You’ve successfully compiled a database filled with past, present and potential clients and referral partners, yet you feel like you’ve been neglecting them by not keeping in touch. Well, there’s no time like the present to build a plan to stay in touch regularly moving forward.
Statistics show it costs at least five times more to attract a new client than it does to keep an existing one. So, if you’re not reaching out on a consistent basis, you could be leaving a lot of money on the table.
This may sound overwhelming if you have never built a solid plan on how to best engage your database. But, if you take it step by step, you can set a plan in motion fairly quickly.
5 easy steps to stay in touch starting today
- Create a plan. This doesn’t have to be an elaborate to-do list. Start with monthly communications and plot some seasonal messages you could use as potential touch points.
- Make your plan a work in progress. Schedule some time at least monthly to revisit your plan and add ideas on how to stay in touch. Be sure to also have an Ideas Folder so you can add to it quickly whenever a new communication idea crosses your mind.
- Write your first email letter. It can be as simple as reminding your clients you’re here to help them. Offer an example or two of how your products and/or services may be able to solve a problem for them, but keep it brief. The idea isn’t to overwhelm readers with too much information.
- Consider mailing birthday or seasonal greetings. Snail mail can be your best friend, since it’s a less frequently used form of communication these days. Typically, your database will be receiving bills and flyers in the mail. You could really stand out if you began sending cards to their mailbox. If you’re too busy to stay on top of this, there are services available to take care of this for you at a reasonable cost.
- Consider running a contest. Looking to see how much impact your communications are having on your database? While you can track open rates and click reports, you really don’t know for sure who’s paying attention until you run a contest. People love receiving free stuff. Invite your database to engage with your social media accounts for the chance to win a $50 gift card, for instance. Not only will you see who’s engaged by your email communications, but if they begin following you on social media, you’ll be assured they’ll see your communications more frequently – bettering your chances of remaining top of mind as the local expert.
Staying in touch with your database effectively is not about one or two grandiose gestures – it’s more about what you do on a consistent basis to remain top-of-mind and ensure they’re thinking of you the next time they – or someone they know – are in the market to use your products and/or services.
And if planning and writing aren’t the best uses of your time, you can always enlist the services of an expert who can help ensure you’re on the right track. Answers to your questions are just a call or email away!