| |
Follow-up-marketing-is-crucial
By Jody Gabourie
There are 9 reasons why follow up is such an important part of your marketing strategy. I'll explain each one briefly below.
1. Build relationships
People need to learn to trust and like you before they'll enter into a relationship with you and that takes consistent connection. Follow up with people to let them know that you are sincere in wanting to form and nurture an ongoing relationship, that you understand their concerns and problems and that you're in for the "long haul".
2. Build credibility and expert status
A big part of attracting and keeping clients is building trust and credibility. People need to know that you do know what you are talking about. By following up with valuable, needed information you demonstrate your expertise and the value of your services and products.
As well, follow-up that shares things such as testimonials, case studies and real-life examples of how your products and services have helped people - this will build your profile and credibility.
3. Educate people
A mistake many companies make is that they do not provide their prospects with information they want and need in order to buy. People need to understand clearly what benefits your services offer and what the outcomes will be if they work with you or buy a product from you.
Follow up with a steady, consistent supply of helpful ideas and tips that prospects and clients can use right away. Become an important resource to people and they'll keep coming back - which in turn builds a stronger relationship and connection between you and your prospective and current customers.
4. Stay top of mind
It's important to constantly keep in front of people so that when they're ready to buy you'll be there. People usually need to be exposed to a marketing message several times before making a decision to purchase.
Another reason to stay top of mind with your prospects and clients is that they may not be ready to purchase but they may know someone else who is. By staying in front of them with consistent follow up, they'll have the information, confidence and trust to refer you to their friends, family, associates and others.
5. Keep your clients happy
Keep in mind that once someone has made the commitment to become your customer, they want to stay with you and they want to continue purchasing from you. People dislike change - so don't give them any reason to change.
The bulk of your future sales come from your current customers, because once you've made a sale and your customers know, like and trust you, they are more likely to buy from you a second time. These are the easiest and least expensive people to sell your products and services to.
Remember that it costs at least five times as much to generate a sale from a prospect as it does to generate a sale from a current customer.
So use follow-up marketing strategies to keep in touch with your current clients and keep them happy, satisfied and coming back.
6. Opportunity to up-sell and cross-sell
You can offer special promotions, VIP programs, advanced products and services to them once they've become a client. You can also use follow-up methods to let them know of other valuable
01 Cost-Effective Ways To Improve Brand Awareness And Increase Online Sales (Part 1)
Guest: Greg Squires, Online Marketing Manager, Shopatron<Br><br>Get expert advice on search engine optimization and search advertising from Greg Squires, Online Marketing Manager at Shopatron.
04 How To Quickly Propel Your Business Beyond The Competition (Part 2)
Guest: Michael Stelzner, Founder, Social Media Examiner<Br><Br>Learn about Michael Stelzner’s new book and learn how to improve your social media marketing, company blogging and more.
02 Cost-Effective Ways To Improve Brand Awareness And Increase Online Sales (Part 2)
Guest: Greg Squires, Online Marketing Manager, Shopatron<Br><br>Get expert advice on search engine optimization and search advertising from Greg Squires, Online Marketing Manager at Shopatron.
03 How To Quickly Propel Your Business Beyond The Competition (Part 1)
Guest: Michael Stelzner, Founder, Social Media Examiner<Br><Br>Learn about Michael Stelzner’s new book and learn how to improve your social media marketing, company blogging and more.
01 Google+: Should Your Business Be Using This Platform? - Part l
Guest: Jon Henshaw, Co-Founder, Director of Product Innovation, Raven Internet Marketing Tools <Br><br>Learn all about Google’s new social media platform from social media expert Jon Henshaw of Raven Internet Marketing Tools.
02 Google+: Should Your Business Be Using This Platform? - Part ll
Guest: Jon Henshaw, Co-Founder, Director of Product Innovation, Raven Internet Marketing Tools <Br><br>Learn all about Google’s new social media platform from social media expert Jon Henshaw of Raven Internet Marketing Tools.
03 How Twitter Improves Your Relationship with Customers - Part l
Guest: Leslie Poston, Founder, Magnitude Media<Br><br>Find out how Twitter can improve customer interactions and increase sales. RSS Ray interviews Leslie Poston, the author of “Twitter for Dummies.”
04 How Twitter Improves Your Relationship with Customers - Part ll
Guest: Leslie Poston, Founder, Magnitude Media<Br><br>Find out how Twitter can improve customer interactions and increase sales. RSS Ray interviews Leslie Poston, the author of “Twitter for Dummies.”
01 Mobile Marketing Strategies That Grow Your Business - Part l
Guest: Michael Becker, North America Managing Director, Mobile Marketing Association<Br><br>Get mobile marketing tips from the industry’s leading trade organization. Michael Becker of the Mobile Marketing Association joins RSS Ray for this must-hear interview.
