The Importance of Building Customer Relationships

Thinking about how to build strong relationships with customers is not just about making a sale though; it's about creating a community around your brand. This community becomes your brand ambassadors, spreading the word more effectively than any advertisement.

A study by the Harvard Business Review highlighted that increasing customer retention rates by just 5% increases profits by 25% to 95%. The reason? Loyal customers are more likely to make repeat purchases and recommend your business to others.

Building customer relationship in marketing is to go beyond face-to-face interactions these days. It extends to how you engage with your audience online. Every blog post, social media update, and email newsletter is an opportunity to deepen these relationships and adds to amazing customer experiences.

Here Are the Indisputable Facts: 

• If no one knows you, they won’t trust you and they will not buy from you.
• Your business will not survive without paying customers.
• You need to know where to find these customers.
• You must spend time, which you may not have, targeting and prospecting.
• Without a lot of prospects, pressure is greater to close on the few you do have.
• If you don’t have any prospects, you must work that much harder to close even a single sale. 

Is There a Solution? 

Content-focused marketing can help solve all these problems by creating places where customers can go to learn about your company and even become fans. Every time a customer engages with your content, you establish a buying relationship.

Establish a Buying Relationship With Prospective Customers Example

Imagine a local bakery, "Sweet Treats," which leveraged social media to transform casual visitors into repeat customers. Initially, Sweet Treats faced challenges in attracting steady patronage. However, they began sharing mouth-watering photos of their baked treats and engaging stories behind each recipe on social platforms.

Each post invited interactions, gradually building a community around the brand. As a result, people who liked or commented on their posts often visited the bakery, turning virtual likes into real-world purchases.

Four Ways to Establish a Buying Relationship With Prospective Customers

1. Get customers in a pattern of saying yes to you. Did you know that every like, comment, share, or any kind of engagement is your customer saying YES! to your company?

2. If a client says yes to your company enough times, they are more likely to say yes when it comes time to make a sale. Studies have proven that if a customer is presented with your brand offer seven times, they are 80% more likely to buy in.

3. Most clients, around 90% according to the eCommerce Foundation, search the internet before committing to a purchase. Google reports over 100 billion searches a month! What’s more, 60% of those searches are done on mobile devices. Build what’s called social proof by having amazing and accessible content.

4. People do business with brands that they know, like and trust. You can establish in their minds all these things through interaction with your brand on socials - effectively building relationships with customers.

Bonus: According to a study on the shopping habits of consumers by Criteo, 89 percent said appealing photos can sway their purchasing decision and 77 percent say video convinces them to buy.

Relationship Management: The Backbone of Your Strategy

Effective customer relationship management (CRM) is crucial. These systems help you track interactions, and preferences, enabling personalized conversation. This personal touch makes customers feel valued, fostering loyalty and customer satisfaction. Additionally, the data that is gleaned can guide your strategy, helping you create content that resonates with your audience and addresses their needs.

CRM tools also enable you to segment your business relationships, ensuring that the right message reaches the right person at the right time. For instance, you can send tailored promotions to customers who have shown interest in specific products or services, significantly increasing the likelihood of conversion.

What Are the 5 Ways to Build Better Customer Relationships?

Your strategy should include various touchpoints:

Personalized Communication: Use CRM software data to send personalized emails, offers, and content. Active listening tools help to pay attention to conversations around your brand. This approach shows customers that you understand their needs and value their business.

Engaging Content: Create content that educates, entertains, and engages. This could be informative blog posts, how-to videos, or interactive media posts. Remember, it's not just about selling; it's about adding value to your customers' lives.

Feedback Loops: Regularly seek feedback and act on it. This not only improves your products and services but also shows customers that their opinions matter increasing customer service expectations.

Customer Loyalty Programs: Build customer relationships by implementing systems that reward repeat business. This could be in the form of discounts, exclusive offers, or early access to new products. After all, a repeat customer is a good customer - more of that, please!

Community Building: Foster a sense of community around your brand. This can be done through things like social groups, forums, or customer events. In all these places, include where to experience your great customer support to build trust.



Exceptional Customer Relationships Examples

Customer Feedback Success: “The Eco-Friendly Apparel Store”

An online eco-friendly apparel store decided to fully integrate customer feedback into their product development. They regularly surveyed customers on their preferences and concerns regarding sustainable fashion. Based on this feedback, they introduced a new line of recycled-material clothing, which was a huge hit. They kept their community informed and involved throughout the process, turning customers into brand advocates who appreciated having their voices heard and acted upon.

Personalization Triumph: “Bespoke Bookstore Experiences”

A small bookstore used customer purchase history to create personalized reading recommendations. They sent monthly newsletters with book suggestions tailored to each customer's interests, along with invites to book club meetings and author events. Customers appreciated the curated selections, feeling that the bookstore genuinely understood their reading preferences. This approach turned occasional visitors into regulars and cultivated an avid community of book enthusiasts.

Loyalty Program Innovation: “Café Rewards”

A café introduced a repeat customer program where customers earned points not just for purchases but for engaging with the brand on socials, participating in community events, or bringing in reusable cups. These points could be redeemed for discounts, free items, or special experiences like coffee tasting sessions. This multi-faceted approach to loyalty went beyond transactions, rewarding customers for a variety of interactions and fostering a deeper connection with the brand.

Action Steps

1. Know your target audience and where they congregate. Couldn’t be more self-explanatory.

2. Completely set up your profiles or pages and in a way that converts. Get your customers or fans to say YES! Have links to appropriate places and clear call to actions -make it easy for them to do what you want them to do.

3. Have a content plan and schedule posts. Don’t get caught in the trap of looking for something to post every day. Maximize reach by knowing when the best times to post are.

4. Post ONLY your best content. Captions, pictures, and videos should be top notch. After all, you are teaching people what to expect from your product or service. Avoid posting on the ‘day of’ unless there is a clear plan or goal. There could be an exception here; i.e. ‘Frank the Barber’ who posts cuts of clients that came in the same day or Marry an artist who posts same day edits. However, most savvy marketers will agree that having a plan before the post will always drive a higher ROI.

5. Drive traffic to your profile page and then send them to your website or other social media pages! This goes without saying -make sure your website is awesome too.

6. BE CONSISTENT! Of all things, and if you haven’t received any value, be consistent. Post regularly, post awesome, and add value to your community. Remember; give, give, give -ask.