How do you keep your follow-up communications effective?

1 Why follow-up matters

Follow-up communication is not just a courtesy or a formality. It's a crucial step to establish trust, rapport, and credibility with your network. It shows that you're interested, attentive, and reliable. It also helps you reinforce your personal brand, demonstrate your expertise, and create opportunities for collaboration. Without follow-up, you risk losing the connection or being forgotten among the hundreds of other emails and messages your contacts receive every day.

2 When to follow-up

Timing is everything when it comes to follow-up communication. You don't want to wait too long or be too pushy. A good rule of thumb is to send your first follow-up message within 24-48 hours after the initial contact. This way, you can refresh their memory, express your appreciation, and suggest a next step. If you don't hear back, you can send a second follow-up message after a week or so, depending on the urgency and relevance of your reason. After that, you can follow-up periodically, but not more than once a month, unless you have a specific request or offer.

3 How to follow-up

The format and tone of your follow-up communication depend on the context and purpose of your interaction. You can use email, phone, social media, or a combination of them, depending on your preference and the expectations of your contacts. However, there are some general guidelines to keep in mind: be clear and concise; personal and professional; respectful and courteous; and helpful and valuable. When writing, don't write long paragraphs or ramble about irrelevant topics - get to the point quickly. Use bullet points, headings, or numbered lists to organize your information and make it easy to scan. Be polite and courteous - address them by name, thank them for their time, and don't make demands or impose deadlines. Show some personality and enthusiasm but don't be too casual or familiar. Finally, provide some value or benefit to your contacts - share useful information, resources, or insights that relate to their needs or interests. Give them a reason to reply or take action.

4 What to avoid

It's important to be mindful of common mistakes when communicating with your contacts to maintain a good reputation. Avoid sending too many or too few messages, as this can annoy or neglect your contacts. Additionally, be specific and direct in your messages, avoiding vagueness and ambiguity. Refrain from being negative or arrogant as this can offend and alienate your contacts. Instead, focus on building rapport and trust with humility and politeness. Find the right balance of frequency and purpose in your communication that suits the situation and relationship, including a clear call to action or question that prompts a response.

5 How to measure your effectiveness

The ultimate goal of your follow-up communication is to achieve a desired outcome, such as getting a referral, landing a meeting, or closing a deal. To measure your effectiveness, you should monitor your response rate and analyze your conversion rate. Additionally, review your relationship quality to determine if your messages are personal, professional, and trustworthy. A high response rate indicates that your messages are engaging, relevant, and compelling. Similarly, a high conversion rate suggests that your messages are persuasive, valuable, and convincing. Finally, a high relationship quality shows that you have established strong and lasting connections with your contacts.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?