When most business owners hear the word marketing, they think of various things they can do to help increase future sales.
From regularly engaging with customers on the different social media platforms to taking out paper ads, and everything in between, there are a number of actions a business can take pre-sale to get prospective clients more interested in making the buy.
But what about marketing your business after the fact, after the client has already come in for a massage or purchased some of the products you sell? What is the value in that?
Benefits of Follow Up Marketing
Have you ever done business with a company, only to have them reach out to you after the transaction to make sure you’re happy with their products or service? If you have, then you already know that this can make you feel appreciated and valued, like the business cares about you on a personal level versus just being someone they earn revenue from.
When a company goes through the effort to reach out to you post-sale, you’re also probably more inclined to use them in the future because it shows that they have stellar customer service. It also provides a great opportunity to ask any questions that you may have or to inquire about their offerings, further enhancing their experience.
From a business owner’s standpoint, this can help strengthen the relationship with the consumer while also giving you the ability to further sell your goods and services. But how do you do it?
Follow Up Marketing Tips
To help you create an effective follow up marketing campaign, we’ve reached out to several experts in this particular field. Here are some of the tips they had to offer.
Be timely and personalized
Deborah Sweeney, CEO of MyCorporation, a service that assists with various business needs ranging from name availability searches to creating annual reports, says, “Through my experience, the most effective follow-up marketing is timely and personalized to the individual’s needs.”
“Whether you are following up through email, a phone call, or tweeting on Twitter, you should be circling back with the customer you were chatting with in a timely and personalized manner to see if they have any additional questions or need anything else,” she adds.
This timely and personalized response may involve sending an email a few days after a massage session to see how the person is feeling and if they are ready to schedule their next massage. Or, if they reached out to you on social media with a question, respond within a reasonable amount of time so they know that you saw their message and feel like you care enough to quickly address their needs.
Put it in your own handwriting
James Pollard is a marketing consultant who works specifically with financial services professionals at TheAdvisorCoach.com, and he says, “Whenever I have a conversation with a potential client and I see a good fit, I send a handwritten note. It’s just something simple—a little thank-you card that explains how much I enjoyed speaking with them and that I hope they allow me the opportunity to help them grow their business.”
What type of response does this approach elicit? “I can’t tell you how many times I’ve gotten calls after people receive this note and tell me that I’m literally the only person in my space who has sent them a follow-up like that,” says Pollard. “That lets them know that I really care and that I’m the real deal. It’s incredibly effective.”
While you may not be able to follow up with every client with a handwritten note, maybe you could send one to new clients after they’ve come in for their very first time, thanking them for choosing you as their massage therapy provider.
Another option would be to send a quick note to any client who purchases a certain amount of oils, lotions, or any other products you sell, just as a way to say thanks and to let them know that you’re there if they have any questions about them.
Recap your last conversation
Sacha Ferrandi, founder and CEO of Source Capital Funding, Inc., a California hard money lender, says that another positive follow up marketing approach is, after having contact with a client, whether in-person or via email, “providing a detailed recap allows the recipient to effortlessly recall the conversation.”
This approach would work well if you have an in-depth conversation with a client about what types of massage offer which types of benefits or what particular products may help them with a specific health need. The more effortless you make it for the person to recall what you said, “the more likely you are to receive a positive response,” says Ferrandi, which may include purchasing that type of massage session or a product that you sell.
Provide additional value
“I have also experienced success highlighting unique and valuable information,” says Ferrandi. “The recipient might already know the basics about your products or services from the previous conversation; however, showcasing how your products or services differ from the competition may be all it takes to get them to reply.”
Chenell Tull, director of marketing with Conversion Owl Marketing, agrees and says that additional value can also be added by doing something as simple as “showing them an article on best practices for what to do after they’ve gotten a massage. This could include tips on what to do when you get another massage, how to make the most of your time there.”
Automate your follow ups
“E-mail automation is an effective tool to improve conversions and maintain customer engagement,” says Kelley Lauginiger, digital content strategist for American Freight Furniture & Mattress. “By segmenting and automating e-mails to follow up after a specific period of time has passed, and then sending them at different times of day, you may reach people that originally overlooked or missed your email promotion the first time.”
For instance, if someone signs up on your website to receive your monthly newsletters, you could send an automated response that explains how they can easily go to your website to schedule their next appointment or telling them to contact you if they have any questions.
This type of automation can potentially be achieved via your website, if the platform you use offers that as an option, or you may be able to do it directly from your email. For instance, if you have a Gmail account, you can use Gmail Auto Responder. You can also use a marketing automation services such as Mail Chimp to provide your follow up responses.
Strengthen the Bond
Touching base with your customers after you’ve already made the sale is a great way to strengthen the bond they have with your practice. This puts you in the position where, in the future, you’re likely to become the only practice they’re willing to do business with.
Christina DeBusk is a freelance writer dedicated to providing readers relevant, research-backed content related to health and wellness, personal development, safety, and small business ownership.
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