Business owners everywhere incorporate marketing tactics on a regular basis to tell the world about their mission and their products or services. Without marketing and without millions of dollars in your advertising budget, not a single soul would know you have a business, never mind want to make a purchase with you.
Why? Because people purchase from those who they know, like, and trust. They want to know that you’re a real person with real feelings instead of someone who only cares about the almighty dollar. They want to know you’re not a scam artist who will steal their last dollar without providing a product. They want to hear recommendations from others who have purchased before them to be sure your product delivered what it promised.
Your customers want to build a relationship with you before they buy.
Relationship-based marketing gives you visibility, authority, and a great reputation that translates into loyal supporters. As business owners, that is the dream!
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 forced to be consistent with your interaction, whether on social media or in real life, naturally giving you more visibility.
Authority
Do you share your knowledge with your audience, or do you save that only for paying customers? Sharing your knowledge, practical experience, and even case studies for free will position you as a knowledgeable authority figure and an expert in their field who cares about helping others. Platforms such as social media, podcasts, YouTube videos, or writing an ebook or short reports can increase your authority rank and your visibility.
A Solid Reputation
Can you see how Visibility and Authority build on each other and lead to a Stellar Reputation? As you interact with people and become an authority figure, your audience will naturally form an opinion about you. If you over-deliver with your products or your signature programs, your reputation will continue to shine. Overall, a stellar reputation will shorten the time it takes you to earn the trust of your audience or new followers.
Loyal Supporters
There’s no form of marketing quite like a referral. Having satisfied supporters who want to share what you offer with others? Priceless! You’ll know you’ve made it when your customers or clients are clamoring for your latest product and telling all their friends how wonderful you are! This is the ultimate result of relationship marketing and is worth all the time and effort it takes to reach this destination.
With an effective relationship-based marketing plan, you can turn one-time buyers into lifelong supporters… and those supporters will bring in new business. Now that’s a winning cycle!
One key point to remember is to never stop the process of building relationships. Like gears in a clock, you need to 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.
Now my focus is on using all that I’ve learnt, and everything I know about marketing and communication to help entrepreneurs like you gain clarity on how to market your business. Hiring a marketing agency or spending thousands on campaigns might not be possible now, but your business deserves to be seen. And together, we can make that happen!