Relationship marketing is about customer satisfaction and retention. While other forms of marketing emphasize sales, relationship marketing is centered on building customer loyalty and maintaining valuable long-term relationships.
Building a relationship with your clients or customers can be as easy as providing great service every time they interact with your brand, but taking it a step further will only increase both their rate of satisfaction and your brand image. Customer trust isn't easily earned, especially if they feel your primary intent is to sell them something. Which is why relationship and conversational marketing is so important. It's more genuine and customer centric. Rather than being a salesman, be a community member and network with your audience. Be a committed resource that your customers can rely on.
Rather than focusing on telling current and potential customers what you do or sell, gain insight on what they need from you. Create a customer feedback program to gain entrance into the overall attitudes of your customers and their evolving buying behavior. Create a framework for initiating a conversation with them, whether it's through a survey or social media.
Let your customers know that you are thinking about your relationship with them even when they aren't seeking your services. The more you seek customer feedback, the sooner you may find issues that need to be addressed and corrected. If someone has a poor experience, it is better to take care of it immediately than to find out later that a customer has been using social media to advocate against your brand.
Social media attracts users because the conversations can be less formal and more personal. To positively catch the attention of your readers, make sure your posts add value, whether it's to discuss a problem your customer may be having, to offer advice, or talk about why your product can make their life easier. Provide a call to action and encourage more customer interaction.
Your customer's feedback will help you build a valuable database of information that you can use to evaluate where you stand on customer satisfaction. The information you collect, whether positive or negative, is vital for permeating customer attitudes into your business. Overall, relationship marketing techniques are about helping your business grow to meet client needs.