Building relations with your existing clients, as well as your future clients, is a rather large part of business that goes uncultivated. It seems simple enough, but for some reason business owners fail to keep this in the forefront of their minds. This leads to leaving a large chunk of change on the table which would be better put to use in your pocket.

Let me break it down for you.

It doesn’t matter how your clients or potential clients came to your site – the point is they did.  They found you AND they like you well enough to opt-in for a mailing list or purchase something to be put on your mailing list. That says something.  It means you had that initial ‘it’ factor that made they pay attention. Now what? It’s your job to keep their attention.

Did you know that a single person is exposed to between 4,000 and 10,000 ads every day? Between websites, emails, social media, radio, print, billboards, direct mail and so much more – our eyeballs are getting fed a TON of marketing material.  Sounds like it could be a bit overload. But, it’s not going to stop. The objective is to keep your business ahead of all the others.

So when it comes time for your customer to find you again – or remember where they purchased the product they have…  do you think they are going to be able to remember or distinguish the difference between John Severson and John Smith or Evergreen Nursery and Greenshop Nursery? Do you think they are going to be able to make that distinction.  Even if it’s only a few months since they visited or purchased…  it’s difficult. But imagine if it’s seasonal. That’s a large gap to close. Especially with so many websites that look similar.

So what gives you a better chance of being remembered and revisited by your prospects?

This is where nurturing comes in. Now before you go too far and start saying “I don’t want to send my list too many promo emails, they will get mad.”  Let’s define what nurture is. Nurture is connecting.  Nurture is sharing tips and ideas that will benefit the end user.  Nurture is enduring you into the minds of your potential clients as someone who knows.. And cares. Nurture is creating a relationship.

Don’t you think you have a better chance of your prospects not only remembering you, but finding you when the time is right, if you nurture them? You are building a connection – a friendship.  People are more likely to buy from someone they have a connection with rather than a stranger.

Nurturing also needs consistency.  Consider doing a short tip email one day a week and a short “did you know” email one day a week.  The “did you know” email could be breaking news in your industry, changes in platforms or algorithms that affect your niche. It’s an email that is just making them aware.  

Then once a month you should be sending a newsletter. Your newsletter could announce upcoming events, engagements, new products or special promos. It should also include excerpts from your latest blogs.  All of these should have links for “more info” that lead them back to your website.  Remember to effectively use Call To Action in all your communications.