Remember October 4, 2021? Let’s jog your memory. It was the day Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp went down, taking $60 million worth of marketing assets with it.

But that was a blip, right? Surely that won’t, no, can’t happen again? Whilst an outage of that scale is unlikely, businesses relying entirely on third party platforms for their lead generation are playing an increasingly dangerous game of Russian roulette. One small change in Google Ad’s policy? You find yourself pulling an entire campaign. Meta casually switches up the algorithm? Your finely tuned acquisition strategy is unusable. 

Seemingly microscopic tweaks to those little ones and zeros can quite literally make or break a business. And then come the big ones. Changes that could alter the digital marketing landscape beyond all recognition, meaning we can no longer rely on Facebook and Google as the cornerstone of any marketing campaign. Think GDPR, and the inevitable move to zero-party data (more on that another time).

But what if you could look at your digital marketing strategy in a different way? Now is the time to revisit and refresh your marketing strategy and we’re here to show you how you can weather the fast-paced and highly competitive B2B and B2C space. 

Let’s walk through some statistics, courtesy of Forbes:

  • A mere 5% increase in the customer retention rate can lead to a more than 25% increase in profit
  • Additionally, loyal customers have higher net promoter scores and do better word-of-mouth marketing for referrals
  • The cost to serve a tenured customer is significantly lower than a new customer

OK - we get it, retention doesn’t necessarily feel as sexy as acquisition. In a culture where ‘new’ is celebrated as the norm, the desire for that glossy above-the-line campaign takes over. We want big boardroom reveals and ‘wow’ moments, headline sales figures and the Next Big Thing.

In comparison, we associate retention with the slightly less salubrious world of leaky buckets, sales funnels, viral loops and our personal favourite, churn. Even the word retention conjures thoughts of holding back, maintaining (but not gaining), bloat. 

But we’re firm believers that the retention vs acquisition debate is, in reality, just a simple case of the long game versus the short. 

Here’s five ways R360Growth are shoring up our clients’ retention strategies with cost-effective email marketing solutions:

Monetise your list

Your hard earned customers, clients, and subscribers are your most valuable treasure, those relationships are yours, you can contact them whenever you want through EDM whether it be email, SMS or any other touchpoint (until they unsubscribe). With email you don’t have to build your business on rented land. Build your own customer database and you’ll never be left at the mercy of third-party platforms (we’re looking at you, Meta) to support your marketing strategy again. In a digital landscape where ownership is at best a grey area, email lists are something you can actually call your own.

Personalised and segmented automations 

Your email list will only work if you know exactly who you’re talking to, and what they want to hear. A custom lifecycle email and SMS strategy, specific to your business and with personalised and segmented automations allows you to connect authentically and in more meaningful ways. The aim is to get them to come back, review, refer, share, and become long-term brand advocates.

With our client GP Nutrition, a leading supplement range developed by expert nutritionist Gabriela Peacock, we target relevant segments with specific brand communications, the long-term goal being to respect subscribers' inboxes whilst building stronger connections. As a result, we’ve seen GP's capture rate double, with leads receiving a segmented welcome flow that achieves a 67% open rate. This personalised content approach means email revenue now accounts for up to 68% of their total sales.

Craft compelling content

We’re self-serving creatures at heart, so if you can cut through to the customer mindset of ‘how does this product or service benefit me?’ with premium content, you’ll be hitting a homerun every time. Whilst automated email flows are designed to ultimately sell the product, they also act as rich content that the recipients actively enjoy opening and engaging with. As a result, our clients see conversion rates well above industry benchmarks. Studio 10, a premium minimal makeup brand for mature skin, has seen a two-fold increase in abandoned cart click rates and an average 64% open rate.

It’s all about the data

Effective email marketing is a constant and ever-evolving process, requiring regular optimisation. To be successful, you must nurture your database - analysing metrics, refining segmentations, keeping up with industry trends. But, unlike most digital acquisition methods, you’ll be consistently rewarded for your efforts. 

Watch your audience loyalty grow

The result? Dependable consumers that stay loyal to your brand for longer. You know them inside out. Your business is more resilient. You no longer have customers; you have a community. And the best part? You can track lifetime value and maximise growth. 

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Discover how R360 Growth can fuel sustainable profitability and long-term success with a robust loyalty strategy. Connect with us at hi@r360growth.com or via our online form here.

We look forward to exploring growth opportunities with you.

‍Your journey. Our expertise.