One of the most effective ways of staying in front of your customers is with consistent and frequent contact. Now let me caution you – this doesn’t mean constantly selling to them, either. I mean, do you really appreciate that treatment from your vendors? I didn’t think so.
So how do you stay in front of your clients without harassing them or spamming them to death?
Easy. Develop a customer newsletter!
7 Reasons Why Newsletters Rock!
- Newsletters are entertaining. They engage the reader without selling to them.
- Newsletters are educational. Unlike a marketing brochure where your company is the focus of the copy, newsletters are written for your customers’ benefit, not yours. A good newsletter is informative to the customer (tips, checklists and articles to enrich their lives), not full of sales-hype.
- Newsletters are consistent. A regular delivery is extremely important to the how successful your newsletter is. You want your newsletter to be seen as a “welcomed guest” in the mailbox, just like magazines such as Good Housekeeping or Golf Digest. Other forms of direct mail like postcards, brochures and direct mail letters aren’t consistent – and often, aren’t looked at long enough to be deemed welcomed.
- Newsletters are easy to read. Articles are usually informative yet short, and there are often many photos and white space in a newsletter to make scanning it a breeze.
- Newsletters build strong relationships. Because your newsletter is a regular “visitor” to your customer, this additional touch will begin to strengthen your relationship with many of your customers. They will see you as a stable business – with many service offerings.
- Newsletters build credibility. Over time, newsletters will reveal nuances about your business and give your customers little “ah-ha” moments, and for that, you will become a trusted expert in their eyes.
- Newsletters bring in new business. Unlike other marketing collateral, because newsletters contain valuable information, your customers are often passed them onto others, which could lead to referral business.
If you are thinking about a newsletter program but don’t know where to start, contact me. I can help.
