One of the websites I run is www.QuiltingBusiness.com. This is a site I’ve had for over six years now (it might even be seven years), and it’s dedicated to helping quilters turn their passion for quilting into a full- or part-time business. This is a classic information product website with a blog that tries to help quilters with their business-building questions.
I have over 6,000 quilters on an email list for Quilting Business, and I’ve developed a very good relationship with the list. Well, in actuality, I had developed a good relationship but I let it lapse through neglect. I hadn’t emailed the list a real-time email (I do have an autoresponder sequence) for over 18 months. That’s right… a good year and a half.
Late last week, I decided to try and re-connect with the Quilting Business list, so I’m in the process of “warming up” the list. Warming up is all about re-engaging that relationship that existed so the community can be brought back to life. I can’t just pretend that I was there all along, supporting the community. I need to take my lumps, explain why I was gone, and try to get back into their good graces by delivering some great content and really finding out what they want the Quilting Business community to be about.
If you’ve built a good rapport with your list (and remember… you NEED an email list for your small business), then warming up your list after an absence – short or long – is a great way to build upon your relationship and “take it to the next level.” So, here’s what I’m doing to warm up my list:
- Apologize and Explain: Just like a relationship with a spouse or parents, sometimes you need to take your lumps and apologize for your bad behavior. And, since they will want to know, explain why the behavior happened. In my case, I got caught up in my corporate job and felt I didn’t have the time. This is, or course, not really true as I seemed to remember quite a bit of television viewing in the 18 months I didn’t email.
- Start to Re-Engage: Just like an old high school buddy you haven’t seen for 20 years, you just can’t start back in with your email list like you never left off. You need to get to know each other again, and find out what’s changed over the months (or years). I’m using a poll and asking questions about what the quilters would like to see on the site, and finding out what kind of questions they have that I can answer.
- Don’t Show Up Empty-Handed: You need to not only re-engage, but give them some gifts that help to show you are sincere about re-establishing that relationship that has lapsed. In addition to finding out what they want, I’m providing answers to their questions and am also developing a quilt pricing spreadsheet to help them with their most frequently asked question (“How do I price my quilts?”).
- Be Consistent: Now comes the hard part. I’m rekindling the relationship, but now I have to show I’m committed. I can’t lapse into silence again, or they may never believe me. I have to make some promises about how often I communicate and the types of information I will provide, and then I will have to stick to the schedule. And, when I’m going to be away on vacation or taking care of an emergency, I need to let them know ahead of time or just send a quick note.
- Go Above and Beyond: Finally, if I want to keep a great relationship, I need to go above and beyond the call of duty. Instead of just “phoning it in,” I need to deliver great content on a consistent basis, and surprise them with the quality and quantity. I’m planning on selling some useful tools to this community, but in order to keep their trust, everything I do must be top-quality. No skimping allowed!
If you follow these steps with your own community and email list, you can start to reap the benefits that come from having a great relationship with your community, and eventually, your customers.
