According to a study, 78% of customers trust a company that responds to them first. Failing to follow up with your clients means missing out on a successful business opportunity.
Well, you may neglect relationships with past clients when things get busy. But, you must value past relations and maintain them to your business advantage. Are you leveraging the power of follow-up? Do you keep in contact with your past clients?
Follow-up with customers is a high-priority aspect of marketing strategy. Keeping this in mind, we will look at some follow-up strategies so that you stay connected with your past clients.
Why Follow up is Significant?
Effective follow-up is like that glue that keeps you connected to your past clients. It can act as a bridge between initial interaction and meaningful engagement. Even if your clients are not active on your network now, chances are they can contact you in the future.
For this reason, follow-up should be on your priority list. Besides commitment, the follow-up shows you want to address the client’s need.
Also, it is not always about generating leads or closing deals, as maintaining a steady flow of communication can impact your business positively. Constant follow-up can allow you to show good customer service.
Make a Plan to Follow Up
Nothing will work without planning. Make a follow-up plan with notifications and alerts, keeping the process efficient. Identify the list of past customers through email, calls, and social media and make a list.
Next, you need to schedule reaching your prospects. Send messages via different platforms so that they stay in the loop regarding your services. Nurture the relationship with them to get the best results. Even if they do not respond, they’ll read your mail.
Treat Past Customers with Respect
Customer is superior – be it past, present, or potential. Treat all the customers with the same respect to build trust and rapport. If you email your past clients, the conversation should be genuine and should hold their attention.
When you respect your past clients, your conversation will resonate better. Ideally, you can share resources with them or provide them with real estate information. By doing so, you can earn their respect and trust. Past customers can be your prospects, so pay special attention to – how you communicate.
Provide Valuable Content
Follow-up with past clients does not require direct conversation. Most past clients may be busy, so focus on providing valuable content. Follow-up in marketing allows you to expand your potential touchpoints. The content you create and share with clients should be relevant. Plus, it should provide the value to the conversation.
About 70 to 80% of clients would be interested in content that informs them. You can focus on FAQs, videos, or infographics to gain attention. The idea is to – provide your past clients with something valuable to attract their attention.
Respond Quickly
The time you take to respond to clients matters the most in business. 90% of customers expect instant response time. Also, companies that respond to leads and clients can drive meaningful conversations ahead. If a past or potential client contacts you for inquiry or information, immediately respond to them.
Nowadays, companies leverage the advantage of automated replies by using technologies like artificial intelligence. Even a computerized chatbot reply can make a difference if you are busy. Get back to the client once you have time to attend to the client. A quick response time can develop credibility and help you generate more leads.
Provide Customized Experience
Personalized experience is the key to standing out in the digital age. And why not? When you can provide clients with a customized experience, why not do it?
The power of personalized experience can keep all the customers in the same frame. You can offer the same services to your past clients and potential ones. The idea is to be customized based on their preferences and needs.
Moreover, personalized experiences keep customers coming back. Some may also help to expand your network through referrals and word of mouth. Focus on a customized strategy to maintain good relations with past clients.
Dos and Don’ts of Follow-up:
- Do expect to forget your past clients. It is alright if you are busy. You always have the time to look back and start afresh. If you fail to follow up, you always have a chance.
- Do create scheduled reminders for follow-up. In this digital age, many auto-schedule tools are available to help you with reminders. Use those tools to send alerts to past clients.
- Do alter the list if needed. You can list past clients and modify them according to your business requirements.
- Don’t spam your past clients. Honestly, sending follow-up emails – once in a while is good, but spamming is not. Besides, it can be counterproductive at times. Sending follow-up emails once a week should be enough to keep the contact going.
- Don’t rely on random contacts and memory. If you want to build a strong customer relationship, create a contact list. Set up a system that works and keeps you organized with contacts.
- Don’t rely on automated conversations. Create relevant content to follow up with your past clients. Content that should be relevant to their understanding and provide them with information. Try engaging them with your content and information.
Plan your Follow-up,
Follow-up is a significant part of maintaining long-term client relationships, but how you do it matters the most. Don’t spam them or be pushy. Natural conversations can help you with points of contact.
Moreover, include your past clients in the follow-up list if you plan to send emails for marketing. A good contact is never lost, and you can convert past clients into potential leads.
However, follow a procedure to follow up with your past clients. After all, you want to create an impression and build your business credibility. Value-efficient communication as that will help you in business.