SmallBusinessNewz

One good way to get your customers coming back is to offer them a little something extra when they actually do buy from you.

It is one thing to offer a deal that clearly states that if they buy something they will get something else as well. There's nothing wrong with that. That is a good way to entice them to buy something from you in the first place, but I'm talking about giving them a little bonus for making a purchase. Something that surprises them.

For example, I am a huge horror movie fan, and I came across a website that sells horror movie-themed T-shirts - Fright-Rags.com. Considering some of the options they had, including one featuring a picture of the great Tom Atkins, I couldn't resist indulging.

I ordered the shirt and received it 3 business days later. Not only did I receive a wonderful speedy delivery, but when I opened the package, I was surprised to find not only the shirt that I had ordered, but 2 free complimentary stickers.

Now, there are two points I would like to make about these stickers. One of them just featured a logo, and the other one featured their logo and an image from John Carpenter's film The Thing, which as most horror fans acknowledge is one of the best horror films of our time.

A Nice Gesture

So these 2 points? First of all, they offered a free bonus to horror fans, the target market of their entire business. This target in general, which I am proudly a part of is going to appreciate getting a free "The Thing" sticker. It's not incredibly valuable, but it's a nice gesture. It adds to the entire customer experience, which I am happy to say was a very good one.

Branding

My second point is the branding opportunity that Fright-Rags took advantage of. By including their stickers in the package, it was a cheap way for them to not only give their customer a little something extra, but to let their customer do a little marketing for them. Depending on where the customer sticks these stickers, people might see them. Imagine the eyeballs that would see their logo and web address if a customer put their sticker on their car.

Maybe the customer will just throw the stickers away, but that's ok too, because that's where Fright-Rags was smart by including something that while could be appreciated by the customer, was surely very inexpensive to part with.

That is smart marketing, and a smart customer retention tactic. And the horror genre gets a bad rap.

Have you ever given your customers bonus items for making purchases? How do you feel about the concept?