There are 2 Chickfila restaurants about a 15 mins from my house. I consider myself lucky because to say I am a fan of Chickfila would be an understatement! I frequent their restaurants often and it doesn’t matter which meal I am eating as long as it has those tasty chicken nuggets, I AM IN (except for Sunday, which is typically the day I want them the most, but I digress)

Now the fact that I have 2 in my area means I have options, which is great because I love options. There is one store however, that I frequent far more than the other and here is why, the manager there is the sweetest woman you will ever meet! She knows my name, she asks about my children and my husband, and when I ask her how she’s doing she always replies with I am too blessed to be stressed, which puts the biggest smile on my face! Here’s the twist and I want you to really pay attention to this part, all of this comes from a very authentic place, no faking, no counterfeit just an amazing woman who loves her job!

This brings me to the our title, from mechanical to meaningful in relationship marketing.

Meaningful, impactful, authentic relationships are so key in today’s marketing, no matter the industry.- Tweet this

Furthermore, meaningful relationships create a loyal following ( ahem…chickfila) where customers just keep right on coming back over and over and over again! I think it’s safe to say that we ALL have desire for repeat clientele. With that being said check out

3 Simple keys to relationship marketing:

AuthenticityDid you guess this one on your own? There is nothing more attractive to clients than the truth and when you tell it like it is, well they appreciate it! If you are a small business, mid-large business or solopreneur faithfulness and legitimacy will without a doubt win them over every time! In other words, say what you mean and mean what you say, no gimmicks, no tricks, just truth! Just know that your company is not for everyone and guess what, that’s ok!

Loyalty Programs – Reward those who love you, give them a little something extra. Offer VIP programs, Loyalty rewards, opt-ins, memberships, percentages, something that says thank you for always coming through for us! We appreciate you more than you know! Customers eat this kind of thing up, why because we all want to feel special even if our special is coupled with 50 other specials!

Content – Have you ever heard the saying, If you give a man a fish, you feed him for a day if you teach a man to fish you feed him for a lifetime? Such is true with content, teach your customers how to use your product…FOR FREE! Selling is just a means to an end, teaching is a means to a relationship so teach, teach, and teach some more! Remember your favorite teacher, you loved them because they weren’t afraid to give it all to you, every single drop, that’s how you should be with your clients. Don’t hold back anything, give them a reason to want more and more and more. In  our current culture content is KING, so use it to your advantage!

Customer engagement, email, social media are just a few more ways you can engage with your clients on a more relational level. As you build your business keep in mind all the ways you can personalize your customer experiences. Effective marketing strategies are key to building and sustaining your customer base.

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