Relationship Marketing is the Best Marketing!
Relationship marketing. It sounds a little redundant, doesn’t it? After all, isn’t all marketing considered “relationship” marketing?
Well … not exactly!
Under the umbrella of “marketing,” there are a wide variety of approaches, each with their own merits. Many people initially think of paid advertisements, billboards, or sponsorships. In recent years social media marketing, influencer partnerships, and SEO marketing have grown in popularity. And who doesn’t love seeing the viral videos of guerilla marketing events like flash mobs!
So, how is relationship marketing different?
Well, relationship marketing uses a whole suite of marketing tactics, with one key goal. And that goal is right there in the title. By approaching marketing as a relationship and not just a drive toward a sale, you create a loyal audience that is far more valuable than one-off customers.
What Does Relationship Marketing Look Like?
Let’s say you’ve hired us to build a relationship marketing strategy. Our first step is always to learn what lights you up. What drove you to start your business? What keeps you coming to work every day, outside of generating revenue? What are your core values, and how can we share that?
Then, we work with you to translate that passion and leverage your strengths into meaningful content for your customers. We work to build an emotional connection with your audience, and foster a lasting relationship between you and your customer.
This is more than just lead generation and transactions. We are building a bridge, making sure that current and prospective customers know that you are great at what you do and that your relationship doesn’t end when they purchase your product or service. You have a community, and you want them to be a part of it.
And it works!
With relationship marketing, results don’t always happen overnight, but they last a lot longer than a “one and done” customer transaction. The loyalty that comes with a properly executed relationship marketing strategy means you’ll have a lineup of customers waiting to buy your product or service, time and time again.
See Relationship Marketing in Action
Here are some local Edmonton businesses that do a great job of utilizing relationship marketing to grow their business:
Contact Renovations and Custom Homes
This high-end renovation company has brought a new perspective to the contractor-homeowner relationship. Founder Paul Foster uses live video on social media to share his expertise with the world, and he gives homeowners advice about renovations that they’re normally kept in the dark about.
Community is the foreground for Dochas. They share meaningful content about therapy on social media, and they use their blog and YouTube channel as resources to help people who haven’t even stepped in their doors.
Highlands Liquor has become a local favourite across a wide range of communities in the Edmonton area. They use their social media to connect with their customers, by putting faces to the brand and creating a strong community. Their employees are featured prominently on their social media pages so that they are familiar to their customers.
Backbeat Rock School is a music school located on Whyte Ave. in Old Strathcona. When the pandemic hit, they didn’t miss a beat (get it?) and moved their community online. They are masters at using social media to maintain their community and commonly feature their teachers in their posts.
Some big brands that do a great job of utilizing relationship marketing include:
Zappos is a US website that sells shoes and apparel. The company is famous for putting their customers first. They are master relationship builders and are known for their unbelievable return policy.
They know their customers and they give them the content they want. The shopping experience at Ikea is like no other and their marketing strategy aims to build an emotional connection with a variety of content to keep them top of mind with their shoppers.
Their video content goes beyond just selling airline tickets. WestJet is fantastic at building brand loyalty by being known for things like how well they treat their employees and their Christmas giving back campaigns.
Your Go-To Marketing
When it comes to marketing that connects brands to their customers on a deeper level, relationship marketing will always come out on top. Think about it. When do you feel most inclined to purchase from a company or support a business? When they put effort into building a memorable relationship with you!
If you’re searching for ways to get your business in the minds of your customers in a meaningful way, take a look at our website. We love to connect with business owners and help them achieve their goals through relationship marketing.
1 Comment. Leave new
Boy, it hadn’t occurred to me all the various ways that relationship building is so important to building my business. Thanks for this blog!