How many times have you come off a phone call, left a shop, or finished reading an email, and thought ‘Wow! What great customer service!’?

Not many, I’d guess.

Real noteworthy service has unfortunately become the exception rather than the norm. That’s why it can make all the difference in highly competitive markets. In fact, the U.S Chamber of Commerce estimates that 68% of customers who leave a company do so because they feel undervalued.

Clearly, the way you treat your customers has a huge bearing on the loyalty they show to your business in the long term.

Sadly, many companies forget this, especially during difficult economic times. When faced with a recession, businesses tend to prioritise sales over customer service, regarding their sales department as the arm of the business that brings in revenue, while customer service is seen as non-profit making, and therefore expendable.

The problem with this approach is that it ignores the vital role that customer service plays in generating continued consumer loyalty, and, as a result, revenue.

Concentrating on sales may bring in more revenue in the short term, but if you lack the resources to service these new customers correctly, they probably won’t stay with you for very long. Furthermore, existing customers may feel undervalued and subsequently move to your competitors, forcing you to put even more costs and resources into customer acquisition to replace them.

Business research company Gartner estimates that it’s around five times as expensive to acquire a new customer than it is to retain an existing one, so it makes clear financial sense to concentrate your efforts on keeping the customers you already have. Happy customers also provide an invaluable asset in promoting your business through word of mouth, helping you increase revenue without increasing your acquisition costs.

Retaining customers does not have to be an expensive process, and there are several simple methods you can employ to keep customers happy and generate long-term loyalty.

Firstly, don’t make claims about your product that you can’t back up. You will only serve to heighten expectations to a level that you cannot service, resulting in your customers feeling frustrated and disillusioned. Investing in the resources to ensure complaints or questions are quickly resolved is also hugely important. The longer it takes you to answer a customer’s query, the longer you give them to find an alternate company to do business with.

Simple acts like sending your existing customers rewards or incentives to shop with you again is a great way of generating sales and increasing loyalty. This can be done through regular email communication, creating another touch-point with your customers. Asking for feedback is also a great way to show your customers that their opinions matter to your business, and that you’re listening to their concerns. It also allows you to see your business through their eyes, so you can examine where your company is meeting expectations, and where it has potential to grow in the future.

First published in The Argus, 09/10/10

Email marketing has become one of the primary methods of communication for companies looking to generate incremental revenue from new and existing customers.

The strengths of email as a marketing tool lie in its ubiquity, speed and economy, and when used correctly it can be an invaluable tool to generate revenue, drive customer retention and encourage repeat business.

However, with so many companies trying to capture the public’s attention, the competition for click-throughs is fierce, and there are important considerations to keep in mind when starting an email marketing campaign.

With this in mind, The Rocket Marketing Group present a guide to the dos and don’ts of email marketing.

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The Rocket Marketing Group have filed end of year results for 2009 showing an impressive 35% increase in turnover from £3.7m in 2008, to over £5m.

In a further year of terrific growth, Rocket’s pre-tax profits have also increased by 55%, proving that Rocket’s commitment to efficiency and business processes is reaping rewards.

Rocket has worked hard to expand on its success over the last three years, and has seen the results of new revenue partnerships with Living TV, Flying Brands and iSUBSCRiBE, as well as securing a further long-term deal with sit-up channels.  (more…)

With VAT set to rise to 20% in 2011, the retail sector will welcome the news that online sales jumped by 22% in May, compared to 2009 levels.

The online market has become a key sector for businesses, in part due to the financial limitations imposed by the recession. Companies have found marketing and selling their products online to be a very cost effective way of generating revenue and attracting customers, with the latest figures showing that shoppers spent £4.5bn online during May alone.

The research, conducted by the International Media Retail Group (IMRG) found that companies who utilised a range of sales channels had the most success. For example, retailers with both physical stores and online facilities saw year-on-year sales rise by 28%, compared with a rise of just 1% for online-only retailers. (more…)

As published in The Argus, Tuesday, February 23rd , 2010

The Rocket Marketing Group will now be offering their exclusive Blockbuster 2 for 1 Movie & Game Rental Card on PeopleValue’s Advantage website. PeopleValue delivers employee benefit programmes to a diverse range of organisations.

This new offer gives employees who use PeopleValue, the opportunity to purchase the Blockbuster 2 for 1 Movie & Game Rental Card and enjoy two rentals for the price of one, an unlimited amount of times, for a year. The Blockbuster 2 for 1 Movie & Game Rental Card offers a fantastic opportunity for employees that use PeopleValue to enjoy great entertainment more often. (more…)

As published in The Argus, Tuesday, January 12, 2010

The Rocket Marketing Group has recruited Perfect Pizza to their loyalty membership programmes, offering a Buy One Get One Free deal.

