A Successful Strategic Marketing Plan Includes Relationship Marketing

Business owners everywhere incorporate marketing tactics to tell the world about their mission and their products or services. Without marketing and advertising, people don’t know what they do.

People want to know more about you and your products. They want to know where your ideas came from, how you decided to do what you do, and something, perhaps, about you.

Make sure you are telling your story in your marketing. You create a bond when you reach out to others.

People want to work with people they believe, like, and trust. Be the BLT sandwich! They want to know that you’re a real person, with real challenges, real feelings, and a real business, instead of just a corporate machine. They want to hear recommendations from others who have worked with you, which is why product reviews and testimonials are so important.

Does each purchase need to equal a relationship? Some people think that relationship marketing only needs to happens if there is going to be a personal connection or a friendship involved.

Do you want to know the backstory of every item you purchase? Well, maybe not. But what if you knew that the family who raises the chickens who lay your eggs at the farmers market first got into raising chickens as a 4H project for their handicapped son? What if you found out that the owner of your local diner was also sponsoring the local Little League team? Do you care that your doctor attended a world-class university and was a resident at one of the best hospitals in the world? Well, yes.

Even you if don’t think you want a relationship with everyone you buy from, you do want information that determines whether you believe, like, and trust them.

Relationship-based marketing gives you:

1. 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 more consistent with your interaction, whether on social media or in real life, naturally giving you more visibility.

2. Authority

Do you share your knowledge with your audience, or do you save that only for paying customers? Sharing your knowledge, practical experience, and discussing case studies for free positions you as a knowledgeable authority figure, an expert in the field, and someone who cares about helping others. Outreach 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.

3. Reputation

Visibility and authority build on each other and lead to a solid reputation. As you become a known expert, your audience forms opinions about you. If you overdeliver with products or your programs, your reputation will continue to shine. Your reputation helps you earn the trust of your audience or new followers.

4. Happy and enthusiastic fans

I have some favorite authors, and I love it when I am one of the first to hear about the release of a new book. I am genuinely excited to buy that new mystery. The authors help me stay engaged as a fan by letting me know what they are working on and when the next book is being published.

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 it is worth the time and effort.

One key to remember is to never stop the process of reaching out. 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.

Relationship marketing should be a win-win situation for both parties involved. You should gain visibility, authority, happy fans, and your audience should be thrilled with the value that you deliver to them.