02 Mobile Marketing Strategies That Grow Your Business - Part ll
Guest: Michael Becker, North America Managing Director, Mobile Marketing Association<Br><br>Get mobile marketing tips from the industry’s leading trade organization. Michael Becker of the Mobile Marketing Association joins RSS Ray for this must-hear interview.
03 The Best Website Usability Tips for SMBs - Part l
Guest: Amy Africa, CEO, Eight by Eight<Br><br>Learn how to drive more sales on your company website. RSS Ray interviews website conversion expert Amy Africa of Eight by Eight.
04 The Best Website Usability Tips for SMBs - Part ll
Guest: Amy Africa, CEO, Eight by Eight<Br><br>Learn how to drive more sales on your company website. RSS Ray interviews website conversion expert Amy Africa of Eight by Eight.
01 Email Marketing: Measuring Customer Engagement (Part 1)
Guest: Kara Trivunovic, Director of Strategic Services, StrongMail<Br><br>Get the most important email marketing best practices from one of the best. RSS Ray interviews email marketing expert Kara Trivunovic of StrongMail.
02 Email Marketing: Measuring Customer Engagement (Part 2)
Guest: Kara Trivunovic, Director of Strategic Services, StrongMail<Br><br>Get the most important email marketing best practices from one of the best. RSS Ray interviews email marketing expert Kara Trivunovic of StrongMail.
03 How To Create Web-Based Presentations and Seminars that Sell (Part 1)
Guest: Roger Courville, Founder, 1080 Group<Br><br>Get exclusive tips on how to conduct business boosting presentations online from expert Roger Courville. RSS Ray and Roger discuss slide formats, audience engagement and more.
04 How To Create Web-Based Presentations and Seminars that Sell (Part 2)
Guest: Roger Courville, Founder, 1080 Group<Br><br>Get exclusive tips on how to conduct business boosting presentations online from expert Roger Courville. RSS Ray and Roger discuss slide formats, audience engagement and more.
01 Social Media Tools That Will Save You Money (Part 1)
Guest: Pete Codella<Br><br>Description: Find out the top social media tools that will improve productivity and sales results. RSS Ray interviews Pete Codella of Codella Marketing.
03 Designing Great Websites That Sell (Part 1)
Guest: Leon Fayer<Br><br>Unlock the keys to website design that will help you sell more. Learn all about CMS and website design from Leon Fayer of OmniTI.
04 Designing Great Websites That Sell (Part 2)
Guest: Leon Fayer<Br><br>Unlock the keys to website design that will help you sell more. Learn all about CMS and website design from Leon Fayer of OmniTI.
02 Social Media Tools That Will Save You Money (Part 2)
Guest: Pete CodellaFind out the top social media tools that will improve productivity and sales results. RSS Ray interviews Pete Codella of Codella Marketing.
01 Landing Page Conversion Secrets For Businesses of All Sizes Part 1
Guest: Tim Ash, CEO, SiteTuners<Br><br>Get expert tips on how to improve landing page conversions from one of the best. RSS Ray interviews Tim Ash of SiteTuners.
02 Landing Page Conversion Secrets For Businesses of All Sizes Part 2
Guest: Tim Ash, CEO, SiteTuners<Br><br>Get expert tips on how to improve landing page conversions from one of the best. RSS Ray interviews Tim Ash of SiteTuners.
03 Common Marketing Mistakes That Most Companies Make Part 1
Listen to RSS Ray reveal the top mistakes that most companies make. You won’t find this info anywhere else.
04 Common Marketing Mistakes That Most Companies Make Part 2
Listen to RSS Ray reveal the top mistakes that most companies make. You won’t find this info anywhere else.
01 How Social Media and RSS Feeds Improves Search Rankings
Guest: Mark Carlson, CEO, SimpleFeed<Br><br>Learn the ins and outs of RSS feeds and how they improve your business. RSS Ray interviews RSS and social media expert Mark Carlson of SimpleFeed.
02 How Social Media and RSS Feeds Improves Search Rankings
Guest: Mark Carlson, CEO, SimpleFeed<Br><br>Learn the ins and outs of RSS feeds and how they improve your business. RSS Ray continues his conversation with RSS and social media expert Mark Carlson of SimpleFeed.
03 How To Make Working With Your Marketing Vendors Suck Less
RSS Ray discusses some important tips on how to improve your business relationship with marketing vendors. You won’t find these tips anywhere else!
04 10 Suggestions For A Better Business
RSS Ray shares his secrets on how to boost your business. You’ll get lots of great tips that will get you more customers.
01 Designing Smartphone Applications Customers Love
Guest: Ken McDonald, VP of Marketing and Customer Success, LifePics<Br><br>Learn how to design smartphone applications that customers will love. RSS Ray interviews Ken McDonald of LifePics
02 The iPad’s Effect On Online Marketing
Guest: Ken McDonald, VP of Marketing and Customer Success, LifePics<Br><br>Learn how to design smartphone applications that customers will love. RSS Ray continues his interview with Ken McDonald of LifePics
03 Designing Smartphone Applications Customers Love
Guest: Mark Douglas, CEO, SteelHouse Media<Br><brGet exclusive online marketing tips on how to use the iPad to generate more revenue for your business.
