Last week during one of the Mind Masters brainstorming times the group challenged a team member about his lack of communication with past clients. When was the last time you reached out to those customers you have done business with? If you haven’t sent a marketing message to your customers in the last 90 days, then you’re already behind the pack.
With businesses coming and going clients need to know you are still around. At this time of the year B to B customers have already set budgets for next year, are you on their radar? For others who serve consumers directly, this is the time of the year where people get together, a great time to share the businesses and people who served them well.
Communicating with your customers regularly is the cornerstone of any good marketing strategy. But you also need to be using at least 3 different forms of communication to really get a leg up.
Of course advertisements are a big part of the holiday season, (both print and on the Web), and direct mail, email, and newsletters (both electronic and print) keep your message fresh in your customers’ mind. But we reminded our team member that a hand written note, or a hand addressed card says we’re here for you. With hundreds of product impressions reaching the average person daily, it is critical to keep the lines of communication open.
It’s vital to engage your current customers, and critical in attaining new ones, with more aggressive forms of communication. The difficulty for our team member was a lack of a good database system for keeping in touch. Many businesses think a website is enough, and having one is a must, but it’s a passive form of communication.
Without an effective marketing strategy, and the budget to execute it, your business is missing the necessary tools and direction to grow your brand.