For small business marketers, there is no shortage of 2015 trends and forecasts, motivating many of us to rewrite our resolutions and re-evaluate new tools for the current year. The tools, especially those with the potential of increased productivity and enhanced lead generation, are tempting, tantalizing and well worth a review, trial and possible buy. There is one tool; however, that is both old and new. It is one that should never take a back seat to the latest CRM, CMS or SaaS. It is the best you’ve got and will ever have: Relationships.
In a previous post, we explored a few classic rules of maintaining connections and growing relationships. In the Network Solutions article from a few years ago, How Relationship Marketing is Important for Your Business, Monica Jansen underscores the importance of relationship marketing for small businesses. The following excerpts prove as relevant today as they were when the article first appeared in 2012.
Thanks to social media, marketing communications have become more interactive and personal, creating opportunities to engage in relationship marketing to build brand loyalty and increase customer satisfaction.
Relationship marketing includes social media, blogging, email marketing, direct mail and offline events. The key is to create communications that come from a place of providing service and adding value. Relationship building involves asking customers how you can help them, and not having an agenda when you communicate with them.
Businesses that excel with relationship marketing take the time to listen to their customers rather than simply talking at them. They ask customers what they need and what they would like, as it relates to their business and its services and products.
May these sage words of wisdom convince you to make relationships a timeless small business marketing tool.
Happy New Year!
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