As a retailer, you should always be looking for new ways to attract buyers to your store. Here's one way to do that: Invite your previous buyers back to buy from you again and again. This is called direct marketing. You contact your previous customers, and make them a new offer so they'll come back and buy from you again.
How do you do that? There are several ways. You could take their phone numbers and call them. This tele-marketing can work, but it's inefficient. Still, if your sales associates are standing around, it's a better use of their time than texting their friends or checking their Facebook accounts.
You could send out some letters. Direct mail campaigns can work really well, but it can also be pricey, after you buy stamps, paper and envelopes. Plus, you have to pay someone to write the letters, print them out, put them in envelopes, address the envelopes, and mail them. This can cost you a lot of money very quickly.
If you want to keep your costs down while you're experimenting with direct marketing, you can try email marketing. Email marketing is, of course, virtual, so you do not have to buy paper, envelopes or stamps. You also do not have to pay someone to print, stuff, address, and send the emails. Email marketing services will do all this for you for a lot less money.
Of course, email marketing will only work if you have email addresses. How can you get your customers to give you their email addresses? Just ask them. While they're paying, ask if they want to join your email list. Say they'll receive email-only specials.
This is the best way to build your email list. But you should also mention your email list on your receipt and on signs in your store. You should also put a sign-up form on your website.
After you've collected some emails, start sending them a newsletter or at least a special once a month. You can contact them more than once a month, but at least email them once a month.
