Relationship Marketing: Discover the most advanced Method to increase customer loyalty

Did you know that Relationship Marketing is an excellent way to retain clients?

You look for your customers, you attract them, you convince them, you get them to buy your product or service but then ... they never buy from you again. They leave never to return. If this is your case, it is possible that the problem is a bad Relational Marketing strategy.

If you want to know the main keys of this type of Marketing you are in the right post 😊

Traditional Marketing vs. Relational Marketing

But first, it is important to clarify that there are differences between both methodologies.

 Traditional marketing focuses primarily on sales. It is typical of mass markets of poorly differentiated products.

Therefore, it focuses mainly on highlighting the product or service and leaves the consumer experience in the background.

Basically the important thing here is to sell as much as possible and in the shortest time.

For its part, Relational Marketing focuses on achieving attraction through marketing actions.

It seeks to retain the potential client through the creation of collaborative synergies with the buyers so that both the company and the client win.

If the client is satisfied, the company grows. It is a Win-Win.

Relational Marketing What is it?

The definition of Relationship Marketing is simple.

As its name suggests, relationship marketing or relationship marketing is a model whose main objective is for the brand to relate to customers.

It focuses on achieving, consolidating and maintaining stable and lasting relationships with buyers.

It is a concept that arises thanks to the strategic evolution of marketing in recent years.

It seeks to strengthen ties with consumers. For this, it is very important to propose strategies aimed at offering good service and good product quality.

Relationship Marketing seeks to add value. Sales are very important to any business, but it is no longer the only objective.

Why does Relationship Marketing arise?

In recent years, the entire commercial and commercial landscape has undergone great changes that have given rise to new opportunities.

Companies are now facing more complex and competitive markets. Customers have much more information, more options and more facilities.

Their loyalty has become a very appreciated asset by brands, who want buyers to return to them on a recurring basis.

What are the principles that govern Relationship Marketing?

According to the authors Lluís G. Renart and Francesc Parés (2002), these principles can be extracted from the principles of the current market:

• Information
• Investment
• Individualization
• Interaction
• Integration
• The real interest of the Company to create a link

When an organization concentrates these principles it gets to know better Your clients.

Through interactions, the company gains valuable information that enables them to integrate buyers/users as part of the business structure. 

For this, it is very important that there is a real interest on the part of the organization to want to maintain a close and personalized relationship with customers that will position the brand above its competitors.

Is Traditional Marketing Obsolete?

Not much less.

The fact that new currents have appeared does not mean that the traditional model no longer works.

The correct approach according to most specialists is that new models should always add to existing ones.

In the case of traditional marketing and relationship marketing, the most interesting thing is to make both strategies coexist.

On the one hand, traditional marketing is in charge of attracting new customers and, on the other, relationship marketing seeks to create a close relationship between those customers and the brand.

Relationship Marketing Strategy: When to Use It?

The answer to this question is simple: it depends.

Using one or the other strategy will depend on the market and the marketing objectives that the company has set out to achieve.

It is best to use a strategy that combines the best of both models. That would be the most beneficial for any brand. However, it can be said that:

• In expansive markets, where demand is the protagonist oversupply, traditional marketing will usually achieve better results.
• However, in mature markets characterized by greater supply than demand, it is very important for brands to establish lasting and valued relationships with consumers.

In this way, despite the fact that they are markets that are more saturated ...

A relationship marketing strategy will provide better results in the medium and long term.

Relationship Marketing Examples

Next, I am going to tell you a practical example in which the implementation of the relational marketing strategy was successful.

It is a service company, which needed to differentiate itself from its competition through a model that loyalty to its customers.

How did they do it? Through a strategy that increased customer satisfaction. In this way, they managed to increase happy customers with the brand thanks to an important contribution of value, and this directly impacted the profitability of the business.

What tools did you use for this?

• Business app: the most powerful marketing tool of all. The mobile application allowed the business to establish active and direct communication with its customers.
• It also favoured the exponential growth of the business thanks to features such as push messages through geolocation, loyalty programs, automatic reviews on platforms such as Yelp or Tripadvisor and the integration of Social Networks.
• Email Marketing: It is one of the most important tools to do this type of relational strategy. Having an updated database was key. In this way, the company managed to establish a long-lasting and close relationship with customers thanks to:
• An updated database
• Post-sale mailings: to follow up on customers who have already completed the purchasing process. Once technical support has arrived, a space to answer questions…
• Exclusive promotion campaigns
• New product offers
• Valuable content
• Rewarding loyal customers
• Congratulating on specific dates

Examples of brands with a good Relational Marketing strategy

More and more brands are joining in to implement relationship marketing in daily interaction with your customers.

An example is found in the well-known chain of coffee shops Starbucks, which makes available to its customers everything they may need to enjoy a good coffee: comfortable armchairs, a pleasant atmosphere, good raw materials, free Wi-Fi ... and even your name in the glass!

Coca Cola launched its well-known campaign to personalize your can with your name and the iconic brand of sneakers Converse also allows you to customize your sneakers.

And the reality is that all these actions, we love. We like to feel listened to and cared for by the brands we consume.

Relationship Marketing: Conclusions

 Relationship Marketing is based on one of the fundamental pillars of any person life: relationships.

Life is about relationships, personal or professional. For this reason, extrapolating this reality to marketing implies creating solid and lasting links with customers.

Trying to sell only one product is no longer enough. Taking the trouble to know the customer well, what they need and what they expect from your product is the smartest strategy that any brand can follow. Think that attracting a new customer costs ten times more than keeping it.

Happy customers are profitable customers, who, when the time comes, will also be prescribers for your brand.