A big focus of sales marketing is ensuring your existing customers come back to you. They have already used your products or services, so already trust you, and know you and like you. Not only are they likely to work with you again, they’re also likely to refer you to people in their network, growing your client base.
Spending time on your existing clients will also ensure they’re not forgotten, even when you’re pushing to bring in new clients, reducing the chance they will switch and increasing referrals.
Repeat business is about loyalty. By providing an excellent customer service experience and helping your clients, you set the foundation for loyalty. Building it requires paying attention to them and staying in touch.
Here are some easy and effective ways you can keep in touch with your existing clients, which shows them they’re still important to you and encourages them to keep using your accounting services.
Stay in touch with your existing clients while reaching out to new ones by using your social media profile to post topics of interest to your clients, while engaging people who don’t yet work with you.
Depending on where your clients are, you’ll probably want to have an account on:
Or any other social media your clients tend to be on.
You can also take social media engagement one step further by:
Sending out email blasts (an email message to all your customers at once) can be an effective way to market yourself efficiently to a large group of people.
Your longer-term customers, however, deserve special attention. Keep track of important dates and send them a personal message.
You could:
Your existing clients are also a wealth of information for you. Their longer-term knowledge of your firm means they have insights into what works well for them, and what could be improved. Reach out to them as a long-term client seeking their advice.
For example, you could send an email asking them to provide feedback on specific services you offer and what additional services they would benefit from you offering. Make it tailored to them. Ask “Based on your long-standing experience with us and your insights in your industry, we’d love to have your feedback on our services related to _____.”
Ask them if there are specific problems they’re facing with their accounting or finances that you can help them with. Inquire about how their business is doing and what they might need some advice on.
And of course, send them reminder emails on important dates to book appointments with you.
If you send out mass communications, it’s still a good idea to segment them, at least into prospects, dormant customers (those who have used your services but haven’t been in touch for a while) and existing customers. Your new customers might be enticed by different services or different information than your existing ones.
For example, prospects might want to hear how easy it was to work with you the first few months, or the immediate impact your accounting services had on a new client’s margins. Dormant customers need a more personal touch than prospects but don’t require as much attention as long-term customers. They might benefit from an email requesting feedback or a “We miss you” email. Longer-term clients might be more interested in additional services you offer, or how they can better streamline their accounting.
Don’t be afraid to pick up the phone and call your best clients every once in a while. Voice contact is especially meaningful during times when everything has moved to email, text and social media.
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Many clients love to be featured, or to be asked to share their tips and strategies. If you write a blog or have a website, consider featuring your clients on it. Ask if you can write a case study about them or see if they’ll write a guest post for your blog. Feature them in a video, if you use videos in your marketing.
Show your clients that you value them and understand them by getting to know what their target market is and introducing them or recommending them to people in that market. You can also get to know people who would be valuable to them, such as other service providers, distributors or anyone else whose goods or services they might need.
Being known as a referrer increases the chances of people referring you to others in their network, and it helps you grow your network.
Tailor these templates to keep in touch with your existing clients.
Long-term client relationships require trust and that requires communication. Make sure you keep in touch with your existing clients so they are encouraged to continue working with you, and so they refer people in their networks to you as well.
