One Promotion Does Not Fit All

Email and snail mail promotions are great methods for creating customer loyalty. However, you need to make sure that the information customers include during the sign-up process is accurately addressed in the marketing. There’s no greater feeling than receiving an unexpected coupon or discount on something you want to purchase. It’s a completely different story when the promotion is for something random that doesn’t remotely pique your interest.

Here’s an example of a mail promotion gone wrong: A few weeks ago, I received a pamphlet ad from a loyalty program I belong to at major drug store; the advertisement was primarily for cosmetics and other feminine products that I will never have a use for and it completely alienated me from their program.

For auto dealerships, are you doing this in your service department? For instance, if a customer has just purchased a brand new vehicle and you send them a coupon for a 30,000 or 60,000 mile maintenance service, the chances of that coupon being redeemed are slim to none. Not only are you wasting postage and/or time, but you may be making the customer wonder, “Why did they send this to me?” That customer would probably better appreciate a 10% discount on accessories to personalize their new vehicle.

When creating your marketing campaigns, do you check to make sure customers are receiving a relevant promotion?

What promotions have you created recently that have resulted in high redemption rates and loyal customers?