March 18, 2021 5 min read
The opinions expressed by the entrepreneur’s contributors are their own.
In the last 20 years or more, email has become the standard form of communication for reaching customers. Specifically, ask any marketer over the past 10 years and they’ll say one of the most important things a business should focus on is building their (email) list.
Snail mail is just too slow, and this fast-paced world makes a classic phone call unrealistic – what, are you going to call each person on your list individually? Or worse, will an automated bot interrupt its day with a phone call that has no actual communication?
But now e-mail is also reaching an upper limit. Does your email go to the SPAM folder? Is it their “junk” email address that they use to subscribe to all mailing lists? Is it lost between an advertisement from your favorite clothing store and a digital copy of your phone bill?
Related Topics: The 5 Best Digital Marketing Tools To Understand Your Customers
I don’t think it’s time for us to ditch email entirely – especially when it comes to conveying information to your warm audience – but if you’re really trying to keep in touch with your existing customers, you will maybe one of them try out these increasingly popular options.
Related: 6 Tips On How To Engage Your Customers Via Social Media …
Relaxed
Everyone in the B2B world knows Slack by now – and for good reason. Slack’s no-nonsense interface is perfect for communicating with all of your customers at the same time, or for sending messages to people in specific groups by sorting them into different channels. If you love the flexibility of list segmentation, you will appreciate the functionality of Slack.
Personally, I like to use Slack as my general hub for connecting with my mastermind customers. We have different channels to ask questions, share profits, and make announcements for my team that everyone needs to see. I’ve also created private channels for each member to have direct access to myself and my team to schedule calls and share documents that don’t need to be shared with the whole group.
Even better? Slack can be used in three ways: in your browser, in a desktop app, or with a mobile app.
Facebook groups
This one has its pros and cons, but it’s definitely a contender worth debating! While most people use Facebook groups as a strategy for growing a free community of warm leads, using a Facebook group can be just as easy as using the home of your paid community.
On the plus side, a Facebook group gives you a lot of different ways to communicate with the people in your community. Live videos, photos, GIFs, polls, posts – your options are almost limitless. And with Facebook, you can create modules and lessons within groups and easily sell and host an entire group program or online course within a Facebook group (saving you hundreds or even thousands per year in hosting fees for courses with a system like save Teachable or thoughtful).
Of course, the obvious downside to this option is that you need to have a Facebook account to join a group and your customers may not have a Facebook account. (Give “people who are leaving Facebook” a quick search – there’s a lot of movement away from the platform right now.)
Telegram and Voxer
These two apps are almost identical in terms of functionality: they’re both messenger apps that allow you to send and receive voice messages in real time like a walkie-talkie. You can use this like a classic personal one-to-one message, or you can create a group message that includes all members of a thread.
While Voxer is more basic in its very orange user interface, Telegram will be the first choice for creatives and millennials who value personalization and expression.
Personally, I like to use these types of apps to communicate with my top clients who get a more intimate and personal approach to me. They love to hear my thoughts on various things they encounter in their business without waiting for a formal group call or one-on-one meeting, and I love to share my insights in a faster and more efficient way that also does may benefit other customers in this group who may have the same problems or questions.
Instagram close friends
This may seem like a surprising choice, but it’s growing in popularity as an alternative to Facebook groups. You can’t host a class on Instagram for free like a Facebook group, but you can still provide your customers with a fun, exclusive place to keep up to date.
I’ve seen this strategy work best for digital developers, especially podcasters or YouTubers. If you use Patreon to collect membership fees from your audience, you can have each user fill out a quick Google form so that when they sign up they get their Instagram access to get access to your exclusive content. After that, go to your Instagram settings, tap “Close Friends” and from there you can press the + to add new accounts to your close friends list. You don’t even have to follow an account to add them to your list!
This is a fun way to take something you’re already doing (create content) for an audience that is already consuming it and monetize it!
Related: 10 Innovative Ways To Delight Your Customers
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