Home > How to Develop Relationship Marketing for Your Business
How to Develop Relationship Marketing for Your Business
By: Rusty Campbell
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Relationship marketing is a technique where marketers and sales people create a trusted, long-term relationship with their customers. The relationship with the customer is treated as a process rather than a single event, even though the tactics and methods are event driven.
Relationship marketing emphasizes constant customer satisfaction and customer retention, rather than being concerned about single transactions. A businessman can target his customer base with directly suited products, information, and services. If you gain an understanding of relationship marketing, you can use your customer list for future marketing campaigns in a way that not only makes sales, but will keep your customers as long as you want.
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There are many methods you can use to contact your customers. Telemarketing, email, direct mail, and blogging are some of the methods used to keep in touch with your customers.
You can send an email one time, then send a card another. Perhaps in the email, you can provide a link to a website with a video about a new service, or product. Sometimes, a video of general interest can be used to entertain or inform. Pass along a link to a particularly interesting youtube video for instance.
Develop the communications with your customers in a way that instills trust. Rather than constantly selling, use your communications as a way to provide valuable information your customers can use. It is most effective to use more than one medium, and more than one tool.
You should be liberal in the use of cards. If you know your customer's birthday, send him a heart-felt card. Don't plaster it with logos, etc. Keep it as personal as possible. It is not about you, it's about him. You should make your customer feel important.
Send a card on his anniversary or on Christmas. Be sure to send thank you cards after a transaction, or other interaction with your customer. Especially, if he refers someone to you. You can use these to subtly follow-up with your customer. For instance, use a thank you card to ask him to contact you with any problems he may have had with the last transaction.
If you treat your customers as you would a respected friend, it will come back to you ten fold. Send a heartfelt card as often as you can.