Once you have a critical mass of followers, it makes certain marketing efforts, which you may not have considered until now, worth it. For example, why do an email coupon campaign with only 39 email subscribers? With 500 email subscribers that coupon campaign will be more worth your while. According to searchcrm.techtarget.com, invest in relationship marketing “ to create strong, even emotional, connections with your customers that can lead to ongoing business, free word-of-mouth promotion and information from customers that can generate leads.”
Relationship marketing is different than marketing focused on sales transactions. It’s not about getting new customers and individual sales. It’s all about keeping your devoted customers happy and fed. You will always have a percentage of customers who buy when it is convenient or when something is on sale, but we’re not building relationships with those folks. There is a smaller, more committed group of customers called brand advocates. These folks ADORE your brand, and they will go out of their way to sing your praises. Leverage these relationships.
Related: Who Liked Your Indie Food Product First
Find innovative ways to make your brand advocates feel loved. Special offers, holiday greetings, mobile apps, entertaining content, and promotional materials like t-shirts, stickers, and magnets are all ways you can build those strong relationships.
Fast Stat: Trust in social recommendations is on the rise. Empathica research shows that nearly three out of four customers (72%) have used Facebook to make restaurant or retail decisions, based on comments and images that have been shared by other users.
What are some ways you nurture relationships with your customers
About Sara Lancaster
Sara is The Condiment Marketing Co.’s founder and creative director. She oversees client relationships, strategic marketing plans, as well as a bit of copywriting and social media management.
