As small business owners, we work so hard to find each client. We nurture them through a sales process and then they sign on the dotted line and we start doing business with them. Often, once we have closed the sale, we turn our marketing attention to the next prospect, and the next and the next. 

Back in 2017 I had a conversation with Nick Cavarra,  who argued that was a huge mistake.  Why? Because the people who already know you are significantly easier to market to than a group of strangers. 

  We talked about easy strategies small business owners can use to stay in touch with these valuable customers. From simple notes and emails to using affordable tools like Send Out Cards, small business owners can build loyalty, making their customers feel special for a very small investment of time and money.    Just a few of the best tips from the conversation: 

Make it personal. Remember, even in business-to-business transactions you are dealing with people. So use follow-up activities to interact personally. One of my favorite tips from our conversation was to take a picture of the person and include it in a follow-up note. Particularly if you deal with a younger consumer, they are unlikely to print photos on a regular basis, so your note or card will hang around. 

Segment your list. Odds are your customers are not just one large homogenous group. Take the time to segment your list based on their interests, hobbies or the products they use. Don’t send messages about dog food to cat owners, or invitations to a beef barbecue to a vegetarian. Sure this takes work, but the payoff comes when customers who feel valued come back time and time again. 

Send something tangible. If it takes 6 – 7 interactions to make an impression, it helps to switch them up. Send an email, but also call and occasionally send something in print. It is easy to dash off an email, but it is also easy to delete it as soon as it arrives and forget the message just a moment or two later. But printed information, a card, a note or a brochure, is likely to be kept around a bit longer. Just the act of opening the envelope engages your customer with the contents of the message.  Also, there is the perception that mailing a letter took more time than dashing off an email (and it does). Time is a precious commodity and people are impressed when they think you took extra time.   

 

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