I would argue that it’s really important to segment your existing customers – not just on the basis of geography, demographics etc but on the basis of their purchase history.
These are just some of the ways in which you might segment your existing cusomers – including those who have lapsed.
First time customers – when someone buys from you for the first time why not send them a thank you card? I’ve been sent thank you cards even when I’ve only spent $47 but then again I’ve heard nothing when I’ve spent thousands of dollars with someone – not even an automated email to wish me a happy christmas!
Repeat purchasers – if someone buys from you regularly why not make them a founder member of a membership club or a loyalty scheme; perhaps offer them early and reduced price access to new products or if you’re a coach offer them a free session. Don’t forget it’s cheaper to keep a customer than get a new one. Not only will a loyal customer keep buying from you but they’ll also talk favourably about your business (Word of Mouth). Take particular care of High spending purchasers. In marketing we talk about the Lifetime Value of a customer. Look out for my post on this topic.
Lapsed purchasers – someone who’s purchased from you in past but haven’t signed up for any of your webinars or offers recently is someone you need to reconnect with. Sadly companies often neglect lalpsed customers. I notice with my Tesco Clubcard that if I don’t shop at Tesco for a while I don’t get any vouchers from them whereas if they sent me £5 off if I spent a modest £25 it might encourage me to resume shopping at Tesco.
I’m a big fan of Hubspot who produce some great blog posts. Last year they wrote a post about They suggest:
- Offer improved support for high revenue customers
- Upgrade shipping for high frequency buyers
- Identify product experts for reviews
- Surprise customers who open emails but don’t purchase
- Incentivize brand promoters using Net Promoter Score (NPS)
- Remind last minute purchasers to buy now
- Get at-risk customers to shop with you again
SOME QUESTIONS FOR YOU
How do your segment your existing customers?
If you don’t segment them why not?
