Do you want to find, attract and win new clients? Nurture and retain existing clients? Entice former clients back? You can do all of this while reducing your marketing and client service costs…..it is called relationship marketing!
The time has come to talk directly to your customers, build long term relationships and provide personalised communications.
Relationship marketing is derived from direct response marketing campaigns focusing on customer retention and satisfaction, rather than on sales transactions. It recognises the long term value of customer relationships and extended communication beyond intrusive advertising and sales promotional messages.
Technology is evolving and relationship marketing opens up more collaborative and social communication channels. Internet and mobile platforms are the prime drivers in the future of relationship marketing.
There is plenty of evidence that websites that are fully optimised and functional do work and are a essential item for any business. Mobile ready websites are also rapidly becoming a must. There is also plenty of literature that talks about the benefits of social networking as a tool to build relationships with clients – Facebook, Twitter and Linked In amongst the most popular and effective platforms.
Effective relationship marketing utilises all of the new methods with the old traditional forms of marketing, blending them to create cost effective strategies that strengthen your customer base. In many cases the strategy that you undertake will cost you no more than just your time, once you have the system in place.
Here are some simple effective methods Visionary uses to create and strengthen our client relationships:
Newsletters: Produced regular and distributed to an updated and opt-in database of previous, current and potential clients, supporters and suppliers. Links are placed on our website for archival viewing and also on our Facebook page. Once we have the template for the newsletter and the database it is time to write relevant articles and update the database.
Social networking: Visionary has a Facebook page which we post a status update on at least 3-4 times per week. We keep our fans updated on activities in the business; new clients; events coming up and at times we even ask for referrals to potential clients or suppliers to help us deliver projects and events. This Facebook page is linked to our Twitter account and also Linked In and some industry blog sites. We also have a Weddings fan page and also pages and groups for events and projects that we are involved in.
Websites: Visionary has a main web page – www.visionary-group.com.au covering all aspects of our business, plus individual URL’s for each of our business areas. These sites are all intertwined with clear navigation through the various sites. The websites are all optimised and made functional, with elements including shopping carts and event booking systems that ease the administration time on staff.
Networking: Visionary and its team are active members of a number of networking organisations and industry based associations. We attend networking events and we participate in activities that the groups are undertaking.
Media Releases: When Visionary is involved in something that is newsworthy we produce and distribute media releases to local and regional media and also through numerous online sources.
Blogs: Visionary actively participates in relevant blogs, most commonly in the weddings industry. Blogs help to place team members and the company in a position of expert status and therefore creates trust in potential new clients.
Cards: Personalised cards are sent to clients to promote new products or services, to thank people or to celebrate. We use a cost effective system and can send cards for about $1 per card.
Relationship marketing attempts to transcend the simple purchase-exchange process with a customer to make more meaningful and richer contact by providing a more holistic, personalised purchase, and uses the experience to create stronger ties.
Visionary can help develop a strategy that will work for your business; create the systems to implement the strategy and we can even undertake the tasks for you. E-mail us to see how we can help you build strong, long lasting customer relationships.
Visit our website: www.visionary-group.com.au
E-mail us: info@visionary-group.com.au
E-mail us: info@visionary-group.com.au