Recently I wrote about Follow Up strategies, which help you keep an active sales offer in front of someone who’s not ready to buy yet. Today I want to cover the “cousin” of Follow Up, a related marketing strategy called Keep in Touch (KiT). A Keep in Touch strategy out
lines how you will be in regular contact with potential clients, referral sources and the community at large. KiT is a requirement for businesses with long sales cycles or ones in which repurchase may occur. But, actually, every business can benefit from using this strategy, because it helps you get the most return on all your contacts.
Keep in Touch Ensures a Return On Your Investment
Without KiT, people forget about you. Your business card gets shuffled to the bottom of the deck, and the impression you made on them fades from memory. Then, it’s as if you never met them – what a waste!
Picture this:
Scenario #1: You’ve just done a major marketing event, like a trade show or networking at an industry conference, and you have boatloads of business cards. These new contacts are warm leads and people you definitely want to keep your name in front of.
Scenario #2: A brilliant new redesign of your web site is ready to go. You know you want to find a way to capture the email addresses of everyone who visits and keep the conversation going long after they’ve left your web site.
So, now what?
A Strategy Is a Series of Activities Intended to Achieve a Specific Result
As with any marketing, KiT works best when it’s a strategy. That means you’ve worked it out in advance, and there is an intention and a series of steps which deliver a specific message to your contacts.
Your strategy can include one of these low-cost, effective ways to keep in touch with your contacts:
- Ezines, or email newsletters, are cheap, easy, brandable, and a great platform for offering information or selling
- Snail mail also works, especially if you send things that stand out from the usual junk and bills. A well-designed, informative newsletter or postcard will get noticed and personal notes almost always get opened and read.
- Phone calls or even in-person visits can be appropriate for high-touch services and smaller numbers of contacts.
The strategy for Scenario #1 above might include a blend of all the strategies delivered at regular, appropriate intervals. For #2 you can include an ezine, as long as your new contacts have given you permission to contact them by email. (It’s illegal to add someone to your list otherwise.)
Yes, KiT is a Brand-Building Strategy As Well
Staying in touch with potential clients, referral sources and other business contacts helps to build your brand. Because you’re giving a little bit of information each time, as well as an experience of your brand, you gradually create impressions and expectations about your products and services.
Talk about the problems you solve and the ay your solutions are unique. Share stories, case studies and testimonials that describe your brand in action. Ensure everything you send is compelling and relevant, so your recipients will benefit from what you say.
When you consistently Keep in Touch with your contacts, you’ll see them transform from a stack of cards or a bunch of data in your computer to a responsive, profitable community of customers.
Photo by SC Fiasco
Related posts:
{ 1 trackback }
{ 0 comments… add one now }