The concept of “Relationship Marketing” is a powerful way to build lasting relationships with your customers. Unlike many marketing strategies that focus almost entirely on the sale, relationship marketing is a philosophy that is focused on building long-term customer relationships. While traditional marketing approaches are primarily transactional in nature relationship marketing is relational.
How can you build more lasting and profitable customer relationships? One way is with the routine customer documents that you send every day. Statements, acknowledgments, invoices, account summaries, notifications – these are just a few of the many customer-facing documents that are sent to customers each and every day. But making the most of everyday documents requires a strategic approach. Here are a few tips to consider.
Tip 1. Relevant communication
Relationship management goes beyond intrusive advertising and demographic data-driven sales promotions. Let’s face it; nobody likes to be spammed with offers they’re not interested in. Targeting tailored and personal messages at customers according to what they are interested in is an essential tenant of effective relationship management. Our own DocOrigin is a next generation document generation tool that can help businesses effectively engage with customers and manage these relationships.
Tip 2. Give loyal customers preferential treatment
Why not make the most of your best customers…the ones you already have? After all, it costs five times more to land a new customer than it does to keep a current one. So it is important to identify customers that have been loyal to your business and reward them for their continued support. Give them special offers, let them know about new products first, and invite them to special events.
Tip 3. Move from a transactions to relationships
Old-style marketing mostly focuses on sales transactions; relationship marketing focuses on creating and maintaining a more personalized and lasting customer experience. In order to do that you must make an effort to get more involved in your customer’s world. Work to understand their habits, activities, needs and objectives. From there you are in position to become more than just a supplier and instead be regarded as a partner.
Tip 4. Take your time
Relationship management takes time. Don’t expect to build the necessary level of trust with your customers overnight. Relevant content, thoughtful communications and consistent value are the keys to unlocking customer loyalty. Be careful not to come across as fake or insincere. With DocOrigin, companies have a reliable technical foundation from which to make the most of relationship management over time.
Tip 5. Be open and authentic
In our increasingly socially-connected business world one important differentiator is simple: Be authentic. People value authenticity and if you are serious about a long-term business relationship with your customers, you have to be upfront and honest. As Benjamin Franklin once said “It takes many good deeds to build a good reputation, and only one bad one to lose it”. The more effort you put into being open and authentic, the more effective you will be in engendering a perception of integrity and trust with your customers. DocOrigin lets you manage all of your customer communications with relevant, meaningful and authentic content. Contact us today to learn how.