15 – Marketing & Message
Getting, Keeping, & Growing Customers
Relational Marketing
Today’s marketing lesson is really all about relationships. While this might sound more like a dating seminar than a business discussion, these concepts are central to the success of your business. It’s not enough to know your customer; your customer has to know you in return and choose to engage with you.
Marketing is a business function that identifies consumer needs, determines target markets and applies products and services to serve these markets. It also involves promoting such products and services within the marketplace. Marketing is integral to the success of a business, large or small, with its primary focus on quality, consumer value and customer satisfaction. It is the process of building a relationship with your customer, getting the customer to know, like, and trust you. How does this definition compare with your understanding of marketing? What might you add?
Know: Just like in personal relationship, getting to know someone happens over time with many points of contact. It’s about being visible so customers can become familiar with your product or service.
Like: Your customer also has to like you. You may know lots of people, but your friends are probably the ones you like best. People prefer businesses that are authentic, real, personal, approachable, and express a unique voice. In order to get customers to like you, you have to be open and honest, inviting them to engage with you.
Trust: A sale only occurs when the customer trusts you. Trust comes from consistency and following through on what you say you’re going to do. It’s about being credible and dependable.
Complete the assignment before moving on. (You can either type directly on the fillable PDF and download it to your device or you can print the assignment, complete it by hand, scan or take a photo of it and then upload it below.)