Relationship marketing is a fancy way of saying building strong relationships with your customers. And you’re probably already doing it every day.
Before we jump into the marketing piece, I want to stress that you’re not required to have a deep relationship to do business with your customers, but this form of marketing has stood the test of time and proven to be most rewarding. If you focus on personalized and engaging interactions, and not on the sale, the business and relationship will come naturally.
As a service provider, your customers want to get to know the person behind your business. They need to trust you. If they don’t, you have no chance for a deeper connection. So, how do we build trust? Enter your online presence and empathy.
People come to your social media profiles and immediately begin forming an opinion about you and your business. Are you happy with what they’ll find?
Everything from your profile photo, tone of voice, choice of words, and content will help them determine whether they like, respect, and relate to you. This is where empathy comes in. They want to know you’ve walked in their shoes, understand their needs, and will successfully help them accomplish their goals. If they decide to contact you, they already feel a connection to you.
Now the relationship building begins. Loyal customers are often your primary source of referrals and are likely to make repeat purchases. Much of your content should help your audience get more from your services. But posting is just the beginning of the conversation.
The engagement that comes along with it takes the awareness to a relationship level and if you supply your customers with truly valuable content regularly, they’ll develop a natural interest in your business.
Please share this post with any service provider who will benefit from the message.
Christopher is a Personal Branding and Productivity Coach empowering real estate agents and small business owners to stand out in the crowded marketplace and increase productivity. He’s developed his personal brand as a real estate broker in NY & ME, International DJ, and Coach. Everything he teaches revolves around real-world experience, not textbook advice.