By Justin Hotard, VP and GM, NCR Silver and NCR Small Business
Email remains one of the most effective ways for retailers to connect with customers, whether notifying them of special offers or thanking them for their business. According to CRM agency, The Merkle Group, 74% of consumers prefer to receive commercial communications via email, and the Direct Marketing Association notes that email marketing has an ROI of 4,300%. With a numbers like that, you would be hard-pressed to find a reason not to launch an email marketing campaign.
With the spring season here and summer fast approaching, many retailers are planning to roll out seasonal offers and special promotions to attract prospects and get existing customers back through the doors. A mobile POS system includes the built-in email marketing tools to make it easy to create timely and effective email marketing programs that build customer relationships throughout the year.
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For those that are unsure of what to do next, here are four simple tips that will help spring your email marketing efforts into action:
- It is About You…Well, Sort Of: Create a connection with your customers by showing your personality and demonstrating what is unique about your business or service. Add your logo and choose a style that fits. Because of privacy issues, avoid overly personalized messages, but keep your copy conversational and friendly and highlight the promotion early in the email.
- Don’t Forget the Receipt: As a retailer, you know the value of thanking customers for their business. Now, email receipts provide yet another channel for thanking customers, and thanking them often. Always customize your receipts with a “Thank You” and add discounts in your email campaigns to drive repeat business.
- Keep in Touch: It’s no secret that keeping in touch today is now easier than ever. Set up automatic reminders to stay in touch, and offer incentives to let customers know you are still there to provide a much-needed product or service. A well-timed email can be just what your business needs to keep a steady pace of customer traffic all year long.
- Create Social Connections: The power of social marketing lets you connect with customers when and how they want. Setting up email offers and instantly pushing them out to your Facebook page allows you to quickly reach your audience — even if they aren’t on your email list. Remember to put links to your social sites in all your email campaigns and receipts so customers know where to find you in the social media-sphere.
With a mobile POS system, retailers can get ahead of the game in the coming weeks by planning relevant Mother’s Day, Memorial Day and other holiday promotions — and actually have some time to enjoy summer too.
Justin Hotard joined NCR in 2007 and held various positions before becoming Vice President and General Manager of NCR Silver and NCR Small Business He has played a key role in NCR’s transformation by structuring over $1B of acquisitions, including Retalix for $650 million. He also worked cross-functionally to help structure NCR’s strategic alliance with PayPal.
