The Importance of Staying in Touch

I got in the habit of writing letters when I was young. I’m not sure how old I was when my mom started sitting us down within a week or two after Christmas, telling us we needed to send thank-you cards to everyone who had given us a gift that year. (By “us,” I mean my two younger sisters and me.)

As an adult, I sometimes received letters like this from my nephews … which told me my sisters were training them well.

Nowadays, though, I think writing letters has become a “lost art.” HOWEVER, staying in touch goes far beyond writing letters!

Many Ways to Stay in Touch

Here are just a few examples of different ways to stay in touch:

• Sending Christmas cards once a year

• Calling a friend once or twice a month

• Sending a fun postcard at random times "just because"

• Emailing a monthly or bi-weekly newsletter to your clients

• Connecting with those clients every few months via email

?Like I said before, these are just examples.

KEEP YOUR EYES OPEN FOR OTHER CREATIVE WAYS TO STAY IN TOUCH!

Why IS Staying in Touch So Important?

I think the main reason to stay in touch is that people like to know you remember them.

Over the past 25-30 years, as the internet has continued to grow in its influence on our lives, people have gotten used to the impersonal nature of interactions with companies AND individuals (thanks, in large part, to social media).

You've probably received letters that, at first, look like they're from an individual since the name and address appear to be handwritten. But when you look more closely, you realize the envelope was actually mass-produced.

That's because companies know you're more likely to open an envelope that LOOKS like it was addressed by hand.

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If writing personal notes is difficult for you, think about it like this:

Reading a message from you in the form of a letter or note is really no different than hearing from you by phone. Either way, if the message is a positive one, the addressee will be glad to hear from you!

BONUS: With a letter or note, the recipient can read your message again later.

How Staying in Touch Benefits Your Business

My career as a virtual assistant (VA) started in May 2022, but 6 months later (in November), I stumbled across a program called VA School (led by Belinda Sandor ). Almost immediately, I latched onto two important pieces of advice she shared with us: STAY IN TOUCH WITH PEOPLE and START A NEWSLETTER.

I was surprised to hear that two simple tasks (at least, they seemed simple to me) could play such a pivotal part in the life of a small business.

I knew both of those tasks would be easy for me. I was already in the habit of staying in touch with the important people in my life, and publishing a newsletter was something I’d done before – about 15 years earlier, in an earlier phase of my business.

The difference THIS time around, however, was the concept of staying in touch with my subscribers … something I did NOT do with my old newsletter!

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Now, over a year after starting my NEW newsletter (Get Creative!), I can see why Belinda encourages her students to start sending out newsletters. I’m not the only one who feels that way, either. Most of the other VA's I stay in touch with from VA School agree that …

One of the best ways to stay in touch with your clients and customers is with an email newsletter.

Why Newsletters Help You Stay in Touch

Here are three reasons to consider starting a newsletter of your own:

• It “puts your name out there” each month, reminding subscribers who you are and what you do.

• It gives you a chance to share valuable information on a regular basis – info that can help your subscribers in THEIR business.

• When you personalize your newsletter with bits and pieces of your personal story (related to your topic), your subscribers get to know you a little better.

?An added bonus I’ve found is the “thanks” I sometimes get from my subscribers after I’ve sent them an email. And occasionally, those “stay-in-touch” emails result in a conversation that helps me understand my subscriber’s business better!

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As someone who creates a lot of content (and helps others with THEIR content), I’ve learned that the information we share with others has a greater impact when we combine it with the all-important ingredient of STAYING IN TOUCH.