If follow-up marketing were easy, everybody would be doing it. But it’s not easy. It’s a real challenge!
First of all, you’ve got to carve out the time to keep in touch. (You, of course, have overcome this obstacle with Infusionsoft!) But secondly, you’ve got to know how, when, and how often to send your marketing pieces. And for most small business owners, this presents a problem.
You have Infusionsoft. So you have a lot of marketing power at your fingertips. But unless you’ve studied marketing, you may not know how or where to start.
In fact, one of the first questions our new customers ask is: what should my follow-up sequence look like?
Well, we’d love to answer that question. But follow-up sequences are going to be different for every small business. For one business owner, once a week is perfect. For another, every other day is ideal. You’ve got to figure that out for yourself. However, there are 5 things we suggest you do to create successful marketing sequences.
#1- Get Permission
Before starting any follow-up sequence, be sure your contacts WANT to receive the information you’re sending. Whether you include a checkbox on a webform, use a double opt-in, or collect business cards in a fish bowl, you need permission to market to each new contact.
If you’re using email marketing, getting permission isn’t just a good idea…it’s the law! To get the best response from your marketing sequences, double opting-in new contacts is your best bet.
#2 Survey Your Contacts
How often do your contacts want to hear from you? Well, you’re never going to know until you ask. Surveys are a great way to find out what your customers and prospects want. And although not every contact feels the same, a survey will help you gage the interest level in your marketing pieces.
#3 Observe What Others Are Doing
Chances are, someone in your industry is following up with their contacts. Add yourself to one of their marketing campaigns and see what they’re doing. How often do you receive messages? What form are the marketing messages coming in?
As a “prospect” or “customer”, ask yourself how you feel about the communication you’re getting. And then plan your sequences accordingly.
#4 Mix Educational and Sales Copy
Follow-up marketing sequences need to dance that fine line between providing your contacts with value, and asking them to buy. If you bombard your contact list with sales pitches, you’ll soon lose the interest of your prospects and customers. To keep them interested, you need to be providing your contacts with education, suggestions, tips and tricks of your industry…and once in a while…a sales pitch.
The more education and value you provide your contacts, the better your relationship will become. And you’ll soon find they don’t mind receiving your “pitches” either.
#5 Test Everything
No matter how great your marketing sequences may seem to you, sometimes you just miss the mark. Keep track of your marketing sequences. Pay attention to open rates on your emails. Chart the conversion rates of each sequence you put in place. Then be prepared to make a few tweaks to your marketing campaigns if you need to.
Tags: Marketing Tip
