We recently looked at customer retention management in email marketing. From there, the step toward customer development with email marketing is not far and only logical.
Companies generate 5 times more sales with regular customers than with new customers.
It is all the more important to bind existing customers to your own company and develop them continuously.
So far, so good, but what does this have to do with email marketing? Email marketing can be a valuable tool in the customer development process.
Especially in the B2B area, customers often do not know the entire product and offer a portfolio of their suppliers. The offering companies can often – through their know-how – offer much more than they advertise. Therefore, it is essential to contact customers and stay in regular touch. Resources are not always free to get customers personally apart from consultation and order discussions. Therefore, it is necessary to use other tools, such as email marketing, to remind yourself regularly and position yourself correctly with valuable content.
With the help of clean database management, communications can be divided into different interest segments. There is also the possibility of segmenting customers according to potential or products purchased.
In the following sections, you will read how you can use email marketing as a valuable tool for your customer development using the customer penetration approach.
Customer Development With Email Marketing Based On The Customer Penetration Approach
Single Selling
Based on your database, you know, e.g., B., that you are not the only supplier in your area at the customer. Therefore, the aim is to give your customer the incentive to choose you as the sole supplier.
In this case, you can use email marketing to communicate and highlight your advantages over the competition. For example, you can position yourself as an expert in your industry with the right content.
Cross-Selling
Are you already your customer’s only or predominant supplier? Then it is essential to open up new markets using cross-selling.
For example, suppose you only supply your customers domestically and know that they have other company headquarters or branches abroad thanks to a properly maintained CRM system. In that case, you can expand your cooperation to other countries as well.
Use email marketing at this point to communicate how your company is set up for export and what advantages this will bring to your customers. If you use a trigger in your tool to send this email, this also happens fully automatically.
However, cross-selling does not only refer to opening up markets abroad. You can also identify which customers only order one product or line from your product range based on your order data.
Use automation within your email marketing to inform these customers about other products that might interest them.
Upsell
Do you not only offer products but also services that offer your customers exceptional added value and upgrade your products? Put together packages for your customers and offer them business solutions. First and foremost, the sales task is to identify which solution provides added value for which customer.
Email marketing can also support this. Present the services and packages to the customers who have been identified as potential customers by sales in this area.
Strategic Selling
Strategic selling describes the type of customer development you contribute to your customer as a consultant and strategist. You position yourself as an expert in your industry. In addition to products, services, and solutions, you also provide know-how and take on the project management for selected projects.
As with up-selling, this type of customer development requires a lot of advice and should take place on a personal relationship level. However, email marketing can also serve as a supporting tool for sales at this point by communicating your expert status.
Conclusion
Single and cross-selling can be operated almost fully automatically in email marketing as part of customer development and with the help of a properly maintained CRM database. On the other hand, with up-and strategic selling, email marketing can be seen as a sales-supporting tool that provides your customers with additional valuable information and reminds them of sales talks.
The meaningful and strategic use of email marketing is regarded as an absolute added value across all stages of customer development.
Also Read: Data-driven Marketing: Where Is The Trend In Online Marketing Primarily Used?
