Finding a prospect via social media, online advertisements, or traditional advertising is only the first step in the cycle of converting that prospect into a customer.
Next, you must demonstrate enough value to convince your new prospect to provide his or her contact information, so you can build a relationship with that person over time.
In The Constant Contact Guide to Email Marketing, Eric Groves, Senior Vice President of Global Marketing Development for Constant Contact, calls this the Constant Contact Cycle:
-Acquire
-Connect
-Inform
-Grow
In the Connect stage, your job is to "...effectively demonstrate the value of your business to your newly acquired prospect." Groves suggests a number of ways to do this, including "be ready to respond" and "add value when asking to continue the dialog."
Responsiveness is key. As Groves puts it, "When your acquisition marketing gets someone's attention, you usually only have one shot to make a connection." One of the most important elements in responsiveness is to make sure your Website is configured to take advantage of traffic from your prospects. In Groves' words, "you can set up different landing pages for your ads or just give people relevant links so they can quickly find and sigh up for the information they are most interested in."
When you (or your Website) asks a prospect for his or her email address, it is important to offer added value for this consideration. "Your list," says Groves, "should be an extension of your business value."
One of the best suggestions in the book is to make a list of all your favorite small businesses, and then write down what makes your connection with each business worthwhile. This exercise can help you develop an entire program to connect with your prospects or customers.
A good connection is essential for the next step in the process--Inform--which we will address tomorrow.
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PerAspera Consulting, LLC is a Constant Contact Business Partner. Sign up for a free 60-day trial, or get a copy of The Constant Contact Guide to Email Marketing at amazon.com.
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