Five Stages of Effective Marketing Communication
Coughlin Printing explores various was to communicate with potential clients through every stage, from marketing to invoicing.
How to Communicate with Your Community
Effective communication is essential, whether you’re working with a business, service provider, or non-profit organization. Make it easy for the community to support you! From the initial marketing stage to invoicing and post-sale follow-up, there are numerous opportunities to engage with customers and build long-lasting relationships.
Let’s start at the beginning of the sales funnel: marketing.
Marketing: Social Media, Email Updates, And More
Engage with your target audience! This is the stage where you share the good news about products and services – and do it with strategy. Marketing strategies can include social media campaigns, monthly email newsletters, a direct mail campaign with a coupon, a radio or TV commercial, a vendor booth at a trade show, submitting press releases to local news organizations, and so much more.
Include a call to action with each piece, and keep your website updated so potential customers can find more information whenever they’re ready.
Sales: Phone Calls And Meetings
What’s your organization’s next step to interacting with a potential client once they’ve expressed interest in the product or service? Be prepared to give more information to truly showcase the value of your company, whether that’s through a phone call, meeting, or good old-fashioned face-to-face conversation. (We have an online calendar so clients can schedule a meeting whenever they want!)
It can feel like you’re answering the same questions, over and over. Evaluate and change the information that’s available to people, if needed.
Service: Make the thing!
Whether it’s a single transaction for a one-time service or an ongoing project that will require multiple meetings, this is the part where someone has decided to trust your company and become a customer. Time to do the work! Make sure the process is clear for everyone from the beginning. At Coughlin, we utilize a ticket submission system to ensure we have all the necessary information for a print job or website design, a proofing system to ensure the design is perfect, and various systems to communicate between departments and offices. A lot of communication happens behind the scenes to make it easy for a customer to pick up their business cards or booklets!
Invoicing: Clear Payment Terms and Automated Reminders
When it comes to invoicing, it’s important to be transparent about payment terms and deadlines. This can help avoid confusion and ensure that payments are made on time. Additionally, setting up automated payment reminders can be an effective way to ensure clients pay their invoices promptly. This is NOT the time for surprises. Don’t spoil the experience with inefficient communication about payment!
Post-Sale: Follow-Up Emails and Referral Requests
Keep engaging with clients and building relationships. Sending follow-up emails to ask for feedback and provide additional resources can help show clients that you value their business. Additionally, asking satisfied clients for referrals can be an effective way to generate new business and expand your client base. At Coughlin, we include a review card with each order. Our stack of cards is collated with a mix of designs directing people to a specific site, which will keep reviews fresh on a variety of platforms.
Long story short: make sure people have access to the right information at the right time. Modify the process as you learn about new procedures and platforms! When clients have a good experience, they’ll be happy to come back in the future. Keep up the good work!
Shameless plug: Coughlin can make all the things! We’d love to help with your social media marketing, website redesign, or next print project.
