How to Stay in Touch With Clients During the Pandemic

In the early months of this pandemic, B2B sales became less of a priority for many convenience services operators, and it became difficult to figure out the right approach. For many businesses, breakroom service changes had been put on the backburner as other operational items had been prioritized.

But just because things have been tough does not mean that they will not get better. It is more important than ever to stay in touch with your customers that may have put spend on hold, or reduced, during this time.

Besides the fact that staying in touch is just plain good business, competitors will be more anxious than ever to take market share, if they too have reduced sales. Here are some easy ways to stay in touch with clients and retain them, to impact the months to come.

Send ‘thinking of you’ email newsletters

E-mail newsletters have proven to be an effective way to communicate with prospects during normal times. They can also be a great way to stay in touch with prospects who have reduced their regular orders with you for the time being.

A 2019 study of 1,000 small business owners, conducted by Campaign Monitor, found that email marketing was ranked as the second most effective medium for building brand awareness. During this time, you want to build and maintain brand awareness in the minds of your past clients, current clients and prospective clients.

First, you’ll need a prospect list with emails.

In terms of content, it has become important to address the current crisis without overdoing it. Consider sending emails once or twice a month in the B2B space. It’s also crucial to differentiate your message from everyone else’s.

According to the Wall Street Journal, promotional materials using the term “in these uncertain times” have been repetitive and may seem insincere.

Use social media

Use social media to let your clients know what your company has been up to. Show them that not even a global public health crisis can slow your business down. Spread the word on how your business is innovating its offerings to match new client needs.

For example, many breakroom providers are offering vending machines with PPE necessities. Or, maybe your company is dedicating more time to work on new product offerings and marketing videos, or maybe more time is being spent on prospect qualification. No matter what your business is doing, your clients care.

Social media is a great way to accomplish this! Again, it is best not to overwhelm your prospects with content, but a few weekly updates will prove to be beneficial. Social media content, even if it is unrelated to the current circumstances, will serve as a reminder that your company is still doing great things. Even if your clients don’t read what you have to say, just seeing your company’s name pop up on their social media feed will prime them to think fondly of your company.

Provide promotions to reward returning clients

Everyone loves a good promotion, and that statement is even more true during these trying times. Give your clients a reason to come back! According to Teapot Creative, a design and digital agency, “A special discount or reward that can be used down the road provides a personal touch and makes you the first port of call when your services are back up and running.”

A promotion will make your client feel like you really care about having their business and will likely make them feel more inclined to come back once they are able to. You can tailor your promotions based on your breakroom offerings, but the promotion does not need to be substantial, either — even a small incentive will do the job.

We can only hope that we are moving closer to resuming normal business operations, but until then, it is important to stay in touch with your clients. Email newsletters, social media updates and promotions are a great way to do this!

While there is no telling whether your client base will look exactly the same on the other side of this pandemic, you can take these steps as a way to ensure some normalcy moving forward.