When you’re busy running your business, it can be easy to push marketing aside. You’re busy, you don’t have time and anyway, you don’t need it as you’ve got plenty of customers.
But when those customers dry up, what do you do?
Whatever you do, don’t go into panic mode and start bombarding your mailing list or social media community with offers, reminders, packages and promotions. They haven’t heard from you for a while, and all of a sudden you start SHOUTING at them … how rude!
Mentioning no names, I’ve recently ‘switched off’ from a company that suddenly started telling me about their new services by facebook (several times a day) and email (several weeks in a row) when I’ve heard nothing from them for months.
How do you stop that happening?
The only way to overcome this is to employ a drip, drip effect. Even when you’re busy (or especially when you’re busy), pay attention to communicating with your present and future customers in a friendly, non-salesy manner.
Give them some useful information, help them out with a problem they might be dealing with, show them what you’re up to, ask them how they’re doing. Use whatever means you have at your disposal. Here are some ideas:
- Drop them a personal email
- Comment on a post or update on social media
- Give them a call
- Send out regular newsletters (easy to reach a lot of people with this one)
- Write a regular blog (could be daily, weekly or monthly, but be consistent)
- Send out a letter or card by post
- Make the effort to go to networking events, conferences or exhibitions & meet people face to face
But most importantly, keep in touch regularly with THEIR needs in mind (not yours!). This means that if at some point you do need to fill a gap and have to get a bit more ‘sales orientated’ in your approach, you’ve earned the right to do so.
If you’re not a natural communicator, or you can’t write, find someone who can help you. It’s not an indulgence – it’s really important for your business.
Nobody likes someone who only contacts them when they need something. And I’m pretty sure you’ll find that if you adopt this approach, you’ll have less gaps to fill anyway.