What type of customer are you? I start with this question because often the way we like to receive information from a company is a starting point in thinking of ways to market to your own customers.

• Are you a customer that gives out your information to be on email lists and loves to internet shop from the announcements you receive?
• Are you a customer that most enjoys receiving bonuses, points or free gifts for shopping?
• Are you a customer that likes a personal call from a company associate informing you of a new product?
• Do you like getting text or tweet updates?

I have found that I’m one of those customers who is most loyal to a company that keeps me informed specifically with a personal touch and I tend to choose companies with excellent customer service over discounts. In fact, my local beauty product supplier knows that when they have their semiannual sale – that if they call me – I put in an order right there on the phone. Sure the discount is what first got me started, but the fact they know I prefer to buy during the sale and use that information to personally call me; they have my loyalty even when there isn’t a sale; and I usually spend much more with them and more often.

Though there is no single right way to market, it is important to keep your customers preferences in mind for your various approaches to be most effective. Often companies will ask a customer, “How did you hear about us?” However, another important question would be, “How would you like to be informed about our future events or offerings?” If you know the way your key customers and worthy new customers prefer to be notified, not only can you target market directly and effectively, you also find out which avenues are most successful and should be focused on.

Here are just a few ideas on how you can stay current with your customers:

• Email marketing blasts
• Tweets through Twitter, Facebook posts and other social media channels
• Direct Mail pieces
• Company news letters
• Phone calls
• Coupons
• Website updates
• Thank you cards
• Cross-sell or inform of additional product or offers
• Well timed rewards or discounts
• Referral bonuses

Staying current with your customers in an effective way can have immediate returns financially; there by helping your business achieve more success.

ProPay is excited to welcome Kingston White to its team.  Kingston is from the Dallas, Texas area but recently graduated from the SJ Quinney College of Law at the University of Utah.  He will be sworn in as a member of the Utah Bar in October.  He also has a Bachelor’s degree in Business Management from Brigham Young University and has started or participated in several growing businesses.

Kingston’s experience and expertise will be used to support ProPay’s ongoing efforts to expand its business outside of the United States.  He will advise on regulatory compliance strategies including cross-border data transfers, privacy, anti-money laundering and funds transfers.  He will also support ProPay’s core, US business, through contract drafting, negotiation and new product development.

 As a point of interest and a reflection of the type of person Kingston is, next month he will participate in the Tough Mudder, a 10-mile obstacle course that bills itself as the toughest event on the planet.  We wish him well and hope he survives.

With the summer convention season in the rear view mirror the ProPay team is now back to the office and settled back into a more normal routine.  From July through August we lived out of our suitcases, padded our frequent flyer accounts and put on a few pounds eating out 3 meals a day. 

 This year’s convention season was particularly exciting because we were able to show off our new JAK reader (secure swipe device for iPhone and Android) to our customers.  The new reader was so popular we had a hard time keeping up with demand.  Our customers seemed to like them for one, or a combination of, the following 4 reasons:

 1: Real time authorization (knowing the card is good at the point of sale)

2: The convenience of not having to enter cards when they got home after working a party or show

3: Lower processing rates

4: The fact that the JAK is secure and never passes card holder data through their phone

In addition to the launch of JAK we had a limited launch of ProPay Link, our new social mobile payment application (for iPhone and Android users).   This new products allows merchants to advertise specials and customers to securely control their sensitive payment information – yet still complete payment.  I think we’ll hear a lot more about ProPay Link in the months to come.

With or without new products, the convention season is a great opportunity to be with our customers.  This year was no exception; we had the chance to personally visit with tens of thousands of individual ProPay account holders at conventions held from Toronto, Canada to Southern California and many cities in-between.   Conventions make “personal” the very reason why we strive to provide simple, safe and affordable payment options… It’s all about our customers!

Darrel Welling | EVP Client Relations

Often times working with a website you aren’t familiar with can be difficult to understand. We at ProPay have tried to make our website as user friendly as possible. One way we try to do this is by providing FAQ and tutorial pages which give detailed explanations of the main features of your ProPay account. This article focuses on how you can transfer the funds in your ProPay account to a personal checking or savings account. To see the tutorial on how this works, please visit the link below:

http://www.propay.com/propay-support/tutorials/tutorial-transfer-funds/

Each time you transfer your funds, please remember that it typically takes 2-4 business days for the funds to post to your account, and a small fee is taken for this transfer (amount may vary depending on your ProPay account type). Please be sure that you verify the funds have arrived in your personal account before you attempt to spend against them.

ProPay is constantly striving to meet all of your financial needs in order for your business to be successful. For additional explanations of how your ProPay account works (how to process a card, how to reset your password, how to send an email invoice to a customer), please visit our tutorial page (http://www.propay.com/propay-support/tutorials/). Or, to get answers to some our most common questions by visiting our FAQ page (http://www.propay.com/propay-support/frequently-asked-questions/).

Kyle Hunt; Customer Service Supervisor

We have heard a lot lately about consumers tightening purse strings, saving more and spending less.  This means more competition for each dollar.  While finding new customers is important, you may find significant value in retaining those you already have.  Promotions and price cuts erode profitability, so here are some other ways to enhance the customer experience and entice customers back.

 Reach Out.

Let customers know their business is appreciated and you would like to see them again.  An easy way to do this is through a small business email marketing service.  Keep the communication brief, relevant and not too frequent.  You might also send a physical card to announce an event or a hand-written note to tell a customer thank you.

 Interact.

Open a dialogue with your customers.  Let them know you are listening and that their feedback is important.  In his recent book, The Thank You Economy, Gary Vaynerchuk argues that getting involved in the social media discussion in particular with your customers is critical to a business’s success.  It allows a business to discover ways to improve and builds relationships, which drives customer loyalty.

 Incentivize.

Finding ways to give more benefits without cutting costs can give you an edge on the competition. Some insurance companies provide time-based extra benefits for loyal customers, making them think twice about switching.  Likewise, some credit card companies can charge higher fees because of the extra benefits they offer cardholders. 

 Be Extraordinary.

Happy employees help make happy customers.  Do you know people who will drive past several other mechanic shops to go to the one they like because the service is outstanding and the experience enjoyable?    Creating trust and having above-average customer service keeps people coming back and can generate a healthy stream of referrals.

 Make Buying Easy.

Encouraging repeat business may be as simple as offering gift cards, bounce back coupons, or scheduling the next appointment right away.  You might consider securely storing their payment information so they don’t have to provide it next time.  Enabling your website to accept payments allows your customers to buy whenever they want.  If it fits your business, offering a monthly subscription or auto-ship makes repeat buying a breeze.

 For more ideas, check out www.customerloyalty.org, an informative resource for keeping your customers coming back.