Take a look at these three case studies to better understand how you can combine content marketing strategy and relationship marketing strategy to sell while you sleep
I’ve been an entrepreneur since I was 12. As a paperboy for the Sacramento Union, I delivered a morning newspaper to about 75 homes. In the afternoons I went door-to-door in my neighborhood selling subscriptions to my hometown paper. Later, I supplied each of my customers with a recycling box for their newspapers that I picked up once a month and sold to the local mill. Never did I make a nickel when I was asleep.
Using the principles of relationship marketing to sell while you sleep
About once a month, I sign a new consulting client. In more cases than not they’ve been subscribing to Mequoda Daily for a few weeks or even a few months. They have downloaded my free white papers and read numerous posts. Using the principles of content marketing, I’ve allowed them to do all this for free. Often, my enterprising prospective clients are reading content I’ve written while I’m asleep or sailing or on vacation. When these entrepreneurs call, they already feel that they know me, that they have a relationship with me, and they know what they can expect from me. They trust me, even though they’ve never met me.
Selling content around the world 24 seven with relationship marketing
One of my clients’ websites now generates more than half its traffic from outside the United States. Unsurprisingly, almost half the professionals who now attend their three, four, and five-day event in the United States, now come from beyond these United States. Often in the middle of the night, for us, they search the Internet, read a few posts, download a white paper, and then download a program guide. They visit the website several times to check out instructors and reread the course details. Finally, having never talk to anyone with my client organization, they register online with a credit card spending several thousand dollars. The customer has built a relationship with the website content as the currency of trust. When they arrive at the actual event, they feel they know the brand, the program, and the instructors. It’s all about using content to build relationships.
Using relationship marketing strategies to sell magazines, books, and videos
Another of my clients operates a website with more than 400,000 email subscribers. She builds relationships with a daily newsletter that shares tips, projects, and the occasional silly Video. She writes in a personal tone sharing details of her life and her love of the subject matter. Her voice and tone are that of a trusted friend writing to a colleague with a shared passion. Intermixed with the content is a steady stream of product reviews and special offers. Her followers reward her by spending an average of $12 per year on her magazine, books, and videos. Is this relationship marketing or content marketing? I think the answer is yes to both.
Three core relationship marketing strategies
Relationship marketing strategy #1 – Get found: understand that the first step to building an online customer relationship is getting found. This means giving away loads of free content that’s closely aligned to the content you wish to sell.
Relationship marketing strategy #2 – Get followed: it’s hard to sell anything to anyone when there’s no trust, no relationship, no shared experience. Content marketing offers people with a shared interest the opportunity to let you leave them two things they didn’t know, didn’t know they needed, didn’t know they wanted. Sampling is done best in small quantities where trust can be established over time. While social media is valuable, email newsletters are the all time cost-effective way to build a relationship marketing program where content is the driving force and frequency is daily.
Relationship marketing strategy #3 – Get paid: once trust is established, you get to make the first sale. If you have great products and services, the follow-on sales will get easier and easier. But make no mistake about it, you made the first sale because you built a relationship using free content, frequent contact, and caring voice. You built trust before you ever tried to make a sale.
Three tips for relationship marketing
Relationship marketing focuses on the long-term goal of retaining customers that can be considered as a mix between direct marketing and audience development. You have to make connections with your audience members as you are actively marketing products to them. I’ve read articles claiming that it isn’t about relationships, it’s about marketing; I think it’s about both.
Creating connections, being transparent, striking up communication, and being authentic relates to the emotions of your audience. In today’s extremely social online world, these can set a business apart. While using these traits, you still need to realize that promotions and sales need to happen.
While developing relationships, consider these three relationship marketing components, so you stay focused on making the relationship equality impactful.
Relationship marketing tip #1: Talk about features and benefits – Features of a product or service are the concrete facts that may help a sale take place. The benefits are the components that will appeal to the emotions of your audience members. Communicating both features and benefits makes it harder for a potential consumer to say no.
Relationship marketing tip #2: Use calls to actions – Every web page should have at least one call to action, if not multiple ones. We use inline text ads, order forms in navigation and editorial, and floaters. Many companies use big red buttons so people know where to go to make purchases. Show your audience where to click and how to order so they are completely aware of the process.
Relationship marketing tip #3: Unique selling proposition (USP) – What makes your offerings different than others in your market? Expressing this information to potential customers can make your company the focus over others in your space.
If someone asks you, “what is relationship marketing?” what would you say? Please share your thoughts in the comments below.
The seven principles of successful Internet marketing
Are you properly focusing on the most important parts of successful Internet marketing? Take a look at these seven principles and answer for yourself:
Internet Marketing Principle #1 – Understand User Needs
Internet Marketing Principle #2 – Use Many Platforms
Internet Marketing Principle #3 – Leverage Organic Media
Internet Marketing Principle #4 – Build User Relationships
Internet Marketing Principle #5 – Maximize Customer Value
Internet Marketing Principle #6 – Empower Your Organization
Internet Marketing Principle #7 – Manage By Exception
The Internet Marketing Intensive
If you don’t know how to utilize the seven principles of Internet marketing you can join us for the Internet Marketing Intensive. At the Internet Marketing Intensive, you’ll discover how America’s top publishers are successfully making the transition to digital. You’ll learn how to:
- Create, curate, and publish high-quality, search-optimized content
- Develop blockbuster organic subscription marketing campaigns
- Master Google analytics, key metrics and keyword research
- Deploy far-reaching, SEO-driven social media marketing campaigns
- Conduct valuable digital publishing audits
If you’re curious, learn more about the Internet Marketing Intensive now.
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Chris Sturk contributed to this article, supplying tips on relationship marketing.
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Originally published 4/30/12
The post What is Relationship Marketing and How Can it Help You Increase Sales? appeared first on Mequoda Daily.