Your Fans Are Sad
You see it everywhere…
50% off membership.*
Buy one get one free.*
3 months of FREE service.*
*New customers only
Businesses and organizations are always offering amazing deals and enticing offers to potential new customers that they have no relationship with (yet). The idea of wanting new customers makes perfect sense, as a business you constantly want more of it, but new business doesn’t necessarily mean good business.
The problem is that you can’t build a castle in the swamp.
You don’t need soggy swamp people buying from you for the first time who might never come back, what you need is a dry, solid foundation of customers fans willing to express their undying love for you now and forever more. When you give new folks better deals than the fans who truly deserve them you run the risk of making your fans sad, disappointed, and potentially very angry with you.
Like the majority of things, building and maintaining a raving group of fans is far easier said than done (except floccinaucinihilipilification which is actually easier done than said), but that certainly doesn’t mean it’s impossible.
Start simple, try taking those amazing discounts and benefits you give to newcomers and remake them into rewards for existing fans who already have a connection to you. Make sure your new customers know that loyalty to your business truly pays off and that you have a reason for them to stick with you for the long haul, instead of the one-off new customer deals.
Or don’t, but just remember that trying to build a business focused on new customers is like teaching the elderly to use computers. Often frustrating, difficult, and ultimately ineffective.
Too long, didn’t read; don’t spend all of your time trying to lure new customers. Make sure you keep your existing fans happy with rewards and bonuses for being loyal to you.
