Customers on the Dark Side of the Moon

During the famous 1968 space flight of Apollo 13, Mission Control in Houston was unable to communicate by radio with the crew of the spaceship when it traveled around the dark side of the moon. This is similar to the voluntary approach businesses take with their customers, allowing communication with them to “go dark” between one sale and the next.

Before the emergence of the Internet as a means to promote businesses and their products, successful entrepreneurs did a great job of communicating with customers prior to the sale. They provided all the right information and often a compelling sales pitch to gain the customer’s interest and trust. Some went a step further by mailing out a newsletter to customers to keep them abreast of changes in the business and development of any new products and services. But in the weeks or months between one sale to a customer and the next, they often didn’t see the value in communicating with them. In fact, many successful businesses still do that.

Many business owners today don’t realize that their customers have changed the way they get their information about suppliers and the products they offer. It now comes less from print media, TV and radio and more often from the internet in the form of web visits, blog posts, e-mail and social media. It’s not enough in today’s economy to connect with your customer before the sale and maybe send them a Christmas card in December. Your future business success may depend upon how well you manage the relationship with your customer between sales.

So what does the in-between communication look like? E-mail your customers an engaging monthly newsletter. Publish a weekly blog filled with news and helpful advice. Post snapshots and graphics to Facebook and Pinterest and daily tweets on Twitter. By doing all that, you maintain a stronger presence in the mind of your customer. This kind of communication is called Content Marketing and it’s a cost-effective way to keep in touch with your customers as they travel around the proverbial dark side of the moon between purchases.

Executing a sustained Content Marketing Strategy can seem overwhelming for busy professionals trying to get products made, projects completed and orders shipped off. If you can’t seem to find the time or the creative capacity to develop content that will engage, educate, and entertain your customers, we can do it for you. Contact TD Business Services today to learn how at info@tdbizservices.com.