We all know the old saying, “it’s easier to keep a client than to gain a new one,” but with our businesses closed, how do we keep our most important community members engaged and interested? After all, when this is all over, we will want them to be booking with us and telling their friends how brilliant we are.
Here are a few ways to keep clients (and others) engaged:
Emails
With advanced digital marketing platforms so prevalent, email seems almost old-fashioned. But it is still the most commonly used form of communication apart from the one-on-one conversation. Of course, most emails from businesses are completely pointless (evidenced by low open rates) because they serve no real purpose other than to promote the business.
Right now, our clients are going through something incredibly strange. What they are experiencing now hasn’t happened in over 100 years, and is unlikely to be repeated for another century. They will most likely feel isolated, possibly afraid and definitely restricted. A good email message will consider those feelings and seek to alleviate or validate them.
Don’t just use email as a tool to remind them you exist, talk with them honestly about what you are going through, or give them some advice on what they can do while treatments aren’t available. Perhaps bring them into a small group of loyal clients who will receive offers as soon as the clinic is open again, or tell them what your plans are after COVID-19.
Social Media
With Facebook and Instagram, it seems like everyone in our industry is doing it the same way. Unfortunately, this means that people tend to keep scrolling, rather than pausing to evaluate a post. There is plenty of science on digital engagement, and it’s estimated that we have 0.5 seconds to gain the attention of a scroller before they move on.
There is no trick to social media, apart from best practice – hashtags, captions, keywords etc – except creating something that impacts your target audience directly. If you have a clearly defined buyer persona, you can think about the type of imagery or video that will engage the audience and force them to stop scrolling.
With social media, a little bit of thought makes for a whole lot of effectiveness.
YouTube
Google loves YouTube, so you should too. If you’ve got some spare time, how about creating some useful video content for your clients? For you, the wins will be many:
- Improved search engine optimization (SEO) performance when videos are embedded on your website as well.
- Increased engagement – audiences spend more time on video than any other medium on earth.
- The opportunity to engage a broader audience by creating highly shareable content.
If any content on the digital landscape can be defined as vital, it’s video.
Importantly, the best engagement ideas are not generic and are most likely to be unique to you. You know your clinic, your clients and your audience better than anyone else so put aside some time and think about what type of content would be useful and interesting to them.
