I was recently at a great presentation by a local business coach. And two things he said really stuck out for me:

1. That it takes a lot less resources to resell to existing clients or customers than to get new clients or customers, and
2. Approximately 60% of customers don’t re-order because of apathy. In other words, they feel ignored or disconnected because they never hear from you.

And a point I’d like to add to that is that people are much more likely to buy from someone they know and trust than a complete stranger. So how to keep that relationship from going south?

eNewsletters or ezines

How about an enewsletter or ezine? This is the information age. Every current customer can use helpful information related to your product or service whether it’s plumbing supplies, DVDs, engineering software, etc.

No useless information or fluff

The main thing is to make certain that your enewsletter is filled with useful information and tips on how to utilize or maximize your product or service. Don’t fill it with fluff about your company. Time is money and no one has time for information that doesn’t benefit them. I’ve seen too many useless enewsletters about so-and-so got promoted or we just landed a new contract to re-build the Brooklyn Bridge.

Leave internal information for internal newsletters. However, there is some internal information that can go in an external enewsletter.

If you’ve added a new product line, that’s useful information if you explain the benefits to the end user. If you’ve added a new service rep to handle Anoka county exclusively, include her contact information for any businesses in that area. If you’re looking for a new mail room clerk, put a notice in the newsletter and ask for a referral.

Nothing sells like success

Another thing you can do is put success stories in your enewsletter. Profile a customer and how they utilized your product or service to increase business, reduce waste, improve customer satisfaction or whatever. This will make you look good in the eyes of your other customers and give them ideas about how they can improve their business with your product or service.

One other option is the occasional guest article by a client or customer. Give them an opportunity to profile themselves or tell their story to help build a “community” amongst your clients or customers. Or, let them write a helpful “how-to” article, which is always a crowd pleaser.

For more information on how to create your own enewsletter, read “How to Create Your Own eNewsletter”.

Originally posted 2007-10-09 09:18:07. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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