Follow-up (When, How, What..?)
In every business whether it is existing customer or new prospect followup is a must. Effective followup strategy can win and retain customers. Follow-ups by various means will create an impression on audience about business existence, this is true because lot of small business owners do not have luxury like brand names.
Here are some quick FAQs about followups:
What is the REAL purpose of follow-up?
Not everybody is ready to purchase your products or services right now. But that
doesn't mean they won't eventually.
Follow-up keeps your name in front of your contacts until they are ready to buy.
When should my first follow-up message go out? Immediately. If you obtained a lead from your website, make sure they instantly receive an email from you. If you purchase your leads, get in touch with them right away. If you spoke to a prospect in person or on the phone, send them a follow-up m essage. Don't give them time to forget about you. Start building that relationship right now.
How frequently should I follow up with my contacts? When first marketing to a lead or customer, it's all right to send them several sequential emails. Remember, the average person needs to hear your message seven times before they buy. Follow up regularly during the first year of contact. After that you can include them in a less frequent campaign.
How long should I continue to follow up? Follow up should continue indefinitely. If you have a system in place, this should be a simple task. It never hurts to stay in touch. After all, you can never guess when a prospect will be ready to buy.
To advertise or not to advertise? Marketing is the Answer:
Have you ever heard the saying, "I know that I waste half of my advertising budget. The problem is I don't know which half!" It is this very philosophy that is prompting me to strongly inform you... advertising doesn't work!
Let me show you why:
- There is no way to track effectiveness (or ineffectiveness)
- It's impersonal
- The target audience is too large
- It's costly to redo or improve
- There is no call to action
What surprises me is the number of small business owners that save their marketing dollars just to waste them on ineffective advertising. Then, they complain because nothing is working and they don't have any customers.
I know what you're thinking, "Isn't advertising and marketing the same thing?" Well, not really. Let me explain the differences. Advertising includes: commercials, billboards, radio, and newspapers. Marketing includes: emails, letters, postcards, and fax.
So how is follow-up marketing better than advertising?
- You can track response rates
- You can quickly change campaigns that aren't working
- You can specifically target your audience
- It leads prospects to an immediate sell
If you really want to attract more customers, you will learn to market and leave the advertising to those gazillion dollar companies.
If you take the time to consistently follow up with ALL your prospects and customers, you will be adding hundreds, even thousands of dollars to your bottom line.
Source: Infusionsoft Newsletter.
Download e-book The Entreprenuer's Guide to Follow-up
