COVID-19 has impacted so many aspects of our lives, and even if the current restrictions are lifted before Christmas, large events such as conferences are definitely off the agenda for 2021.
This means that in our day-to-day lives, we will continue to have less access to each other. Less access to the key stakeholders in your business and with the clients you worked so hard to attract in the first place.
If you don’t find ways to navigate this new normal and discover alternative ways to communicate with your clients so you can retain them – this could have a significant impact on your business.
The importance of touchpoints
We have grown so used to creating touchpoints every day that we barely noticed them until COVID changed the landscape. All those times you bumped into clients in building foyers and at cafes? The chats by the watercooler at work? All of these things were helping to make you memorable, keeping you in the minds of the people you need.
Touchpoints are vital when it comes to creating and maintaining client relationships. Statistics from the USA show that 68% of businesses lose clients because the client feels the business has become complacent about them. The client no longer feels valued, so they take their money elsewhere.
Without being able to meet face-to-face, it can be very easy for us to neglect our clients, assuming that they will still be there when things get “back to normal.” But who knows if things will ever get back to the way they were?
If COVID has affected your business in 2020, remember it has affected your clients. Budgets everywhere have tightened and your clients will be thinking extremely carefully in 2021 about where and how they want to spend their money. If we aren’t creating new touchpoints, our clients might simply decide we don’t care, and might choose to spend their money with our competitors.
So how can we recreate these touchpoints without meeting each other physically? In a way that doesn’t feel too contrived? We can use LinkedIn. When used right, LinkedIn can make your clients feel as if they have seen you in person. It can let your clients know that you still value them. It can even help you to display your professional expertise, letting your clients know they are in safe hands.
How can you achieve all this on one platform? Let me share some of my top tips with you.
~Business Game Changer Special Promotion~
Using LinkedIn to create touchpoints
1. Have a great profile
Your LinkedIn profile says so much about your professional identity. A well-crafted profile can be a way of networking with the people you need to reach during these times. It validates your expertise and provides some of those important touchpoints clients are looking for.
2. Post engaging content
Everyone likes getting something for free! When you post on LinkedIn, it gives you an opportunity to offer your connections something for nothing. Sharing your thoughts on emerging trends in your industry and having a weekly habit of publishing a piece of content around a client question is a great way of setting yourself up as an authority in your field.
It gives your clients the impression that you’re knowledgeable, and that you care enough about them to share your knowledge without expecting anything in return. This is more likely to promote loyalty.
3. Comment on other people’s posts
When you can’t meet in person, you can let people know that you are engaging with them in other ways. Commenting on someone’s post shows them that you have taken the time to read it, so they’ll feel noticed and rewarded for their effort. It also reminds them of you, which is vital for retaining clients.
4. Personalise invitations to connect
If you want to connect with someone new on LinkedIn, let them know why. Clicking ‘Add Note’ to personalise the invitation shows that you aren’t connecting with just anyone – you have actually selected that person for specific reasons. Providing you are not spamming or pitching, this makes them feel good as you have singled them out.
5. Share posts and articles with your contacts
If you find an article interesting, why not share it with others who might be interested in it, too? You can direct message posts or articles to your contacts on LinkedIn. If you found the content on LinkedIn, you simply click the three dots (see pic), then copy link and paste into a DM. If the article comes from elsewhere online, you can copy the URL into a direct message.
This is a highly effective way of letting clients know you’re thinking about them, and that you care about what they find interesting. You can also send clients links of what you have published. However, it is essential that you always personalise the messages, explaining briefly why you have sent them this particular article. Otherwise, you could come across as a spammer, and this is something we all need to avoid…
6. Use voice messages
LinkedIn allows you to record a voice message of up to one-minute long for any of your connections. This can be a great way of letting your clients know you are thinking about them – and given the increase in automation and use of chatbots on other sites – it certainly feels more personal and sincere than a written message.
As long as your voice conveys some warmth, a voice message is a great way of creating trust and loyalty, helping you to retain more clients in these distanced times.
Why LinkedIn is more effective than other communications
So, why should you use LinkedIn rather than phone or a zoom meeting? Because those conversations may feel contrived, or too formal. You’ll either sound desperate not to lose their business, or you won’t necessarily have a clear objective. It’s also easy on the phone to drift into small talk, making your clients feel you are wasting their time. Using LinkedIn keeps you focused – it’s a business tool, so this will keep the conversation related to business matters.
Using LinkedIn to attract and retain clients may take a little longer than meeting them face-to-face; it’s more like a nod on the street than the equivalent of a coffee. But we’re all getting used to new ways of working, and if you approach LinkedIn with a spirit of giving little and often, it can be even more efficient than meeting people in person. It’s less stressful than working the room at a networking event. And even better, it’s FREE!
So what have you got to lose?
Article by Karen Tisdell
About the author
An early-adopter of LinkedIn, Karen Tisdell recognised the platform’s potential when working as a recruiter. Foreseeing the importance of how business leaders are perceived online, Karen began her LinkedIn profile writing business. A decade on, she has written thousands of profiles for business owners and leaders. She lives in Sydney, Australia.
Karen@TisdellCareers.com
Ph (+61) 404 083 678
https://www.linkedin.com/in/karentisdell/
https://www.facebook.com/KarenTisdellLinkedIn
Twitter: karen_tisdell
