A 'Keep-In-Touch' Strategy - a Business Success Requirement

You need to connect with potential clients many times before they feel comfortable hiring you or purchasing your products.

If you don't have a systematized and automated keep-in-touch strategy in place you may, as the saying goes, leave a lot on the table.  Most importantly, you'll miss out on the opportunity to serve people you're meant to serve.  Boy- that would be a shame.

The lack of a solid keep-in-touch marketing strategy is where most businesses fail.  Either they bombard you with too much information and too many offers that turn you off, OR you never hear from them at all, which leaves you feeling unimportant and irrelevant.  Obtain a "Top of Mind" presence with your keep-in-touch strategy.

Having an integrated e-Marketing component to your CRM System is another plus when building business relationships - the Success with CRM factor.

Additionally, more and more people use a search engine like Google to find information and answers.  If you are NOT found in the first 3 - 5 results you're not going to be noticed or known.  Blogging, social media engagement, receiving inbound links all with revelant, valuable content is a business REQUIREMENT." href="/blogging-for-business/" target="_self">Blogging

Revelant, Interesting, Current and Valuable Content:

Do you have the mindset of a publisher of content about your business offering?

Its up to you to ensure that the content you publish and share with your potential and current customers through your automated keep-in-touch strategy is relevent, interesting, current and valuable.

There are 6 basic categories of content that meet those criteria:

1. Industry information

2. Strategies, tips and techniques

3. Content from other expert sources

4. Product and service offerings

5. Special announcements

6. Your personality, what's hot, fun

1. Industry Information:

This is revelant to your target market and may or may not be widely known. It's excellent content to deliver to your list. 

You'll position yourself as an expert within your industry while providing constant value to your potential and current customers.  Whats' more they appreciate the information and your generosity for sharing it.

Using this type of information makes it more likely that your potential customers will keep the information and later refer back to it, keeping you at the top of their mind.

2. Strategies, Tips and Techniques:

If you are in the service business this is probably the most common type of content.  People love to hear about some tip that will improve their productivity and make a task easier.

NOTE: Don't fear that you are giving away too much of this type of material.  You'll find that you'll receive more referrals from people who are not customers just because you helped them for free.

They'll think, "Wow, if Dick and Julie are giving away this much great stuff, can you imagine what I'll get if I acctually engage their services."

Example: the blog articles of ACT Tips.

3. Content from Other Sources

There is a lot of quality published content available.  Using valuable information that you find and that will help others promotes community.  It also gives me a break from continuously creating content.   My hosting partner, HubSpot, is an excellent source of related Inbound Marketing content.

4. Product and Service Offerings

This is where some businesses will fall short.  They are making only product and service offerings to potential customers and the material may not be appreciated very much.  Your offers must be accompanied by an over-delivery of free value.

For us this is the content about contact management (Sage ACT) and Customer relationship management- CRM - (Sage SalesLogix).  Additonally resources are available for enhancing the success of CRM with a "Keep-in-Touch" strategy.

The people who have expressed an interest in your services want to know how they can work with you, and it's your responsibility to tell them and show them their options.

5. Special Announcements:

This is a valuable method of keeping in touch if the special announcement is relevant, important, and presented as a learning tool to your target audience.  But be careful as this is often overused.  This my be appopriate for membership and community related organizations.

6. Your personality, what's hot, fun....

Each of us loves to express our values and interests.  It helps others get a glimpse into our personality.  Sometimes this may be new tools like the iPad or the Google Droid Incredible.  BTW:  Two new techy tools I own and really enjoy, especially the intelligence found in the Droid Incredible!.

This can be unique, unusual and special content that stands out.  The possibilities are limitless.

What is the best kind of content to include in your Keep-in-touch strategy to stay "TOP of Mind" based on interests of your target market ?