As an e-commerce business, you have to find ways to connect with your customers throughout the year. Even if things have fallen into hibernation mode over the winter, you can revitalize your relationship now. Spring is the perfect time to stir up warm feelings in your customer.
Here are four ways to do it.
1. Wake up your customers with a pleasant surprise
One of the great things about spring’s arrival is how nature surprises you. One day the yard looks dead, and the next, there are bright yellow blooms and green shoots all around. Take your cue from the seasonal phenomenon and delight your customers with a special spring offer.
Of course you can go the tried-and-true-though-trite route of sending out the same percentage off promotion to all of them. Or you can get more creative and customized by messaging your customers based on their specific interests and shopping preferences. Remarkety enables you to do that because it segments your customers based on purchase history, shopping interest and level of engagement with your brand.
For example, if you have customers in New York, which just banned plastic bags at grocery and drug stores, you can send them a message about a spring promotion of a free reusable tote bag that they will get with their order. That would win you both sustainability and loyalty points.
2. Building a sustainable relationship with your customers
Speaking of sustainability, that’s one of the spring themes, as celebrated on April 22nd, Earth Day. You can play off that theme idea by sending your customers a packet of seeds with instructions for upcycling by making a self-watering soda bottle planet.
This could be the gift that keeps on giving by encouraging customers to share their pictures of the plants at stages to be showcased on your site or social media outlet. It’s even better if it’s an herb that can be used in different dishes.
Most people love to find and share new recipes, and your brand can be directly associated with that type of lively engagement.
3. Show your loyal customers that you value them
One of the things that irks long time customers is seeing promotions reserved only for new customers. Instead of being rewarded for their loyalty, they find they are taken for granted. They end up feeling like the neglected girlfriend in this image:
So be sure to show your long time customers that you do appreciate them with special offers just for them. You can give them a special “Spring forward” advance preview of your new line before it’s shared to other customers, giving them first crack at it. You can further personalize and sweeten the deal with a special promotion that is directly linked to their longevity like giving them the percentage off that corresponds to the number of years that they’ve been your customer. That means that five years of being your customer earns them an extra 5% off, and a full decade earns 10% off for a special “Loyalty Appreciation Event.”
4. Spring inspiration in your marketing
From adjusting to the spring forward of daylight saving time to the rites of spring cleaning and holiday celebrations, there are numerous options for subject lines to grab your customers’ attention. Of course, your selection should be on point, on brand, and relevant to your customers.
Here are eight subject line examples:
- Next stop: spring!
This is great for building up momentum for just about any product category, from outdoor furniture to shoes. - Green, the color of spring! (Green is also used as the definitive color for the just pre-spring holiday of St. Patrick’s Day celebrated on March 17).
This works for everything from fashion to sustainable products to produce. Introducing the Spring/Summer Collection! - What’s fresh for spring?
This is about how one-size-fits-all as you can get for any type of new product line, from food to tech. - Spring it on!
Perfect for sporting goods, as well as tech and entertainment equipment - Blooming colors for spring!
Whether you’re selling flowers, makeup, apparel, or even cars, the subject fits. - Spring clean-out sale
This works for cleaning products or for any products put on clearance now. - The scents of spring are here!
That applies to perfumes, air-fresheners, cleaning products, detergents, flowering plants, or even different types of food and drinks. - We’ll help you through the cruelest month
This would only work well for people who would recognize the quote about April from T.S. Eliot. It’s perfect for any business related to tax preparation or the self-care services you’d want to recover from the frustration of filling out endless forms.
Of course the four approaches are not at all mutually exclusive and can work very well together. The start of the new season should inspire you to nurture and strengthen your relationship with both existing and new customers.
