Relationship Marketing: The Secret Ingredient To Success

August 16, 2016

Relationship marketing is not a new concept. You build relationships with people important to your business and use those relationships to drive success. Essentially, relationship marketing IS 1:1 printing. At its core, 1:1 printing is relationship marketing, which is an approach that focuses on nurturing long-term customer relationships rather than focusing exclusively on the short-term sale.

What might this look like in your business?

Let’s use an example of a local, family-owned hardware store. Normally, a customer walks in, does her shopping, and you make yourself available to answer questions and recommend products. You hope that great service, quality merchandise, and your employees’ wealth of project expertise will hold their loyalty. You might have special promotions or discounted merchandise in a bin at the front of the counter.

But what might this look like if you decide to implement a proactive relationship-marketing program using 1:1 printing?

When a customer walks in, you smile and greet them, but you also ask if they would like to be on your mailing list for your newsletter, “Tips for Shop & Home” and give examples of what they can expect. If they say yes, you collect their name, address, and critical information for personalizing content. Ask them whether they rent or own, whether they have children and their ages, and any specific home needs such as a garden, pool, or workshop.

Once a month, send out a personalized newsletter addressing each customer by name. You should customize the content, provide weatherizing tips, suggestions for ongoing home maintenance, and relevant offers based on what you know about their property. If they garden, you might offer planting tips and discounts on seeds, berry bushes, or garden mulch. If they have a pool, you might offer maintenance tips and discounts on pool supplies.

Because relationship marketing is centered on interaction, you should create excuses to communicate with your customers. This might include an occasional customer survey, feedback form, or customer contest (such as best recipe using home-grown vegetables or best home workshop project). This creates an interaction between you and your customers that makes each person feel valued and gives them a stake in their relationship with you. At the same time, it gives you more information to further personalize future mailings!

That’s relationship marketing—and it’s one of the factors that makes 1:1 printing great.

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