Archive for the ‘List Building’ Category

Before I talk about some of the ways you can stay in touch with your clients and prospects, let’s just talk about why it’s important to stay in touch with your list.

If you  keep in touch you’ll

• show that you care by making sure they’re happy with your product/service
• show they’re under your protection (by giving useful info)
• get valuable feedback
• keep your information up-to-date
• remind them of a need for your product or service
• develop a relationship where they know, like and trust you and so will buy more
• be top of mind when they want to make their next purchase.
• get more referral business – especially if the content of your messages is worth passing on
• have a list you can promote to regularly – cheaper than other forms of advertising, smoothes out the ‘feast and famine’ periods
• develop a loyal following and so build a business you can sell eventually, if you want to

Some of your reasons for contacting your list need to be purely taking care of your list ones and some need to be promotional ones. You can combine the two. For instance, give a tip and then tell them how they can learn more by getting in touch with you.

Whatever message you send to your list, it needs to be valuable to the members. They are too busy and overloaded with information to put up with poor content – you’ll get loads of unsubscribes and poor responses if you send ill-thought out direct and e-mail.  

As with all promotion, please make sure your title (or subject line in email) acts like a headline, grabs attention and makes your reader want to read on.

Here are some suggestions for message content when contacting you list. How many have you tried and with what results?

• Thank you for your business
• Useful tips and information
• What’s new in your business (You need to show why it should interest them)
• ‘I’m re-establishing contact with important clients’ – helps your list feel special
• Great news! (perhaps a special offer)
• How are you getting on with ….product you bought from us?
• How has…..(work we did) made a positive difference to…… – This may trigger a testimonial
• ‘We missed you…’
• Update your list – ‘Can I check the information I have is correct?’
• Please help us to serve you better by completing our survey (questions about product, service, delivery preferences, feedback, suggestions for improvements etc. They’ll probably need an ethical bribe too, e.g. prize draw entry. Charities do this – they enclose a pen so you’re more likely to want to give them something back)
• Special services e.g. Xmas opening times
• Success stories
• Sorry for not keeping in contact
• Buying guides
• Introduce a new member of staff – and what they can do for your list
• Introduce another supplier who has the same target market as you but doesn’t compete with you (they’ll do the same for you)

How often should you contact your client and prospect list?

As often as you have something valuable to say.

Experience shows that the more a business stays in contact with its clients and prospects, the more profit it makes.

I wish you every success in your business.

Warm wishes

Madeleine

If you’re a business owner or in charge of the marketing in your business and you’d like to know more about profitable low-cost marketing , please send an email to Madeleine Morgan madeleine@growu.co.uk  or phone 01223 426392 or go to the website http://www.growu.co.uk to book a free Markeging  for Small Businesses Strategy Session worth £197.

• We’ll spend an hour looking at the way you’re marketing your business,
• what kind of results you’d like to get,
• what is stopping you from reaching your targets and
• what resources are available to get you there.

I can guarantee I’ll find new ways for you to mine the the hidden profits in your business that will be well worth the time you invest in this session.