Let's assume you are a "good steward of data" and add the new contacts to your mailing list. What then?
Gone are the days when you could just send a newsletter every month to all your contacts and they were pleased as punch to get your updates. People, in general, are so overwhelmed by the "noise" that comes into their email box every day that you have to work harder to get above the noise level. But how do you do that?
In my opinion, the keys are being deliberate and having a good Customer Relationship Management (CRM) package.
We use Address Two, but it could be ANY one of the iterations out there. The trick is to find one and USE it. A good CRM tool will allow you to gather the details about your client/customer base so that you can send targeted updates customized to what someone is looking for.
It's kind of like the premise our parents used for discipline. You remember what that was don't you? We would misbehave, then they would activate the nerve at the base of our butts that sent the signal up our spines and to our brains to prevent us from performing the same misstep again.
Same premise, but with a little more accentuation on the positive. With a good CRM we are activating the "call to action" nerve to initiate contact from the customer based upon what we know they want.
Now I'm not going to lie to you. For this to work, you have to go deeper into your contact base and have a conversation with them. Find out what it is they want, and deliver it. Yes, it's that easy :)
So here is your action list:
- Find and use good Customer Relationship Management tool to house your data
- Make a personalized phone call to all these wonderful contacts you've gotten to reconnect and find out why you wanted each other's business cards to begin with.
- Send them information tailored to their needs.
