Relationship Marketing- Guiding Customers From Attraction To Advocacy

To run a successful loyalty program, it’s important to nurture a relationship with your customers. Relationship marketing focuses on building meaningful relationships while also cultivating stronger customer engagement to hopefully build customer loyalty and trust. When this marketing strategy is done well you are able to continuously remind your current customers why they should continue to use your program but furthermore, show potential customers why you are the right company for them. Combining relationship marketing with a solid loyalty program is the recipe for success. If you are on the fence about whether you want to take the next step in your relationship marketing, no pun intended, look at why so many brands are using this strategy. 

Long-Term Stability

Businesses that create strong relationships with their customers are more likely to have lower customer churn than those that do not. Having open communication with your members and making them feel like they are a part of something special will create happy members. They will also be more likely to share your program with people around them because people are excited to share good experiences with different brands. If the relationship feels solely transactional then it doesn’t stop them from moving to a different brand. However, if you are offering a loyalty program that gives them stability then that is a comforting feeling to a customer. 

Lower Customer Acquisition Costs  

Acquiring a new customer is much more costly than retaining current ones. Integrating relationship marketing within your program is a great, cost-effective way to keep the customers you already have engaged and excited about your brand. Not having to stress about your customer retention rate will allow you to focus on other aspects of your business. The best way to keep customer churn at an all-time low is to always continue to work on communicating with your members and tracking what kind of promotions they are more likely to participate in and what products they are looking to buy. 

Brand Awareness

As we mentioned before, happy customers are excited to spread the word about your business and what your program offers its members. When you cultivate a relationship with your members and are offering them rewards and deals that match their needs then it will keep them excited and engaged with your brand. Potential customers will trust the reputation of the brand through the feedback of current customers so making sure those customers have nothing but positive reviews is key to seeing a boost in brand awareness. It is also important to note that if there is negative feedback your brand responds promptly and tries to figure out a solution to the problem and not just ignore the comments. 

When you have continuous communication with members then you are able to track and monitor what they are buying and how frequently they are purchasing these products. That will give you insights into what people want to buy and what products are drawing them in. When you can anticipate the rewards and products that people will want, the more excited a member will be about your program! 

Increased Sales Opportunities

Focusing on customer relationships will, in turn, increase customer loyalty and potential sales opportunities. This will benefit your brand and loyalty program in the long run because more times than not, loyal customers will spend more and purchase more often. With inflation on the rise, brands need to make sure that customers know that when they purchase from them they are making the best decision with where they are spending their money. If they feel as though they are just throwing money at a loyalty program and not getting anything back then there is no connection or relationship forming. By bettering your relationship marketing the more likely a customer is to continue making purchases. 

The relationship you have with your customers is what will set you apart from other brands and will determine whether they make you their go-to or if you will be a one-stop shop. When customers know that a brand that they like wants to build a relationship with their customers then it feels less surface-level and transaction-based. While the saying “business shouldn't be personal” is true in some cases, sometimes making it personal and relatable is what the customer needs. 

Do you want to learn how you can build a better relationship with your customers? Reach out to us today and see how we can help!