By Rebecca Davis

Develop a customer following and you could build a network of supporters who will purchase your products or services even if you change industries. The benefits could be huge. It could by why the process of developing a following isn’t easy.

Process to develop a customer following

People who follow you from book to radio to television are people who have generally had some level of one-on-one contact with you. Of course, the process takes time. Easier ways to develop a customer following are to:

• Send a weekly or monthly newsletter (at the least, distribute the newsletter once a quarter).
• Interview on the radio or television once a week or more (there are hundreds of online radio stations that you could schedule interviews on).
• Attend community events (i.e. festivals, seminars). Getting in-front of people so they put a face with a name and/or voice is important. The more people see you, the more they feel like they know you.
• Support those who support you. You could pull this off by following people at their social media networks, buying a supporter’s latest book (and letting them know how you enjoyed the book), spreading the word about a supporter’s upcoming event, etc.

• Write a weekly blog and open it for comments. As a tip, regularly review comments as there are automated systems that push spam comments with links to other websites. These automated systems might flood your comments with one spam post after another.
• Add freebies and giveaways in gift baskets that you showcase at industry related conferences and seminars. People who organize conferences and seminars often look for gift baskets and other giveaways to build interest in their events. Make sure that your company’s name and contact information, including website URL, are on freebies and giveaways. The easier it is for people to find and connect with you, the easier you can develop the right customer following.
• Mail holiday cards to loyal supporters (snail mail cost more, but packs a wallop).
• Email a Happy Birthday message to supporters. You can get supporters’ birthday information by adding month/day birthday fields to online forms.

Identify 10 to 20 people who you want to develop rich, ongoing relationships with. They could be successful business owners, prominent motivational speakers, media influencers or marketers. Send these followers private social media messages and personal emails. Give as much as you get. You may be surprised at how deeply these business relationships delve over time. These people could become your biggest supporters, the heart of your customer following.

Before long, you’ll realize that you develop a customer following with people you value. You develop a following with people you enter into rewarding give and take exchanges with. As with any worthy relationship, the process takes time. It’s worth it because the results are unending.