So how do you manage your business when you lose 10% of your clients every year? It's not easy but in Auburn, that is the norm. While Auburn would not necessarily be considered a "Transient" community, the population turn-over is nearly double that of the Alabama average.

The good news is that our population base is currently growing (more people move into Auburn than moving out).

This population turn over creates a unique challenge as well as a unique opportunity for businesses. While there is no single answer of how to intigrate this fact into your marketing, the one common factor is that you MUST consider the turn over and respond to it.

Keep Your Current Clients

Part of your clients may be moving away each year but most are staying right here. Working hard to keep your current clients coming back is a good strategy since keeping a client normally costs much less than recruiting a new client.

Here are a few ways to encourage current clients to stick with you:

• ALWAYS deliver a top quality product
• Provide exceptional customer service
• Reward repeat business
• Make your clients feel appreciated

Encourage Referrals

Word of Mouth is some of the best advertising available and is either free or inexpensive. Assuming that you have taken good care of your current clients, encourage them to tell their friends about you. You can impliment a reward system for referrals, have a referral contest, or simply provide a discount for your clients to share with their friends.

Keep Seeking New Clients

Even if the ideas above are sucessfull, you will likely still need to promote your business to see continued growth. Electronic media (Website, Social Media, SEO, Pay-per-Click) are good ways to go that. Remember, our community is very "connected," with a higher than normal percentage of our population using the Internet on a daily basis. Be consistant in your advertising and don't expect overnight results. Brand Building is important and will yield long term results but takes time.