Marketing West Africa: 5 ways to collect customer information for marketing

Your small business in West Africa will increase sales if you collect and store customer contact information for marketing. When you collect customer information (data) you get market intelligence. This is knowledge on how to better serve them, and what products they need.

The reason why it is important to collect customer contact information is that once you do, you’ve created an opportunity for constant contact. You can email, phone, sms, and or Whatsapp them repeatedly. You can tell them about new sales and promotions. Surveys can be sent out that will help you meet their needs. If you can contact them you can make them repeat customers! It is up to 5 to 25 times more expensive to get a new customer than it is to retain one. So do everything you can to keep the ones you have.

When you’re a small business collecting customer contact data doesn’t require heavy duty software. Paper and pen, and an excel spreadsheet will do just fine.  Even if you don’t yet know what to do with the contact information once you get it, collect the data anyway.

Customer Contact Data Collection Tips to help with direct marketing

Here are some smart ways you can collect customer contact information:

1. Step up a collection point and ask patrons to drop their business cards to win something free.
2. Establish a customer loyalty program. Ask that customers sign up with email & phone number. When they make purchases they can win a coupon for a discount based on points earned. For example: A customer spends GHC 200 cedis and receives a coupon of 10% off on their next purchase.
3. Do a monthly or weekly raffle, To enter customers just need to submit their email address and number to enter to win. 
4. Create a customer survey or feedback form and make sure all customers fill it out. At the end of the survey leave space for them to enter their email address.
5. Whenever someone calls you to make an enquiry ask for their email address. You should also store their phone number. Similarly when someone visits your place of business ask them to enter a their phone/email where they would sign in at reception.

*Acceptable Use is important – At all times make sure customers know that by giving their information they consent to hearing from you periodically. Once you do have their contact information make sure you do not spam them and only contact them with relevant news. .