When it comes to relationship marketing and building solid business relationships with your audience, a certain amount of interaction is vitally important. But is there such a thing as TOO much interaction?
Let’s compare three different scenarios and audiences.
1. The lost cousin
Almost everyone has a long-lost cousin, friend, or acquaintance who you only hear from once a year in the form of a holiday card. Sure, it’s nice that they reached out, but communicating just once a year doesn’t give you a chance to stay up to date with their family news.
2. The roomie
Then you have your college roommate, who lives out of state but you only hear from him/her when there’s drama in their life or they need to vent about something. These are the people who are in touch more frequently than your cousin, but only when they need something – not because they have an interest in what is happening in your life.
3. The mom
And lastly, you have the mother who dropped off her 18-year-old daughter at college for the first time and who texts and/or calls every day, just to check on how things are going. Did she get to class on time? How’s the food at the dining hall? Do you like your roommates? What do you mean your books cost $800? Do you want us to come to visit for Parents’ Weekend?
Each of these real-life scenarios can translate to a business situation.
Small business owners or solopreneurs who don’t create and/or use their email list to communicate with their past customers more than once a year won’t create name recognition among their customers. They run a high risk of getting their emails deleted or marked as spam. One possible exception: seasonal businesses.
Business owners who only use their social media accounts or email accounts to promote their products and sales are only interested in making money from their audience. They don’t necessarily care about what their followers need at that moment in time. One possible exception: big box stores that offer coupons and other discounts.
Internet marketers and big box stores or companies who email every single day run the risk of annoying their audience and causing people to unsubscribe from their lists. One possible exception: business owners who follow leaders in their industry or who look forward to daily tips and/or affirmations from these leaders.
The bottom line is: you must know your market to know how often you should interact with them to build a solid relationship. There are always exceptions to every rule, and even within the same industries, different businesses will experience different responses to their communications tactics. Research your market, understand their pain points and create a solution for them.
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Tracey Lee Davis, founder of ZingPop Social Media, turns busy small business owners into online marketing rockstars! A social media expert and Certified Solution Provider for Constant Contact, she coaches entrepreneurs in how to grow their business using social media and provides total management for their email marketing campaigns. Tracey Lee is also a featured speaker for associations and business groups. She is Alignable's 2021 Local Business Person of the Year for San Jose, a Certified Content Marketing Strategist, and the Co-Owner and Vice President of the Women’s Networking Alliance. She also really, really loves cheese.