5 Unique Customer Retention Ideas for Summer

Depending on the industry you are in, summer can either be boom or bust. If you’re in the ice cream business or sell T-shirts on a boardwalk, you’re likely killing it with sales. On the other hand, many businesses can feel a major income slowdown due to customers taking off for summer vacations. If this sounds like your business, you may have to start thinking outside of the box for your summer marketing in order to get people in the door and keep your business top of mind. As inspiration, here are five unique customer retention ideas for summer:

1. Feed them a sweet treat. Who doesn’t love ice cream sandwiches? Celebrate National Ice Cream Sandwich Day on August 2, 2013, by giving out free ice cream sandwiches. This gives people something to talk about … your small business! Promote the giveaway by sending oversized postcards to your direct-mail marketing list. Alternatively, you can send an e-blast to your opt-in email list, or hang a custom banner and post yard signs in front of your store. When word gets out, all sorts of customers — new and old — will be stopping by. Just make sure you have enough, if you run out it could be a big bummer instead of a big win.

2. Show them you appreciate them. Host a customer appreciation open house. Avoid throwing your bash near one of the summer holidays, such as Labor Day, as it’s likely that families will take off the week before and after. Pick another day and do something special to provide an incentive for customers to stop by. For example, you can offer a giveaway item, like an adorable custom mug. Personalize the mug’s text and/or design so that it has your business name or logo on it, but also make sure it is fun for your customers, such as a trendy moustache image or a pretty wrap-around design.

3. Tell them you come in friendship. Create your own custom National Friendship Day greeting cards! If we had to bet, it’s been quite a long time since your customers received a physical greeting card from a business — especially during the summer! In this day and age of emails and marketing mailers, receiving a card with a handwritten note would seem extremely thoughtful. The tone can be sentimental, funny or straightforward and business like, but the message (handwritten by by you … or your intern) should be of thanks for their business and telling them how much you look forward to seeing them soon. In this case, avoid a sales pitch or percentage-off offer; just keep it simple as you would if you were actually sending a card to a friend.

4. Hit a hole in one. Celebrate National Golf Month with a golf giveaway. Market the giveaway a few weeks in advance of drawing the winner to gain as much exposure as possible. Consider involving any business partners, vendors and friends in this one to help you get the word out. Ask them if you can simply display flyers at their place of business, or if they can mention the golf giveaway to golfer friends and send people to your Facebook page. Instead of making this a giveaway where customers have to stop by your place of business, you could get a bigger response by having them “like” your Facebook page and fill out a really quick Facebook survey (only three to five questions), all the while capturing their contact information. Facebook works well for posting information about giveaways and providing updates, like who the lucky winners are.

5. Give them a good laugh. Send a joke email on August 16, National Tell A Joke Day. Again, something that is so outside of the box and unusual for a business to do can really make you memorable and provide customers with a reason to talk about you. Find a really funny joke (we suggest avoiding anything that could be deemed offensive) and send it along with a great graphic via email or a custom note card. It just so happens that August 16 is a Friday this year, so you’ll make them giggle just before the weekend — nice work.

What’s the best customer retention idea you’ve ever had? Tell us all about it on our 123Print Facebook page, tweet us @123Print or write a note below.