04 What You Should Know About Monitoring Your Employees’ Web Traffic
RSS Ray shares best practices on how to protect your business and monitor your employees’ web traffic.
01 Leveraging Social Media to Create More Likeable Companies
Guest: Dave Kerpen, CEO, Likeable Media<Br><br>RSS Ray interviews social media expert Dave Kerpen of Likeable Media about social media best practices and his new must-read book “Likeable Social Media.”
02 Leveraging Social Media to Create More Likeable Companies
Guest: Dave Kerpen, CEO, Likeable Media<Br><br>RSS Ray interviews social media expert Dave Kerpen of Likeable Media about social media best practices and his new must-read book “Likeable Social Media.”
03 How To Find Your Target Market
RSS Ray discusses the key tips to discovering your target market.
04 How QR Codes Grow Your Business
Learn everything that you need to know about QR codes and how they can help grow your business.
01 Content Marketing Best Practices That Will Get You More Customers
Guest: Joe Pulizzi<Br><br>Get exclusive content marketing tips for your company blog from one of the best. RSS Ray interviews content marketing evangelist Joe Pulizzi of the Content Marketing Institute. They discuss content marketing best practices as well as Content Marketing World 2011.
01 How Influence Strategies Can Boost Your Online Sales
Guest: Mike Schultz of RAIN Group<Br><br>Get exclusive sales tips that will get you more customers from Mike Schultz of RAIN Group. RSS Ray talks with Mike about his new book “Rainmaking Conversations: Influence, Persuade, and Sell in Any Situation.”
01 Text Message Marketing: Why Your Business Should Be Using This Powerful Marketing Tool
Guests: Michael Lamb and Brian Stafford, Co-Founders, Opt It<Br><br>RSS Ray speaks with the co-founders of Opt It Text Message Marketing. Get exclusive text message marketing best practices from Brian Stafford and Michael Lamb in this week’s show.
01 Tools That Will Help Your Company With Paid Search Advertising
Guest: Alex Cohen, Senior Marketing Manager, ClickEquations<Br><br>Learn about some of the best paid search tools for your business from Alex Cohen of ClickEquations. RSS Ray and Alex discuss paid search advertising best practices.
01 Optimizing Company Websites For Google And Other Search Engines
Guest: Kayden Kelly, CEO, Blast Advanced Media<Br><br>Get SEO best practices and more from SEO expert Kayden Kelly of Blast Advanced Media. RSS Ray talks with Kayden about click through rates, SEO tools and more.
01 How Online Review Sites Benefit Small Businesses
Guest: Kara Nortman, Senior Vice President of Publishing, CityGrid Media<Br><br>Learn how online review sites like Citysearch and Urbanspoon can grow your small business. RSS Ray interviews Kara Nortman of CityGrid Media, the largest content and ad network for online review sites.
services and products you have that can complement and build on what they've already learned or gotten help with from their previous purchase.
7. Make the necessary number of contacts
Take a look at these somewhat alarming statistics:
* it takes 8 - 12 contacts before people are ready to buy
* 50% of all salespeople quit after only the 1st contact
* another 40% quit after the 4th contact
* 80% of all sales happen on or after the 5th contact
The clear implication is that if you are a small business owner who's only doing one or two follow-ups with your prospects and clients, you are missing out on a lot of business.
Follow-up marketing strategies will help you make ongoing, consistent contact with prospective customers, partners and so on.
8. Stop the "feast or famine" cycle
Most of us are familiar with having either too few clients or having so many that we can't handle it all. Consistent follow-up helps creates a steady stream of prospects and customers and helps you to avoid the stress of bouncing back and forth between feast and famine.
When you spend the time and resources to nurture prospects and clients, you build a gold mine of past and present customers. Maintain the relationship with follow-up marketing strategies and you'll ensure that you consistently attract customers and get lifetime value out of your relationships.
9. Break through all the clutter and get noticed
Is it any wonder you need to make at least 8 contacts with prospective customers? People have short attention spans and with everything that is competing for their attention, you need to keep in front of them by following up repeatedly with valuable, usable information.
Not only do you need to get noticed, but you have to hold their attention long enough for them to read or listen to what you have to say, and then get them to respond! Article Source: http://www.upublish.info About the Author:
Jody Gabourie
Jody Gabourie, The Small Business Marketing Coach, teaches simple, innovative and powerful marketing strategies to help business owners find and keep their most profitable clients. To learn more about how she can help you take your business to the next level, and to sign up for her FREE special report, ezine and articles, visit her site at http://www.JodyGabourieMarketingCoach.com **NOTE** - Jody Gabourie has claimed copyright on the article "Follow-Up Marketing is Crucial" ... if there is a dispute on the originality of this article ... please contact us via our Contact Form and supply our staff with the appropriate details of dispute.
|
|
