After all, haven’t you just achieved the main goal? 

Instead of promoting your business to existing customers, shouldn’t you focus on drawing new ones in?

Well…no, not quite. 

Of course, you should also focus on drawing in new customers, but the marketing process should not end when you make a sale. Having a customer gives you a very valuable asset that you can then use to further promote your business. If this seems confusing to you, all will be explained as you make your way through this post!

One sale is good, but two sales are better

And so on… 

Basically, making one sale from one customer is good, but it is much better if you can make multiple sales through each of your customers. The only way to do this is to continue marketing your business. Funnily enough, it is way easier to encourage an existing customer to make repeat purchases. 

Why? Because you already have trust built between the two parties; they know they can trust your business to provide great value for money. Additionally, you already have their contact information, so you can directly get in touch with them through emails or text messages. 

Moreover, you now have more of an understanding of the customer based on their purchase history. Look at what they ordered and promote similar products to them - or products that could complement what they already purchased. 

If you continue to promote your business to existing customers, there are more chances of them coming back again and again to make money. So, even if you struggle to find new customers, your old ones are still helping you make a living. 

Use your customers to promote your business

Essentially, we can split the idea of continuous marketing into two categories. The first category is the one we spoke about above; marketing your business to existing customers. This is kind of a form of remarketing, but the whole concept is that you take your current customers and keep pushing marketing material towards them. 

So, what’s the second category? Well, you use your customers to continue marketing your business to others. In fact, you can argue that post-sale is the best part of a marketing strategy - it can really help you generate more new customers. 

How do you use customers to promote your business? 

Again, there are a few categories we can split this into: 

As a business, you can use your customers to refer others to your business. This is kind of similar to affiliate marketing, but also slightly different. Referrals work by giving customers a link to send to friends or family members after they buy something from you. 

The person who uses the link can get a discount on their first purchase, but the existing customer also benefits. For every five referrals, they could earn money off. The more referrals someone makes, the more money they get off future purchases. It’s mutually beneficial and you are using your customers to spread the word. 

When someone places an order, you can send out different promotional free gifts with their purchase. For instance, you could send out a branded mug, tote bag, t-shirt, etc. You could even print stickers that they can stick on things, showcasing your brand to anyone that passes by. 

The idea is that they basically advertise your business by using your branded products. Aside from the costs of acquiring the gifts, it’s pretty much free advertising!

Lastly, you can ask customers for feedback after purchases. Encourage them to write reviews for your business on popular platforms like Google or Trust Pilot. Perhaps you could even incentivize them with a discount if they leave a review. It could be a good or bad review - the choice is up to them! 

The more positive reviews your business generates, the easier it is for future customers to trust you. They will see hundreds or thousands of positive reviews that clearly showcase you are a legitimate and reliable company. Thus, you can draw in more customers. 

In conclusion, your marketing efforts should not end when you make a sale. When you generate customers, you should promote your business to them or get them to promote your business as well. Both tactics will help you make more sales and establish a loyal customer base.