A lot of businesses, and not just those in retail, are finding that the physical boundaries put in place by the ongoing global pandemic have been a major strain on their business. A lot of business owners and freelancers depend on their ability to maintain a relationship with their clients and that has, undeniably, been made a lot tougher.

It’s not impossible, however. Here are a few ways to keep those connections strong.

Ensure They Know How to Reach You

The first mistake that a lot of small business owners make is that they don’t realise how important it is for their clients to be able to reach out and get a response at any time. While you shouldn’t feel compelled to stay available outside of your business hours, your website should at least make it clear what those are. Your Contact Us page should be more than just a fill-in form that allows them to submit questions. That feels like a barrier is being put up between the client and you. At least provide an email address.

Make Yourself Welcome in Their Inbox

You don’t want to send so many emails that they start to feel spammy, but you want to make sure that you are at least sending out emails frequently enough to make sure that your client remembers you. There are plenty of email marketing tools that allow you to quickly and easily make great looking emails that you can send out to your entire contact list. Keep them up to date with changes to the business, deals to keep their interest, and general news that might affect them.

Have the Face-to-Face

Okay, so you might not be able to physically meet your clients face to face as you might want to. But that doesn’t mean that you can’t show your face. Meetings across the internet are being made easier than ever. Your clients don’t necessarily need to have something like a Zoom account or even a webcam, either. Live chat software allows you to show your own face even when they can’t show theirs. If your personality is what helps you sell your business, then make sure you’re given the room to show it off.

Get Their Opinion

It is likely that the past few months have been a transformative time for your business and you might not be entirely sure as to whether or not the transformations have been a welcome one to clients. In many respects, most people are going to prefer familiarity to change. But that doesn’t help you gauge whether or not you’ve been implementing helpful changes or bad ones when they are necessary. Consider using a feedback collection tool to get your clients’ opinion on how your business is currently going. Not only does it allow you some insight into what their needs are, but it makes them feel important and like their opinion matters, which makes them more likely to stick around.

More than anything, maintaining your relationships with your existing clients is going to require your time and attention. The tools above can help, but it’s on you to make sure that you’re present.