A Cheap, Easy Way to
Stay in Touch With Clients
By Guillermo Rubio

“Success comes from taking the initiative and following up …”
– Anthony Robbins

Despite the down-turned economy, AWAI Wall of Famer Malcolm Smith has seen a 20% jump in his income since last year.

Part of what makes Malcolm so successful is his ability to follow up with potential and existing clients.

Says Malcolm, “Not everyone is going to be ready to do business with you the first time you contact them. You have to follow up.”

So how do you keep in touch without becoming a nuisance?

Get creative …

It had been some time since Malcolm had heard from one of his clients. So he poked around the internet and found a very interesting article that was both relevant and useful to his client’s industry.

He printed it out, stuck a post-it note to it that said, “Thought you might find this interesting,” and then mailed it to his prospective client.

The result? He got an assignment!

While there are plenty of ways to stay in touch (phone calls, direct mail, in person, etc.), the best way is to get creative like Malcolm did.

Using Malcolm’s technique shows that you’re thoughtful and that you have your client’s best interest at heart. Plus, it sets you apart from most other copywriters who are vying for the client’s attention.

Of course, the challenge of taking this follow-up approach is finding relevant and useful information your client will appreciate. Here are a few tips that will help you do just that:

1. Google it. Whatever industry news you’re looking for, simply Google it. You’ll be likely to find at least one or more websites that have both interesting and useful content. These sites may include blogs, association websites, or even conventional news sites like USAToday.com.
2. Sign up for RSS feeds. Whenever you come across a website you think is useful, sign up for their RSS feed if available. By signing up, you’ll receive email notification of any new articles that get posted on that particular website.
3. Read trade magazines. You can search through trade magazines or their websites. Their articles will always be highly relevant and useful.
4. Sign up for free E-letters. If any of the websites you’ve found offer a free e-letter, sign up for it. It’s yet another great way to have content automatically delivered to you.
5. Use Google news and alerts. Go to news.google.com. Type in your industry of interest in the search bar. You’ll literally get hundreds of news items from around the world concerning that particular industry. Best of all, you can opt to receive Google alerts, which notifies you via email each time Google comes across a new news item that’s relevant to your chosen industry.

Another benefit of keeping a pulse on your industry with the tips above is that you’ll become very knowledgeable and know exactly what’s working and what’s not. This, in turn, will make you far more valuable to all your existing and future clients, and allow you to spot profit opportunities they might be missing out on.