There can be a variety of reasons behind moving a business - existing rents, neighboring tenants, requirement for a comparatively bigger premise, etc. Even if moving your business is mandatory, you can't just afford to lose your customers in the process. The biggest challenge here is to encourage your customers to move with you but what can you do actually to attract your new customers to the new location of your moving business? Let us discuss some useful tips that can help you in this regard.
Tip 1# Communicate With Customers Before and After the Move
Communicate with your customers and let them know about your move well ahead in advance. Make use of the direct mails, websites, blog, press releases, social media and everything that you feel can help you reach your customers in the shortest possible time and in the most effective manner. Be really bold and share all that has been happening, the reason why you chose to move and where you're actually moving. Give them directions, if possible and promise to keep in touch. Stick to your commitment for a high level service and stress on what makes you different and why they should follow you from one office to the other.
Businesses must spread the word about their move but it's also important to keep the customers informed. This becomes extremely important in a time when you realise that you have not been following up their mails or have been missing responding to them from a long time.
Tip 2# Updating Online Listings
Search engines are increasingly giving importance to their local centric features. Make sure that you update your online listing first so that your business is automatically displayed among the local businesses that exist in your area. Also, you must update your official website - the ‘contact us', ‘about us' and the ‘find us' page.
Tip 3# Using the Location Based Services
If you're in a business that largely relies on the internet marketing and promotions, don't forget to make best use of mobile technology. Targeting customers with the help of mobile apps should not be difficult. You can also inform them about your latest offers, deals and post relevant information accordingly. Don't forget to follow up. A lot of businesses also believe in scheduling deals so that they can get the delivery during the key hours.
Tip 4# Giving customers incentives for visiting new location
All your customers are special and this is the reason why you need to treat them in the most special way. Make sure that you offer them some interesting incentives so that they can drop by your brand new location very soon. Let the offers you have for them be time-bound; give them few more reasons to check out your new location as soon as possible.
Tip 5# Hosting events to grab attention
Your online store is not just a place where your customers can buy products but it should also give them a platform to get together. Bars, retail stores and food services are the kind of businesses that can benefit largely from event hosting. These events can be entertaining and educational in nature. In order to make events more entertaining, businesses can also focus on tying them up with interesting themes. They can also be tied up with the spirit of holidays. London Coaching Group, a business coaching consultancy, has employed this method to reach out to its targeted audience who were otherwise inaccessible.
Tip 6# Don't forget customers not checking out on you
You never know if your new office locations turn out to be more convenient for your customers who are old and have been looking for this kind of change from a long time. So it is important to target a customer base that is active as well as the ones who may not have made a purchase at your store from a long time. Make sure that you send them messages such as "we are waiting for you" and "we would love to see you again" as they can do wonders.
With more and more businesses relocating for better, keeping in touch with the customers has become important and above anything else. Since moving business is a huge responsibility, you can't afford to suffer from the drawbacks this phase in your business often leaves you with. The right approach and a well thought-out strategy may just be enough for doing the trick. If you seem to feel nervous about it, have a look at how your competitors, in the past, have kept up to the expectations. When you know you have the best plans backing up your move, it's going to be more confident move than ever!
