The Best Way To Keep In Touch With Your Customers

This post is written by contributing author Genevieve Brazelton.

Are you sending email newsletters to your customers? Do you have an email list? I hope the answer to both is yes. While often overlooked, email is still one of the best ways to communicate and engage with customers both current and potential.

Photo: zilverbat

When someone gives you their email address they’re saying they want to hear what you have to say. They’re inviting you to connect with them in a much more direct way than Facebook, Twitter, or any other social media platform.

However what many people do is collect those email addresses and never use them. Or only send out one or two blasts when a big show or sale is coming up.

This person has said they want to hear more about you and from you, so tell them!

Send out newsletters that keep these interested fans up to date on new projects, new retail accounts, or simply share how things are going with your business and what you’ve been up to. Not every email needs to be a promotion. Remind them that you’re still out there making amazing things that would be the perfect birthday, graduation, wedding, or baby shower gift. Send a few of your favorite blog posts that they may have missed. Send short, simple emails 1-4 times a month to remind them how awesome you are and you’ll be sure to be at the top of their list next time they need what you’ve got to offer.

I encourage you to take it beyond the simple update and show announcement, let these fans know how much you value them by giving them something extra. This can be a discount or early preview of a sale or it can be an exclusive behind the scenes peek at your process or an offer to come visit your studio. Ask yourself what your ideal customer would be most excited by and give it to them.

If you provide interesting and valuable content not only will your subscribers look forward to your emails, but they’ll also share them with their friends and your list will continue to grow.

Set up a service like Mail Chimp to collect addresses directly from your website and make sure to have a sign up sheet whenever you do an in-person event. The service will also help you create professional looking emails that can be read on many platforms and make managing your list easy. An email service also makes sending automated emails really easy, maybe a thank you to all your new signups with a special gift or discount code.

Don’t let those email lists gather dust. Use them and you will see the rewards!

Genevieve Brazelton endlessly researches the newest ideas in creative and social media marketing so you don’t have to. Genevieve’s strength is her keen outside perspective and sometimes infuriating logic that puts structure to dreams and lays out paths to goals. She is also the business side of Lightbox SF. Read more about her here.

Connect to Genevieve via twitter or facebook.