Are You Keeping Them Excited?

I recently went with my daughter to freshman orientation at the university she’ll be attending in the fall. It was super informative, helpful, and well-organized. 

It also struck me that despite the whole audience being students who have already committed to going there along with their parents, it was basically one big marketing event. 

• There were videos highlighting all the great features.

• There were testimonials from current students.

• There were required meetings to answer all your burning questions and reassure you how great everything would be.

• There were optional sessions so you could choose topics you wanted to learn more about.

• There were personal encounters with faculty and staff.

• There were student guides waiting to greet you and point you in the right direction.

• There was free swag to take home.

• There were coupons you could spend at the bookstore to get even more swag to wear around like a walking billboard.

• There was even a GPS challenge where you could locate great photo ops on campus, take a selfie and post it on Instagram.

Don't get me wrong, the content was fantastic and much needed. But you might wonder, why would the entire orientation revolve around marketing the university the audience had already decided to invest in? 

I’ll tell you why.

Nothing builds excitement like realizing you’re now part of a community of like-minded people who are going to help you become who you want to be.

Even after your prospective customer has become your actual customer, they can still have questions, get cold feet, and need a reliable source for more information and a way to contact you. 

People often think of marketing as simply drawing a target audience in for the first time, but isn’t it easier to keep a customer coming back for more once they’ve already seen how wonderful you are? 

If they had a great experience, you’ve won half the battle, but you still have a chance of losing them to distractions, shiny new ideas, lack of urgency, and lack of time. 

If you’re staying in touch with them through email newsletters, social media ads, text messages, or direct mail, though? Then you can continue to build enthusiasm, make them feel part of your tribe, offer them deals for a limited time only, or encourage them to pick up some swag that will remind them that they love who you’re helping them become.

Need to stay in touch with your customer base, but don’t have the time? Book a quick call with me to talk about your objectives and how I can help.