Relationships are everything.
Business owners everywhere seek new marketing tactics frequently to find new ways to tell the world about their mission, products, or services.
Loads of strategic marketing efforts and tons of dollars are spent each month to try and connect companies with new customers.
However, people want to work with people.
They want to purchase from those they know, like, and trust.
Knowing you are a real person with real feelings instead of someone who only cares about the almighty dollar is important in building a relationship.
Potential clients want to know you’re not a scam artist who will steal their last dollar without providing a product. Also, seeing and hearing recommendations from others who have purchased before them to be sure your product delivered what it promised can be a comfort.
People with purchase power want a relationship with you before they buy.
Relationship-based marketing gives you:
- Visibility
In order to have a relationship with a single person or large audience, you need to interact with them. Get to know THEIR likes and dislikes, know what problems they are experiencing, and think about how you can help them solve their problem. In order to learn this information, you’ll be forced to be consistent with your interaction, whether on social media or in real life, naturally giving you more visibility.
- Authority
Do you share your knowledge with your audience, or do you save that only for paying customers? Sharing your knowledge, practical experience, and even case studies for free will position you as a knowledgeable authority figure and an expert in their field who cares about helping others. Platforms such as social media, podcasts, YouTube videos, or writing an ebook or short reports are all ways to both increase your authority rank and your visibility.
- A stellar reputation
Can you see how Visibility and Authority build on each other and lead to a Stellar Reputation? As you interact with people and become an authority figure, your audience will naturally form an opinion about you. If you over-deliver with your products or your signature programs, your reputation will continue to shine. Overall, a stellar reputation will shorten the length of time it takes you to earn the trust of your audience or new followers.
- Happy and enthusiastic fans
You’ll know you’ve made it when fans are clamoring for your latest product and tell all their friends how wonderful you are! This is the ultimate result of relationship marketing and is worth all the time and effort it takes to reach this destination.
PRO TIP: Ask your happy clients for social media reviews. You will find that many are happy and honored to give you a shoutout!
One key to remember is to never stop the process of building relationships.
Like gears in a clock, you must find a way to consistently interact, show your authority, improve your reputation and take care of your happy fans. Keep these gears working to consistently grow your business for years to come.
