When it comes to relationship marketing and building solid business relationships with your audience, a certain amount of interaction is vitally important. But is there such a thing as TOO much interaction?
Let’s compare three different scenarios and audiences.
Almost everyone has a long lost cousin, friend, or acquaintance who you only hear from once a year in the form of a holiday card. Sure, it’s nice that they reached out, but communicating just once a year doesn’t give you a chance to stay up to date with their family news.
Then you have your college roommate, who lives out of state but you only hear from him/her when there’s drama in their life or they need to vent about something. These are the people who are in touch more frequently than your cousin, but only when they need something – not because they have an interest in what is happening in your life.
And lastly, you have the mother who dropped off her 18-year-old daughter at college for the first time and who texts and/or calls every day, just to check on how things are going. Did she get to class on time? How’s the food at the dining hall? Do you like your roommates? What do you mean your books cost $800? Do you want us to come visit for Parents’ Weekend?
Small business owners or solopreneurs who don’t create and/or use their email list to communicate with their past customers more than once a year won’t create name recognition among their customers. Email is absolutely the best way to stay in contact with current customers and make them feel special. If you only email once a year, you run the high risk of getting your emails deleted or marked as spam. One possible exception: seasonal businesses.
Business owners who only use their social media accounts or email accounts to promote their products and sales are only interested in making money from their audience. They don’t necessarily care about what their followers need at that moment in time. Your emails should provide helpful information AND solutions to the problems your audience faces. One possible exception: big box stores who offer coupons and other discounts.
Companies who email every single day run the risk of annoying their audience and causing people to unsubscribe from their lists. This is the other end of the spectrum from emailing too infrequently. One possible exception: business owners who follow leaders in their industry or who look forward to daily tips and/or affirmations from these leaders.
You must know your market to know how often you should interact with them to build a solid relationship. You must also know what is important to them and what will help them achieve their personal or professional goals. There are always exceptions to every rule, and even within the same industries different businesses will experience different responses to their communications tactics. Research your market, understand their pain points, and create a solution for them.
I have released the newest in my series of Blueprint for Success free downloads. In the Blueprint for Success: Email you will find 21 tips for taking your small business email marketing to the next level. Get it here.
To your success!
Laura
If you are not currently using an email marketing program, I recommend Constant Contact. It's a great tool for small businesses - easy to use, great list management tools, and helpful metrics for tracking your results. Click here to get a free trial.
P.S. If you are a small business owner (or want to be one), whether you are just starting out, or have been in business for awhile, I hope you will become part of the Next Level family. Visit our Facebook page (www.Facebook.com/NextLevelAd) for tips, tools, and resources to help grow your business. We now have a Facebook Group, Next Level U, for those who are interested in joining a private community of small business owners and marketers.
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Laura Olson-Oxley is an entrepreneur, coach, speaker, marketing and business consultant, and sales professional. She has over 25 years experience working with small businesses in a variety of industries, focusing on strategic business growth through effective marketing and advertising. Also a strategist, numbers nut, project manager, and life-long learner, Laura looks at the big picture to analyze and recommend the most effective tools to take businesses to the Next Level.
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