Customers for Life
Companies don't just want you to buy once. They want you to purchase their products and services again and again and again. That's why creating a pleasant and rewarding customer experience is so important to them. The hope is that, with a little placating and nurturing on their part, you'll become loyal to the brand — even if a competing product or service is superior.
So what “placating and nurturing” are we talking about here? To help ensure you become a repeat customer, companies dedicate a considerable amount of resources to communicating with you in a variety of ways. The idea — assuming you're happy with the product or service — is to keep the honeymoon going forever. There's no hiding their intentions. Often the very first letter or e-mail a company sends you begins with “Dear Loyal Customer.”
A growing niche in the customer relations field is loyalty marketing. This involves programs that provide tangible rewards for customer loyalty. For example, many airlines have frequent flier programs, essentially offering the chance for free travel. As a copywriter, you could be asked to write a variety of loyalty marketing pieces: program brochures, in-store posters, ads, and more.
All of this is, of course, a good thing. As a customer, you deserve and appreciate the attention. Companies should thank you for your ongoing decision to support their products and services, and not take you for granted.
This is also a good thing for copywriters. Companies need a wide variety of customer communications written, everything from letters and e-mails to newsletters and flyers.
More Than Just Repeat Business
There is much more at stake for a company than just keeping a customer happy and buying. When customers become delighted with a product or service, even loyal, they tend to spread the word, recommending it to others. Studies have shown that people make an average of twenty to thirty product recommendations or endorsements to friends and colleagues every year. Companies know this. They also know that a strong customer communications program leads to good word of mouth — or “buzz” as it's called in the public relations field.
Sometimes a community of loyal customers becomes a marketing force all on its own, sustaining and increasing sales of the brand over the long term. The level of loyalty among customers of Apple Computers borders on the religious. A big reason for this is the company's ability to communicate with their customer communities successfully.
Expand Sales
Finally, companies also know that satisfied customers are more likely to purchase other products or services from the same company. A music lover who falls in love with his Bose sound system is likely to be interested in other products and accessories available in that brand category, especially if the company has stayed in touch.
