Keeping in touch with Clients

With the new tax year just around the corner there is no better time to get back in touch with your business clients. It’s important to start early to make sure your next financial year gets off to a winning start, and here at Inconnection we have put together some of the best ways to reconnect with clients. It’s vitally important to know when to reach out to clients as Accenture found 75% of B2B customers indicated that proactive service solutions are important.

The first step though, is finding out who you want to reach out to. Go through your backlog and see when you last interacted with each of your clients. You may find it’s been longer than you think since you last touched base and the last thing you want as a business is to be forgotten by your clients. So, let’s look through the different ways to keep in touch with clients and increase the chances of retention.

Be personal

Every business should build their CRM content with their clients’ most important information including transaction history, contact details, and organisational characteristics. But would you consider discussing personal information when you get in contact next? Such as asking about their families or hobbies.

This may seem odd, but it could be effective next time you reach out to ask how the kids are doing, or if they caught the latest game of their favourite team. It gives the interaction more depth than it would have had without this personal element. It’ll leave your client will feeling much less like a number being checked off a list and like two friends catching up together. This feeling of familiarity is much more likely to increase the chance of repeat business and advocacy.

Try MemMail

Thanking clients for their business can be as simple as a follow up email following a transaction but if you haven’t heard from a client in a while, it might be worth trying something a little different. The PCW found 90% of CEOs believe customers have the biggest impact on company strategies. That’s why it is important to go above your clients’ expectations to have the largest impact on their opinion towards your company.

At Inconnection, we offer a service called MemMail that allows you to create a custom, branded hampers to reach out to your clients. This is a great way to thank clients you’ve not heard from recently for their custom in the past or as a gesture to your best advocates. All finished off with a handwritten note with your message. That final personal touch adds more genuine sincerity that will last with your client, and they’ll think of you next time they are considering who they want to use for their next project.

Use branded merchandise

A more direct method of keeping your company in the mind of your clients is by sending them branded marketing. It could be as simple as a thankyou card or a gift that will be a physical reminder within the office like, pens, mugs, lanyard, or anything really. The more relevant to your business the better and now it’s possible to get practically anything branded.

You do want to be careful with this approach and use it tactfully as in excess it can feel cheap or disingenuous. The best way is to put some deep thought into making sure the promotional merchandise you settle on is original, exciting, and really showcases your company values.

Have a go at hospitality

Consider inviting your key stakeholders or best clients to a hospitality event. It’s a great way to catch up with those important to your business whilst bonding over great sports or live music. In Spring we start to see more and more hospitality events popping up and it’s the best time to start planning.

We know it can be a handful setting up a hospitality event which is why you can leave it up to us. Check out our hospitality calendar here and if you get any ideas don’t wait to speak to us and we can arrange everything for you.

Send Newsletters

Newsletters are a fantastic way to keep in contact with your client base even if it isn’t aimed at specific clients. This is something that should be built into the regular marketing of your company as it works as a reminder your company is still active. The DMA reports this year’s figures reveal email continuing to lead the way for most marketers with 75%.

Newsletters are an important part of a company’s email plans, being an effective tool to tell your clients about your recent work, include testimonials, and showcase blogs that are relevant to your business ideals. If you pop up in your clients’ emails, they are more likely to think of you when they might be in need of your services or products.

Invite clients to an event

The scope of event possibilities is huge, and they are a fantastic opportunity to foster closer bonds with clients. In fact, Bizzabo found 85% of Senior Managers, Executives, and Board Members believe in-person events are essential to their company’s success. It’s a good idea to start by trying to find out some events that would be of interest to your best advocates and organise something to keep in touch with them. It can also work as a networking event, allowing those in your web of contacts to interact and build their own relations with each other. If event organising isn’t your business forte, you can contact us and we will sort everything out from beginning to end to ensure you have a success event.

Show appreciation

It's important to show customers and clients you appreciate their business. If someone choses to use your services, buy your product, or refers a friend to you, make sure you recognise and show your gratitude for their custom.

This one can be as straightforward as a follow up phone call thanking them for their patronage. A phone call gives that personal feeling and allows you to create closer bonds with clients. A reinforced relationship between your business and the client for the future is more likely to result in higher client retention.

Maintain regular meetings

If you have a good relationship with your client don’t shy away from setting up a meeting to catch up. This could virtual, in the office, or even at a specific business meeting venue. Meetings are the ideal time to discuss plans for your business and new products in the pipeline, whilst using it as a tool to gauge the interest of your clients. You could even find you get enquires directly following a meeting or discover alternate ways your clients could be benefiting your business.

Holding face to face meetings is also a great way to increase advocacy in your employees and clients with the GreatBusinessSchools finds 85% of people stating in person meetings and conferences build stronger, more meaningful business relationships. It is important to plan your meeting properly though to ensure maximum cost-benefit. If you are concerned about how to host an effective meeting speak to us and we will make sure everything runs smoothly to ensure the best results possible.

While we have offered a variety of options on how to stay connected with your clients only you know your clients well enough to understand what will suit them best.

Every client is individual and what may suit one won’t be the best choice for another, and if you want us to help with organising the perfect event or sending some MemMail in appreciation don’t hesitate to contact us.