LifeCycle marketing is a concept that is designed to help small businesses in any industry attract new customers and grow their business.
A marketing plan based on LifeCycle marketing concepts can be divided into three parts:
- Attract
- Sell
- Wow
With a well thought out plan, home designers can use these principles to attract new clients and earn referrals from a job well done.
Attract
The first step in a LifeCycle marketing plan involves attracting new business. This phase can be broken down into three separate parts:
- Target
- Attract Interest
- Collect Leads
The first part of attracting new business is targeting the right demographic. Home designers objective is to reach potential customers who may require home plans.
This demographic can vary and may include builders, Realtors and home buyers. Designers should also assess additional demographic data such as what geographical regions to target? If the home designer's goal is simply to reach local customers, then make sure that is clearly outline that in the marketing plan.
However, home plan designers don't necessarily have to box themselves in geographically. Home planners can take advantage of Portfolio Home Plans virtual marketplace to target potential customers on thousands of websites throughout the United States.
The second component of the Attract stage of LifeCycle marketing is attracting interest. In order to do this home designers need to take an inventory of potential avenues to share designs with potential customers.
In an age where potential clients do most of their research on the internet it's important to have an online presence to guide customers to your website. Make sure your Google listings are up to date, take advantage of major social media outlets, utilize shareable media such as your plans on PHP's marketplace and keep your website clean and updated.
The final step of the Attract stage is to collect leads. Provide opportunities for future customers to interact with your business by making contact details readily available, allowing potential leads to subscribe via email, interacting with home designer's via social media or providing an outlet for them to submit their details to request more information.
Sell
Once you've collected browsers' details, it's time to convert them in clients. The sales phase of LifeCycle marketing can also be broken down into three steps:
- Educate
- Offer
- Close
The first step in sales is letting customers know exactly what the home designer's business is all about. This includes sharing trends in home designs, plans you've created and other information that builders and home buyers should know that sets you apart from other home designers. Home designers can accomplish this via e-mail newsletters, social media posts, shareable home plans via PHP, personal contact and questionnaires that engage clients and tempt them to learn more.
Next, designers need to offer customers something that will encourage them to buy at the right time. Designers should take in all the information they've gathered through interaction with potential clients and offer the plans that bring their dream home to life. Make sure your plan leaves nothing to the imagination. Make 3D renderings, floor plans and all other essential elements of your design available to view.
Finally, it's time to close the deal. Assessing how the home designer wants clients to buy can help the sales process.
PHP's sales system could be ideal for this process. By embedding PHP's digital marketplace on your website you can take full control of the sales process from initial interest to payment and delivery. Not only will PHP smooth out the sales process, you'll also receive a commission from sales that occur directly from your own website.
Wow
The LifeCycle marketing plan doesn't stop once a customer is secured, designers still have one more phase, and this is the phase where designers can use their current customers to gain referrals and potentially expand their client base. Like the first two stages, the "Wow" phase involves three easy-to-understand steps.
- Deliver
- Offer More
- Get Referrals
In order to completely satisfy current clients designers need to not only deliver, but exceed purchasers every expectation. Designers can offer more by staying available through the building process, giving their customers more information and visuals than expected and provide better customer service than they ever thought possible. Going above and beyond expectations will encourage current and former customers to think of the designer whenever they have friends, family or business associates in need of home design services.
Once the sale and service is complete, it's time to act in order to actually get referrals from existing clientele. This action can range from surveys about the likelihood of a referral to the incentive of gift cards or other rewards for each potential customer they refer to your business. It's also important to keep the business fresh in former clients' memories. Ask former clients to subscribe to an e-mail newsletter, remind them to follow on social media and keep in contact to make sure they're still completely wowed with your performance. This will motivate them to provide referrals whenever the opportunity arises.
