“Relationship marketing is a type of marketing that focuses on cultivating deeper, more meaningful relationships with customers to ensure long-term satisfaction and brand loyalty.” – Caroline Forsey for Hubspot
Are you trying to reach someone you hope will become a new, long-term client and you know from a casual conversation that they went to Paris last year for an anniversary? People love to be heard and remembered. Finding a way to communicate with that potential client while subtly reminding them that you were listening can go a long way toward solidifying that relationship.
We also know that a picture is worth a thousand words. Sending a message that pictures Paris will evoke a positive emotion in that person that they will now associate with you because you paid attention to something that was important to them.
Deloitte’s report 2020 Global Marketing Trends; Beyond technology to connection shows that customers are highly aware of the intent behind messages that come their way. Your purpose, your company’s purpose and your sense of social responsibility are powerful factors that will be seen and understood. Manipulation will not work. In other words, in all of your marketing communications, speak from your heart and don’t be afraid to let yourself be seen in the same way your potential client revealed a personal detail.
Remember the book written by John Naisbitt in 1999? It seems, more than 20 years, later American society is still struggling with the problem of using technology for our benefit, while minimizing its detrimental effects. In fact, many believe that technology, specifically social media, is causing great rifts in our society as evidenced in the Netflix docudrama The Social Dilemma.
My personal belief is that the way in which we choose to use technology is of prime importance. Before sending a message on any platform, it’s important to think about where it’s coming from. Is my motive about making a connection or creating division? Is it about offering an invitation or pushing out my own agenda? In this way, we as salespeople and marketers can work on a “local” level to change a disturbing “global” inclination and make connections that will benefit both us and our clients.
