Marketing 101: Ongoing Marketing

Yesterday’s post was a bit “thick” with information, so today’s will be a bit leaner. The goal isn’t to overwhelm, but to give you a bit of a game plan.

We’ve established our client list, mailed our first communication, followed up with phone calls, and now we’re ready to keep these people in the loop. There are a number of ways to do this that will cost you either minimal amounts of cash or none at all.

Schedule It
Every two months you should plan to contact everyone on your list. Make note of it in your Outlook calendar, and plan now for things to include in future mailings. Here are some ideas:

– Coupon for 10% off.
– Referral bonus: 25% off for referring a customer who ultimately hires you.
– List of upcoming conferences/shows (try six months out and beyond) and a 10% off discount for those who sign up before a certain date to have conference-related work scheduled.
– A one-page, two-sided newsletter with useful writing tips for your clients.
– Announcement of your upcoming free webcast.
– A free chapter from your latest ebook that’s waiting for them at your (newly revamped) website.

Remember in all communications that the way to attract attention is to provide some benefit to the recipient. You could wax on all day about how fabulous you are, but why not up the odds by giving the recipient something he/she can use? Who doesn’t like a discount?

Now Comes Email
Now that we’ve established that pattern, let’s see to some email marketing. Now, we don’t want to be a pest, so remember to keep any communication with potential clients to a minimum, and always include an opt-out phrase that allows them to tell you they don’t want to receive anything from you (it is the law, after all). I use the following:

This email is intended as informational. However, we respect your privacy. If you do not wish to receive further emails, please reply to this message with “unsubscribe” in the subject line.

An email from you should contain useful information. You can approach this in a few different ways. You could make an e-newsletter (no attachments if you can help it) that describes breaking news in the industry; one that again gives them useful information for better handling their communications (internally and externally); or notice of a special price break you’re offering. In terms of when to send these emails – again, go on a two-month schedule, but send them one month after you’ve sent the snail mail correspondence. This keeps your name in front of these people with less lag time between communications and makes your name a bit more familiar.

Note: Be careful sending group emails, for not everyone wants to be listed in the “To” subject line for the world to see. I set up a Group in Outlook and that goes in the BCC column for an extra measure of security. The problem you may run into with this method is that some emails are set up to ask for verification or worse, to reject any message sent to a group. It’s easily avoided by sending directly to the intended recipient, but if you have 50 or more recipients, it becomes too time-consuming.

Here’s another email tactic that works well, as you’re not selling a single thing: set up Google Alerts for clients on your list and more importantly, for news in their particular industry. Google will then send you periodic notices whenever a news item or the client’s name appears online. That information is your reason to once again contact them. It can be as simple as “Hey, I saw this and thought you might be interested” or “I saw you mentioned in this article – congratulations!” With the onslaught of viruses being mailed to folks, you have to be careful how you approach this as you don’t want to scare your client into thinking that link you just sent is a potential virus. Instead, try forwarding the Google Alert directly to the client with your message at the top. If you feel uneasy sending too much email, print it out and mail it to the client with a brief note and yes, another business card.

Beyond Email – Fun Communication
Holiday coming? A great time to offer a discount or, as Jennifer at Catalyst Blogger suggests, send a holiday card. It can be a simple card wishing them well and including your business card/Rolodex card. The idea is to build a brand presence (yes, you are a brand now) with that potential client.

You could also print out that Google Alert and story instead of emailing it and send it over with a hand-written note. Anything that personalizes the communication for the client is going to score bigger points than a blanket group communication would.

Marketing, like everything else, requires consistent effort in order for it to be successful. It’s a strategy. Treat it as such. If your attempts to secure business are rejected, remember it’s not you who’s being rejected. It’s that your services aren’t needed at the moment. Shake it off, move on, and market frequently.

Tomorrow: Miscellaneous, Must-Know Stuff About Marketing