This Buy One Get One Free at Perfect Pizza offer fits perfectly with Rocket’s Blockbuster 2 for 1 Movie & Game Rental Card. Rocket will promote these complementing offers as the perfect night in, to members of its loyalty and membership programmes. Both the Blockbuster 2 for 1 Movie & Game Rental Card and Buy One Get One Free with Perfect Pizza are available to use anytime, as often as members like, on the full ranges, so will help members to enjoy their ‘Appetite for Entertainment’, whatever their lifestyle.

Please contact us if you are interested in any of these offers.

Terms and conditions apply. See www.theentertainmentclub.co.uk for details.

It is clear what the benefits of sales promotions are for consumers – and they know it. Demand for rewards and consumer incentives have grown immeasurably in the last year and it’s now what consumers expect wherever they shop. On the surface it would appear that this is a one-sided relationship in which consumers are holding businesses over a barrel. Sales promotion shouldn’t and mostly isn’t something that businesses are forced to resort to. Managed properly and thought out thoroughly, sales promotion can be mutually beneficial – particularly in the current economic climate. So what are the benefits of consumer sales promotions for businesses?

Consumer retention

In the long-term a loyal customer is worth far more to a business than an occasional high purchaser. When a customer is recognised as loyal the emotional involvement with the brand is increased. Showing recognition by offering consumer incentives for loyalty stands to solidify the idea of staying loyal to the brand. Loyalty can be rewarded in a number of ways from offering a coupon at the checkout to points collection cards.

Create positive brand associations

Working together with another brand creates a sense of corporate validation and helps your brand to tap into new loyal customer bases. Whatever you trade in there are sure to be a synergistic brands for you to work with, for example hotels and theatres or gyms and sports clothing retailers. It can also work well for pushing you brand’s image in a new direction by moving away from the logical partnerships, for example if you want to raise your green credentials how about teaming up with environmental brands such as The National Trust?

Increase brand recognition

Brand recognition is essential for enticing customers to buy your product/service over another. The authority recognition gives your brand offers consumers confidence in your product/service, as they know what to expect. Increasing brand recognition comes from offering your sales promotion to a wider audience than your regular customer base. A good example of this is featuring a consumer incentive or exclusive discount in a loyalty and membership programme or discount club. These programmes are usually a free marketing option, managed by an external agency that have an large existing customer base.

Reach new consumers

Sales promotion can be one of the most effective ways to catch new customers’ eye.  The best ways to offer a discount or consumer incentive is through a loyalty and membership programmes/ discount club or a chance to win a grand prize. By doing this you are giving consumers a reason to stray away from the brands they are usually loyal to. Competitions are an instant way to catch people’s attention but loyalty and membership programmes or discount clubs go out to an established customer base and can sustain a lasting message.

These rewards are useful to any business and however you want to represent your brand there is a sales promotion answer for your business, that can be effectively integrated to compliment any marketing plan.

Contact us if you would like to discuss how one of our loyalty and membership programmes/ discount clubs or consumer incentive and rewards can benefit your brand.

Over the last few years the rise in the use of sales promotion in the form of vouchers and discount clubs, has led to a culture of consumers not leaving the home for a meal/ day trip without one. Because the vouchers and discount codes accompany so much cash into the tills, it is as if the voucher has become a form of legal tender.

In order to compete for customer retention is it therefore essential that retailers now adopt sales promotion techniques and trade/deal with vouchers plus exclusive discounts, even in the run up to Christmas?

Companies use sales promotion by offering discounts, and accept them against payment for a number of products and services. The rise in the voucher is not only specific to the people who you would traditionally associate with bargain hunting, but most people now have used a discount in some form or other. Nielsen online reported that 9.8 million Britons used a coupon or reward site in 2008. In 2008 coupon and reward websites were the second fastest growing UK online sector according to YouGov. And most tellingly of all, 48% of shoppers were more likely to use retailers who offered voucher codes (Nov 2008).

Consumers are now programmed to look for discounts, if one shop isn’t offering a discount then the next one will be, so it is therefore not surprising that retailers are using sales promotion tactics by offering vouchers or exclusive discounts to members of loyalty and membership programmes or discount clubs. By doing this retailers are not only bolstering their presence on the high street but encouraging increased redemption online as well. And as internet shopping becomes the norm for many people, it’s increasingly important for retailers to establish their brand online – where it is even more important to be competitively priced, as other retailers are only one click away.

Contact Us if you are interested sales promotion for your business. We can discuss rewards for your consumers or an exclusive discount to offer members of a loyalty and membership programme or discount club.