The Amazing Power of Marketing to a
List
You may think your biggest business
assets are your equipment or your inventory. But, you have two assets even more
important than these. One of these is your expertise...your brainpower and the
specific manner in which you help your clients.
And, the other asset is your list of satisfied,
loyal customers, as well as your pool of warm prospects with whom you are
building a relationship of credibility and trust. Building this list of warm
prospects and satisfied customers is your ticket to a steady stream of income.
Here are some tips to build your
list:
- If you have a website, make sure you have
some kind of name capture mechanism. In exchange for people's contact
information, offer a subscription to an ezine, a free report, an e-course, a
free forum, or some other perk.
- Make sure you have an effective online
system to collect the names of your customers and prospects. The best software program we've found for managing lead generation follow-up activities is called Professional Cart Services.
This program allows you to set up
a name capture form for your website, as well as auto responders to automate the
process of communicating with your list on a regular basis. Set it up and let it
work for you as your online salesperson - 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
- If you have a physical location, place a
sign-up form in an obvious place for your visitors so you can stay in touch with
them on an ongoing basis. You can offer an incentive to sign up such as special
coupons, discounts, or a print newsletter with tips.
- When you give speeches, presentations, and
attend trade shows, collect the names of people you interact with! Offer a prize
like a free product or a discount. You can do the same thing if you offer
telephone seminars or online courses to your clients.
- Grow your list by conducting a joint
venture with a like-minded business. For example, a mortgage broker and realtor
can offer a free seminar on home buying. Both businesses can collect the names
of the attendees.
- Submit articles to various websites and ezines.
Make sure each article has a resource box with information about your business
and a link to a name capture page. Submit
Your
Article is a
powerful service that will send your
articles to numerous websites.
- Of course, anyone and everyone who has ever
purchased from you should go on your list. It is much easier and cost effective
to cross-sell and up-sell to past, satisfied customers than it is to convert a
prospect into a customer. Regularly keep in touch to ensure your company stays
in the forefront of their awareness.
Be sure to track your marketing activities
with your customers and prospects. This includes direct mail, phone calls,
estimates sent, and meetings. You can use something as simple as Microsoft
Outlook, which has client relationship management (CRM) functions. You can also
use software with more robust CRM capabilities such as ACT! Or Goldmine. If you
don't need to have the latest version of these, look on the Ebay for great deals
on an earlier release of the software.
Action Item: Take a
look at your current system for collecting names and following up with prospects
and customers? How do you store your contact data? What actions will you take in
the next three months to improve these aspects of your marketing?
Hugs and
success,
Wendy
Maynard and the Kinesis Team
© 2006 Wendy Gray
Maynard
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