The Green Sheet Online Edition

August 28, 2017 • Issue 17:08:02

Boost Your Biz
Tapping into your super-user base

Empowered by the Internet, high-spending, high-frequency "super shoppers" have emerged. Representing only 13 percent of the general population, this group accounts for 87 percent of all spending on physical goods purchased online each month, according a global analysis by Worldpay. Robbie Kellman Baxter, author of The Membership Economy, went so far as to call this group of "superusers" – as she defines this segment – a powerful secret weapon.

As an ISO or merchant level salesperson, tapping into core supporters can become more of a business asset, but you must first identify them. "Your superusers are those customers who show up a lot, send you support requests, submit the most comments in your brand's community, speak at your events, serve as references and send tons of members your way," said Baxter about creating a customer-centric strategy for recruiting loyal followers in the membership economy.

Once you've identified this segment, it takes significant pressure off your sales and marketing teams, Baxter noted. Below are several tips to help you nurture your own superuser group and cultivate more just like them:

• What does your superuser group do for you now? Define the ways in which this group has helped your business expand. Is it new recruits, merchant referrals or boasting about your business in online communities that has generated the most desirable outcomes?
• What traits does this group have in common? Jot down the similarities that exist among members of this group. Do they share demographic similarities or did they onboard through similar channels?
• What's in it for them? Define what motivates your superuser group. Superusers must have reasons to back your enterprise. What needs do you uniquely fulfill and what feedback have you received that supports your thesis?
• What can you do to cultivate look-alikes? Now that you have a clear description of your prime users, consider prospects with similar attributes who are not yet behaving as superusers. Determine what differences you must overcome to meet them in the middle. Then target and reward them.

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