Too often, business owners think about retention as having to go out and drag customers back so they can shop at your store again, says Sappington. 

They design a few basic single-use messages, or automatically repeating discount offers, then assume everything will work out for the best, and if the customers don't come back, that's just how their consumers behave.

You get what you put into your retention marketing

Instead, consider retention to be the basic goal of  any customer-outreach, be it a special offer, new product or dynamic and engaging discounts. 

Try to keep the conversation going post-purchase by refining contact and engagement to their interests through email marketing:

• Present products and sales list data shows they are interested in
• Keep them updated about your brand, and familiarize your business
• Challenge them to share your brand or product on social media for a prize
• Ask for reviews

If the contact between customer and business never really ends, then you'll rarely if ever have to turn to the old retention methods again.

What if I haven't been keeping up, and want those customers back?

You're never too late to start engaging with your customer lists. Why not start with a friendly hello and reminder that your store exists? 

Begin slow, don't bombard them with offers and discounts, just get them interested again and some, more than enough to negate the low-cost of the message, will inevitably return.

Should I use SMS for retention marketing?

There's nothing wrong with using SMS, says Sappington, but you have to know your customers well to do it. SMS is a much more intimate for of communication, so your messages should reflect that, and not seem like automatically generated blanket offers.

You should also use them sparingly, as too many and too oftenly-repeated messages from brands can annoy customers, driving them away.

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