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Thread: falling thru the cracks

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    Default falling thru the cracks

    we have built a great mailing list,which is key for our marketing.....we have always gotten this list in a nice zipless fashion....from every check we get......
    the last few years we see the new shopper is way less likely to write us a check and whips out a credit card.....and we dont have a system for getting her address....dh says a more expensive creditcard program could get it for us...not too likely....and we arent very good at getting her to sign up for the mailing....we never had to before..

    i feel like we are missing a lot of good names.....we have about 4000 on our list and do first class snail mail 4 times a year...with great results..
    am i missing an easy way to get these missed names?
    ann
    Last edited by greenoak; 10-18-2008 at 09:36 AM.
    ann at greenoak www.greenoakantiques.com

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    Do you have a newsletter sign up on your site? It's a pretty simple thing to add, and it just generally asks for a e-mail and a name. I'm sure you could expand it to ask for a snail mail address as well.

    Put the sign up on your site and then let people know that your mailings contain special discounts or information your customers can't get anywhere else. Not everyone will sign up, but you should capture some addresses that way.

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    i never thought of that...it might catch a few new ones.... and easy to do..
    .guess i need to figure if we want to expand who cnan get on the list....now it is limited to people who have spent money with us....and online sign up would broaden it more....
    ann
    Last edited by greenoak; 10-18-2008 at 06:32 PM.
    ann at greenoak www.greenoakantiques.com

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    Put up a raffle box by the till with a small prize. I'm sure you'll get tons of new addresses to add to your mailing list :-) (you can limit it to those who purchase, but keep in mind that just because someone doesn't buy today won't buy in the future...I believe that especially with email you should market to anyone who is willing to give you their information to be on your list...it's very inexpensive marketing)

    Another idea...have your web address on each till receipt (that would give you the buyers since only buyers get a receipt) and get them to sign up online. (Offering a coupon for their next visit can be a good incentive to get them to do so)

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    Another idea, may be ok. What about when you do your mailout you get a bunch of extra's printed and then for the month or two after the mailout give one to everyone that comes in. I am not sure what your mailouts are like if it would be expensive or not. However something you may like to add is a form they can fill in to be on the mailing list to receive the mailout quarterly. Or when you do send out the mailout, have a form on the envelope that people can fill in for a friend or someone to get a copy for them.
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    thanks.....i wish we could just do email...its almost free..and we get a lot of signups on our site....
    our snail way is pretty expensive.....but has worked so well we hate to drop it or change it....the mailer is for a specific event on a specific day...so it would be out of date any other time.....like now its about our christmas openhouse....which we hope for 8 or 900 people to come...and spend 30 or 40$ ....
    we have a lasercolor printer etc...so we can make about anything........
    i just hate missing all the new people who just use cards...and we try and set up paper signups, then forget about it....
    ann at greenoak www.greenoakantiques.com

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    You could do email in conjunction with your snail mail. You mention your snail mail is for specific events, ok fair enough, how about doing a once per month email that you send them a short update with a link to a pdf on your website with the new arrivals.

    Just because you are using one and it is successful does not always mean that you have to drop it to try something else, the great thing about something is, that if it is working you should leave it be and continue with that. However at the same time you need to look to try as many other avenues as you can to see what will come of them.

    Also since you have the color laser printer why not do some kind of flyer or leaflet of some sort that you can give to customers, and have a form on the bottom that they can fill in and give to you or send back later to get on your mailing list. Maybe for more expensive items that may need special care a leaflet about how to care for the product. There is almost always something you can find to put on a leaflet, you can give to customer as they are leaving or when they purchase. It may cost you 40 or 50 cents but it may also lead to some more signups. Again something that you can test and if it works fantastic if not drop it.
    Joel Brown
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    All good thoughts above.

    Do you ever offer coupons? You could offer the through the mailer and have a sign up form at the counter when people are making a purchase. Let them know you mail out coupons a few times a year and ask if they'd like to receive them and then give them the form to collect the info you want.
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    How about asking to see their ID when utilizing a credit card and then scanning/photocopying the ID... Drivers License has their contact info on it.. and it's less hassle for them. Plus asking to see their ID with a CC Purchase makes them think your a responsbible merchant
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    The only problem with this is privacy laws, as well as following correct procedures of maintaining the copy, destruction of the copy and such to meet the law.
    Joel Brown
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