Maintenance Marketing

Although most of us would not likely admit to client neglect, the truth is that only 20% of businesses actively stay connected to their existing clients beyond dealing with resolving issues and mailing out holiday greeting cards.

When was the last time you asked your customers what else you could help them with? Or sent them a promotional postcard informing them about a specific service you offer? The truth is that your customers may not be aware of the depth of products and/or services your organization can provide them with. It is your responsibility to keep them informed.

The number one reason why customers stop doing business with a particular organization is because they don’t think that organization cares. What is your organization doing to show that it cares?

I have had numerous conversations with business owners who worry about “bothering” their customers. This is definitely a valid concern if you are inundating your customers with phone calls, emails, faxes, postcards, thank-you cards, text messages, articles, enewsletters, gifts and in-person visits, especially if it is happening every week. Not likely, right?

Surprisingly enough, you’ll find that your customers can handle a lot more regular contact than you would think. The question now becomes: how do you communicate relevant information to your customers?

Before you take this concept and run with it, you need to think about what types of information would be valuable to your clients and then determine the best and most cost-effective method of circulating this information.

For some of Lift Strategies’ clients, we have found Send Out Cards to be a fast and cost-effective method of sending out small runs of promotional postcards and holiday cards. If you are interested in knowing more about this easy-to-use online tool for printed mail campaigns, you can contact us at [email protected].

Last week, I was speaking to a prospect who explained to me that his preferred method of receiving information was via email. Although most of us receive more email than we would like, it is one of the best ways to get information in the hands of our clients quickly and at a very low cost.

These days, there are thousands of online tools for sending out emails and enewsletters. These tools are designed to reduce the number of emails that aren’t successfully delivered due to spam filters and security software applications.

The best way to find out what type of information your clients would benefit from the most is to simply ask them. After distributing Vancouver Gas Fireplaces’ Quarterly Report for a full year, we emailed an online survey asking subscribers what content in the existing enewsletter they like the best. We also wanted to know what type of content they would be interested in hearing more about. As a result, we learned how popular the frequently-asked-questions (FAQ) section was. The survey also showed how keen clients were to learn more about product trends.

The results of this survey helped us to shape the new and improved VGF Quarterly Report to best meet the client’s interests. For the past three years, we have been giving existing and prospective customers what they asked for.

Your organization’s industry will likely indicate how much information your clients will tolerate. Since most people have busy work lives, their time and attention is limited in reviewing new information or promotional materials.

This is why postcards or short email blasts can be a very effective method of quickly communicating high-impact messages to busy people, directing them to the website for further details. Incorporate the link from a particular website page within the postcard or enewsletter copy. This gives your customers the choice of getting more information without much effort.

The frequency and mix of promotional materials you distribute to your clients will depend on your marketing budget, what your clients want and what types of communication is best suited to them.

To learn more about how we can help your organization maintain exceptional client relations, resulting in more business more often, contact us at [email protected].

This article was written by Jen DeTracey. www.liftstrategies.com
Jen DeTracey runs Lift Strategies Inc., a strategic marketing firm that works with companies wanting to accelerate their growth, and manage that growth, without overextending their resources and their people.

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