Zealand coffee shop owner knows exactly how to attract more customers and, more importantly, how to keep them coming back.
This creative and innovative lady regularly comes up with marketing ideas that successfully draw customers into her coffee lounge. Each promotion is unique. Here are just a few of the successful strategies employed by this wizard to boost her business:
- One mother’s day promotion offered customers a complimentary fruit juice when they came into the shop plus an invitation to enter a draw for a free weekend for two at a plush Wellington Hotel. Customers simply filled out their details on a card to enter prize draw. The result… more names for her database… and lots of happy customers.
- Every two months or so (and on customers’ birthdays particularly) she mails out letters and also sends emails to every customer on the database, giving them an incentive to come in for a drink and a bite to eat… and bring a friend. Of course the customers are delighted and the friend’s details are captured to further build the database.
- This business often builds on the bang of the bigger buck by using special events or certain times of the year as a basis for mail outs or promotions. On one occasion the shop did a mail out offering customers entry into a free draw for an Easter basket. In a different promotion a few years back the business rode the wave of the America’s Cup and organised a big cake shaped like a New Zealand yacht. As customers entered the shop they were offered a slice of cake for every cappuccino they purchased. At the same time the proprietor actually increased the price of cappuccinos and surprisingly they actually sold more cappuccinos during the promotional period.
- Every year the shop gives out free coffee or tea cards and these are either mailed out to customers or handed to them as they walk through the door. There are no expiry dates on the cards so that they can be validated at the time of the customer’s entry into the shop. This further encourages customers to keep going back. (Now giving away free stuff is a sure way to go out of business. But this lady is a savvy operator. Her team knows how to ensure that the customer buys something to eat with the free item… every time!)
It’s about building a community of followers
This business owner is successful because she keeps coming up with novel ways to get new customers, to keep them coming back and to maintain their interest! Why not try a couple of these ideas in your business?
If you want more ideas around building your customer database, then we recommend buying Make You Database Your Goldmine, by Debbie Mayo Smith. Order here
Footnote: This story was from a small town, which as we’ve said she mails at least every two months. It now exceeds 4,000 people. Remember too that you should always seek people’s permission before adding their names to your database.