Communicating with Your Customers

One of the e-zines that I subscribe to is called , Communication Transformation. Felicia has inspired me to communicate with my customers in different and exciting ways that have impacted the low turnover of my e-mail list for my customers. As I continue to grow my customer base, it is always a challenge to provide content that will engage everyone and this is just one of the ways that I stay inspired to be creative when I contact my customers. Felicia recently started a Word Press blog in addition to her Communication Transformation website.

I hope this article inspires you to be communicate "creatively" with your customer base no matter if you are just starting or having a whopping subscriber list already!

Read on for a little communication inspiration! -Enjoy, Randi-Sue

Go Beyond the Basic Holidays and Communicate with Your Clients in Unexpected and Unique Ways

June is Effective Communications Month as listed in a reference guide called Chase's Calendar of Events. According to McGraw-Hill, current publisher of Chase's, this single reference source for calendar dates has been complied annually since 1957. The types of entries listed in Chase's include:

• Astronomical Phenomena like information about eclipses, equinoxes, solstices, moon phases.

• Religious Observances for Christian, Jewish, Muslim and Baha'i faiths as well as other religious events celebrated around the world.

• National and International Observances and Civic Holidays

• Special Days, Weeks and Months

• Presidential Proclamations such as Mother's Day, which has been proclaimed since 1914 by public resolution.

• Events and Festivals such as sporting events; book, film, food and other festivals; seasonal celebrations; folkloric events (Groundhog Day, for example); music outings and more make up these types of entries.

• Anniversaries of historic (creation of states, battles, inventions, publications of note, popular culture events, etc.) and biographical (birth or death anniversaries of notable personages) milestones.

• Birthdays Today of living celebrities and politicians.

Here is a list of a few upcoming dates for 2008 that may be of interest to you as an entrepreneur:

June: You already know June is Effective Communications Month, but did you know it is also Entrepreneurs "Do It Yourself" Marketing Month? You could post a series of blog posts about the most effective marketing techniques you have used in your business as a way to drive more traffic to your site.

July: Family Reunion Month. You could offer a special deal for family members who take advantage of your products and services - like a two for one or buy one get the second for a family member at 50% off.

August: National Inventors Month - You could hold a contest about who can design or invent something creative and new for your industry. Or if you have "invented" something, use August as the time to tell people about it in conjunction with the holiday of the month.

September: Library Card Sign-Up Month: You could give away a free e-book of your own to everyone to all people who can show you their new or current library card and a receipt that they checked out a library book.

October: You've probably heard October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, but it's also Self-Promotion Month where you could create a whole campaign about tooting your own horn in which you invite your happiest past and current clients to write testimonials about you and you share each, along with a brief tidbit of information that was helpful to that person and may also be useful to your readers, subscribers, or prospects.

Sure November has its Thanksgiving in the US and December has more than its fair share of holidays, but go for the unexpected. Have a look at Chase's today to see what messages you can plan ahead for.

You can find the 2008 edition of Chase's for all the holidays and events at your local library and see their website for more information.

Reprinted with permission: Copyright 2008 Felicia J. Slattery, Communication Transformation