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Many small business owners know keeping in touch with their contacts is an important part of their marketing plan. But for most, keeping in touch is a sporadic effort. Sending birthday cards or an e-mail newsletter is something that can be done "later." The problem is "later" never comes. Small business owners need to build a marketing calendar that includes when and how each person (or group of people) is going to be contacted. The best way small business owners can keep on top of their contact efforts is to have some type of system in place. The system should be as easy and as automatic as possible. There are many software tools you can use to organize your contacts. Microsoft Outlook and Excel are great programs. With either of these, you can merge with Microsoft Word to create phone lists, mailing labels and personalized letters. More sophisticated contact management programs you can purchase include ACT! and Goldmine.

Marketing Tools for Keeping in Touch

There are a variety of different marketing tools small business owners can use to keep in touch. Here are just a few ideas.

E-mail newsletters are a great way to communicate with a large group of people. There are many web-based companies that can help you with newsletter creation and distribution. Use e-mail newsletters to provide product information, announce sales, and promote special events.

Real greeting cards (the kind that come in an envelope with a stamp) are great marketing tools to use at Christmas, birthdays and other times of the year. In fact, the best time a small business owner can send a greeting card is when there is no real reason to send a card! A card sent in July will be more memorable than one sent in December.

Savvy business owners know that phone calls, personal visits and lunches are always appreciated. The key there is to remember the marketing message when scheduling those calls or visits. Yes, having coffee with a long-term client is great. But be sure to let the client know that you have a great new product that can dramatically help him or her. Too often business owners get wrapped up in the social aspect of personal visits and forget to ask for more business! The most important part of any system is using it regularly. If you are very busy, or have a hard time working with schedules, you are better off delegating or outsourcing. If you have an assistant, that person can print letters, write e-mails, even sign Christmas cards for you. That leaves you free to work on other areas of your business. If you need help, outsourcing is the answer. There are a number of local and on-line services that help business owners with their marketing. Or, try using a virtual assistant. The marketing money you spend to outsource these routine tasks will be repaid many time over with the new business you get. Remember -- Automation is the key to a successful system. The less work you have to do, the more likely it is to be done on time, and the more likely you are to get referrals!