6 Tips for Turning Internet Marketing into Relationship Marketing
A
good relationship with your loyal customers is worth a fortune. Hence,
relationship marketing should be at the heart of your business.
Why is relationship marketing priceless?
When
everything you do revolves around your community – customers, fans,
followers, employees, etc. – the answer is clear. You will have the
reputation, loyalty and love that keeps your business alive and
thriving. You will have a connection with your audience, and that’s the
key to success for your company.
Take
the focus away from the dollar signs attached to your products and
services, and focus on what’s really going to affect your sales:
relationships.
Something
that has remained constant throughout the years is the power of
relationships in business. Relationship marketing these days is just
present in a different arena – online.
There
are people who may insist that there were no problems of disconnect
until the Internet came along. This simply isn’t the case. Technology is
not the cause of this disconnect; the cause is the people behind the
computers.
If your online presence is genuine and your brand is “real,” relationships will blossom.
And since nearly 90% of consumers use search engines to make purchasing decision (Digital Influence Index), you better believe that a strong community presence will feed your bottom line.
Relationship marketing from the ground up
To create a healthy community online, set up a steady foundation for your relationship marketing.
1.
1. Understand your audience. Identify your niche market and how you
plan to solve their problems. Have a clear vision for who your products
and services are going to help so you can target them more directly with
a message that resonates more powerfully.
2.
2. Engage with your audience. Write with your audience’s wants and
needs in mind. Listen to their feedback – good or bad – and give them a
say in the conversation. Conversation is a two-way street, and there’s a
difference between talking to people versus talking with them.
3.
3. Be a part of your community. Be present in conversations about
your own brand and your industry. A good relationship marketing strategy
covers all aspects of a community – from customers to competitors. Find
ways to join in on relevant conversations, offering your own opinion,
experience, expertise and input. Just be sure you have something worth
saying.
4.
4. Demonstrate your expertise. One component of your relationship
marketing strategy must address the fact that there is competition for
what you’re offering. People will respect and listen to you more
intently if your language is confident, clear and beneficial. If you’re
not the expert in a certain area, that’s okay. Seek the advice or help
of a non-competitor who knows the subject through and through, and give
them credit for their knowledge.
5.
5. Answer questions. Create free downloads, pay close attention to
what people are asking on social media sites, and set up a blog
dedicated to helping visitors find the answers to their most common
questions. Your customers want to be acknowledged and appreciated.
6.
6. Provide excellent service. Don’t just stop online with your
relationship marketing. Continue the process offline and really show
your customers that you appreciate them. Treat them with respect before,
during and after a sale.
Final thoughts
The
purpose of relationship marketing is to put the “people” back in
business and ignite that “warm and fuzzy” feeling. It’s about having
actual human beings dedicated to nurturing your online presence and
every person that is a part of it.
Take
the focus away from profits, put it back on relationships, and trust
that the profits will come as a result. That’s relationship marketing in
a nutshell.
Are you building relationships with your internet marketing?
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