Email Marketing: The Economy Is Down. Do You Know What's Up with Your Customers?

Listening to Your Customers Builds Loyal, Recession-Busting Bonds

It's hard to imagine any business that hasn't been touched by the recession. Auto makers, corporations, big-box retailers, franchise owners, entrepreneurs, nonprofits, and Main Street shops alike are all asking themselves, "How are we going to survive this economy?"

The answer may not come from a Harvard Business School case study or even from the White House. What you need to know to keep your business going strong may be yours for the asking -- with your own customers.

Small businesses have an advantage in a down economy because they have the ability to be very nimble -- to gather regular, "drip intelligence" from customers and make smart business adjustments based on that information. This holds true for businesses using email marketing to stay in touch with their customers. Remember:

Every email marketing communication is an opportunity to welcome feedback from your customers.

It's Not All About What You Can Offer Them

It's about finding out what they want, need, and could use from you right now. Maybe it's a new product or a different way of pricing or offering your service. Maybe they're not ready to buy, but what they need is advice and perspective from a trusted source -- you!

What customers are thinking about the world, the economy, their lives, and what your business provides directly impacts how and if they buy from you -- now and in the future.

Engage Customers with an "Ask the Experts" Column

Start a new Q& A section in your email newsletter called "Ask the Experts" or "Try and Stump Me" -- whatever sounds right for your business. Invite subscribers to email you with their toughest questions and to share their most challenging experiences related to your business. Then publish the answers to customers' questions in a future newsletter issue.

Suggest topics and questions to get customers thinking and participating in an email conversation with you. For example...

• If you're a financial advisor, you could spark a conversation with customers with a timely question such as "What was the last stock or fund you sold off in a hurry and why?" or "What kinds of funds do you think are most likely to recover fastest in this economy?" Then answer in the next month's issue with your own insights on what to buy and hold -- and what to bail out of -- during today's chopping market waters.

• If you run a Web development / Internet marketing company, ask customers "How would you rate your own website on a scale of 1 to 10 -- 1 being 'worst website ever' and 10 being 'couldn't be better' -- and why?", encouraging conversation around usability, design, SEO -- all things in your field of expertise.
  

Talk To People Closest To You

Think about the questions customers, colleagues, family, and friends most often ask about your line of work, and use those to spark conversation in your email newsletters. Once the Q&A column is up and running, customers will submit questions on their own. You don't need to attach an incentive to encourage participation, as the free advice in your answer is valuable. You can encourage readers to engage others in the Q&A content with the Forward to a Friend feature.

Use A Q&A Column To Create Engagement

This Q&A column is a fun way to engage customers in conversation and establish you as a trustworthy expert in your field. It's also a way for you to listen and re-evaluate how customers perceive what your business does for them. Customers' questions may cluster around common themes -- which gives you insight to their current mindset and what they need most (and are willing to buy) during rough economic times. Use that intelligence to write follow-up articles showing customers that your finger is on the pulse of what's most important to them right now.

You may also be surprised to learn that customers perceive you as expert in a range of things -- not just what your business offers. That could open up new market opportunities for you.

Customer Feedback Is The Fastest Way To Earn Priceless Loyalty

Savvy businesses can use the economic downturn as an opportunity to invite customer feedback and really listen to their concerns. There's no better way to engender customer loyalty -- and earn repeat business -- than to show customers you care enough to ask them what's up when the economy is down.

Article Author:  Eric Groves, Constant Contact Senior Vice President, Global Market Development