In an ideal world our customers would use us every day and we would be fully booked all the time. But recent times have shown us that this can’t always be the case – and in this instance it’s through no fault of our own.
In this article I am going to show you some ways to keep in touch with existing customers and keep you and your business top of mind. And also outline the one thing you should always be doing – without fail!
5 Ways To Reach Out To Customers Who Have Not Used Your Services Recently.
#1. Keep In Regular Contact
Newsletters
It’s important to keep in regular contact with your customers and a newsletter is a great way to do this.
Keeping customers updated on what is going on in the area they live in, what’s happening in the world of pets and what you are writing about on your blog to educate them is a resource they will grow to love each week.
And most importantly it means you are in their inbox every week – so when they do need your services you will be top of mind.
Read more about Why A Newsletter Is Important
Booking Emails
It’s important to remind people that you are open for business and taking bookings. Events like Valentines, Spring Break etc. are a good reason to send out a ‘Make Your Reservation’ email to existing customers.
Don’t feel you can only send one email. People definitely don’t see (or read) everything we send them – so send plenty of reminders. And stress some urgency in booking early.
There is no harm in saying you only have a certain amount of availability.
#2. Educational Content
Writing blog posts is a great way to connect with pet lovers. Blogs are not only something you can send out in newsletters and post on social media, but they are something you can use to educate people on the need for your services.
For example:
With people currently working from home more they may feel that they no longer need a dog walker. By educating them, via your blog, on topics such as:
- Why dogs need to maintain their exercise routine.
- How to keep your dog quiet during zoom calls.
- Why your dog will be missing their dog walker
You are raising awareness of how a dog walker can still be beneficial even though that customer is no longer travelling to the office.
Read more about Why you need to be marketing your business
#3. Physical Cards
It can often feel like all we get in the mail is bills. So to send something handwritten, or personalized, to a customer can mean the world to them.
We spend hours with their pets over the year and capture so many magical moments with them – which are perfect for customized cards.
Or you could do a general ‘We Miss You’ card to send out. We have used Vistaprint for things like this – you can easily customize the front and back of a post card and they are not particularly expensive.
#4. Text Message
Text messages are so quick to send. Why not just make an effort each day to check in with a couple of customers and ask how they and their pets are doing.
You could say you were just thinking about X and were wondering how they were both getting on. This should be the start of a nice conversation where at some stage you can mention if they need any help with their pets to let you know.
Keeping the text very personal to that person and their pets is a much better approach than a bulk book now text message. It shows you care about their pets.
#5. Phone Calls
If you love to chat more than text then pick up the phone and see how they are doing. Leading with questions about their pets is always a good idea – we all love to talk about our pets.
When you are chatting on the phone it’s a great opportunity to ask if there are any other services that they need from you.
This could lead to a profitable add on service for your business.
Why You Should Always Be Looking For New Customers?
These are all great ways to keep in touch with customers and reactivate their bookings.
However, you should never stop looking for new customers. Don’t rely on old customers coming back to use your services. Instead keep marketing to add to your customer base.
It’s so important to have a constant stream of marketing in place so that you are never short of customers. People’s circumstances change – so as one customer goes normally there is another one looking for what you have to offer.
Your job is to make sure they see you first!
To get more tips and tricks like this why not join us in the Pet Business Owners Membership Group.
