The Art of Touching Your Clients and Prospects

eco_2008013447-1113int.epsWhen it comes to nurturing via “touching” their community, many business owners freeze.

Getting it “wrong”, often by not doing anything at all as opposed to doing too much and overwhelming their community.

“Touching” is about contacting your clients, customers, patients and prospects more often so that you stay top of mind in a way which enhances your credibility with them.

There are two levels:

  1. Your Entire Community (your “whole list”) and
  2. Segmentation

In addition to any promotions you send out (these aren’t considered “touches” in the sense that their primary focus isn’t to provide value), you may choose to connect with your community via the following methods (consider this Step 1):

  • Weekly newsletter-type email (can be broken into two emails)
  • Social media posts (whichever platforms your ideal client is on)
  • Periodic free giveaways
  • Videos
  • Podcasts

Step 2:  Add segmentation.

The only limit to segmentation is what your software can do/what you can track.

Segmenting demographically

  • Age
  • Marital status
  • Children
  • Pets
  • Revenue level
  • Birthday, anniversary
  • Geographically

Segmenting “psychographically”

  • Niche based (what’s their industry and what’s their role in that industry)
  • Political/Religious views
  • Hobbies/Passions: sports, gardening, eating style (paleo, vegan, etc.), wine, motorcycles, etc.
  • Ways you relate/Love the same things

Segmenting based on their relationship with your business

  • Frequency of buying
  • Programs/products they’ve invested in
  • Types of products/programs invested in (if they always buy ebooks, send them notices about new ones)
  • Time since last purchase/Client Reactivation
  • Credit card declines
  • Returns
  • Average investment
  • When they buy (do they only buy in December while gearing up for the New Year?)
  • Whether or not they open email, how often they open, do they click

Once you select your segmentation type (and it can be a combination of all 3), choose how often to touch and by what method.

Additional “touching” methods:

  • Email
  • Direct mail (letter, postcard, package, card, resource, “thinking of you” article)
  • Print newsletter
  • Flyer
  • Audio CD
  • DVD
  • Gifts (books, flowers, candy, etc.)
  • Phone call
  • Special video
  • Personal fax
  • DM via Twitter, PM via Facebook or InMail via LinkedIn

What other ways do you regularly nurture your clients?  Please share with our Community below.