You will be able to keep clients connected between events without much effort.
After Wei Ling's breakfast, one of the practice managers suggested starting a WhatsApp group "so we can keep in touch." Everyone agreed. For two weeks the group was lively: people shared tips on rostering, asked about a supplier, joked about difficult patients. Then it went quiet. A month later, someone posted a forwarded chain message about a health scam, someone else posted an advert for her cousin's tuition centre, and two people left.
Groups and newsletters can keep clients connected between events. They can also become one more source of noise in an already crowded phone. The difference is almost entirely in what you decide at the start.
There are two common ways to keep clients in touch between events. A small group chat, on WhatsApp, Telegram or a LinkedIn group, lets clients talk to each other and to you. A newsletter, by email or as a regular message, lets you share something useful with all of them at once, without them needing to interact.
Either can work, if it adds value. Neither is required. The question to ask is: would your clients be better off with this than without it? A group of practice managers who face the same problems and rarely meet peers might well be. A group of young couples who barely know each other and are busy with babies might not; for them, an occasional useful email might be better. And for some client groups, neither makes sense, and the right answer is to stay in touch one to one and see them at the next event.
Wei Ling's practice managers clearly wanted to talk to each other, so a group made sense. Arjun's young couples didn't know each other well, so he chose a short email every couple of months instead, sharing one useful thing and nothing else.
Once you've started a group or a newsletter, it's tempting to use it to promote. A new feature, a limited offer, a reminder that you're available for reviews. Every one of these makes the group a little less useful and a little more like an advert. Clients notice quickly, mute the group or unsubscribe, and the channel you built is gone.
Share things that help them instead: a change in their industry and what it means, a practical tip from a recent client conversation, an article you found useful, a reminder about something seasonal. Wei Ling posts in her group about once a fortnight, usually a short note on something she's seen work at another clinic, with no mention of her product. Arjun's emails each answer one question young couples ask him, the same material as his posts from module 2, reused.
If clients want to know about your product, they know where to find you.
The most valuable groups aren't the ones where you talk most. They're the ones where members help each other. When one practice manager asks how others handle a staff shortage and three others reply with what worked for them, the group is doing something you couldn't do alone.
Encourage it. When someone asks a question, wait before answering yourself and let other members reply first. Thank people who share useful things. Introduce members to each other when they have something in common. Over time, members value the group because of each other, and they connect that value to you because you started it and look after it.
That builds loyalty to the group and to you. A client who belongs to a group they value is less likely to switch to a competitor, and more likely to mention you to a peer.
Every group needs a purpose and a few clear rules, stated at the start and pinned where everyone can see them. Without them, groups drift, as Wei Ling's did.
Keep the rules short. A purpose in one sentence, such as "A group for practice managers to share what works in running a small clinic." Then two or three rules: no selling or advertising, including by the host; no forwarded chain messages; keep patient and client details out of the group. Say that you'll remove posts that break the rules, and do it, politely and promptly.
Wei Ling restarted her group with a pinned message stating its purpose and rules. When someone next posted an advert, she removed it and sent the person a friendly private message explaining why. The group has stayed useful since.
Remember the PDPA here too. Only add people who have agreed to join, and remember that everyone in a group can see everyone else's phone number. Some clients won't want that, which is one reason a newsletter suits some groups better.
Before you start anything, think about who your clients are, how well they know each other, and what they'd actually use. Then decide: a group, a newsletter, or neither. If you choose one, write its purpose in a single sentence. If you can't, that tells you something.
In the activity below, you'll decide whether a group, a newsletter or neither suits your clients, and write its purpose in one sentence.
Decide whether a group, a newsletter or neither suits your clients and write its purpose in one sentence.
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