Day 25 - Following Up

Branding25

Welcome to Day #25 of the 31 Days to Better Branding series! To learn more about this series, click here to find link to the other days so you'll be able to follow along or catch up if you happen to miss anything. I am by no means an expert but after hearing a lot of the same questions, I figured other could benefit from a few lessons in branding. Hopefully it will give you a place to begin or even just a few tips to improve your business and bring you more clients. Feel free to add in your thoughts and what has worked for you in the comments!

Yesterday we talked a lot about word-of-mouth marketing and earning trust from your clients. Another way to earn that trust and create loyal clients is to establish a follow up program.

A follow up program is basically just a system to help you keep in touch with your client after their initial purchase. It helps you to hear directly from them about how your product or service worked for them. It helps them to stay connected to you and find out about new things going on in your business. Just to clarify - It is NOT a feedback survey or a mailing list. A follow up program should be really personal.

I suggest keeping a notebook of all your clients (or maybe just your repeat clients if you have a lot of them) and start taking note of their purchases and preferences. That way when you're having a sale or if you are coming out with something new that is their style, you can call them and give them a heads up. If they custom order something specific, you can call a few weeks later to see how it has worked out for them. And when you talk to them, listen for things that they liked or didn't like about your product so that you can make improvements. If you're emailing back and forth, you can always ask them to use their words as specific positive feedback on your website.

I know this seems like a step that is overwhelming when you already have a booked schedule. But if you were to take even just 15 minutes a week and check in with some of your clients, imagine how that makes them feel. Even if it's just a voicemail message letting them know that you had a great time working with them and are there if they need anything else, you are communicating to them that you care. Your business relationship suddenly becomes more like a friend giving them the inside scoop.

Quick tip:

*When you call or email, make it about them. You were thinking of them because of what they could gain from your business. It should not sound like a sales pitch. Keep it fun and enthusiastic.

Homework: Start a follow up notebook and list out some of your loyal clients. Start small and build it up as you go. Make some goals for how you will keep in touch with them.