Is Relationship Marketing The New Customer Loyalty Program?

Loyalty programs have been around for the last century or so, but they’ve gained in popularity over the last few decades, as an increasing number of businesses have put more energy into strengthening their footholds in various market segments. But the overall success of traditional loyalty programs is mixed. Many experts claim that more important than relying on a loyalty program is the need to resolve customer complaints quickly and communicate regularly with existing customers.

Further, relationship marketing is gaining ground, with more and more consumers turning to social media and email as their sources of product information and education. As a result, the synergy created by a business that combines a customer loyalty program with relationship marketing can effectively drive that business forward.

A turnkey relationship marketing program that favors existing customers can help to put a business on the right track. And relationship loyalty programs have a key advantage over traditional ones:

• They can be created and adjusted to suit the preferences of your existing customers.
• They offer more flexibility in terms of automating unique responses for each consumer.
• They can be adjusted in terms of frequency.

A cross-media campaign that includes traditional forms of print marketing and email can target consumers at multiple points. Email is a particularly cost-effective means to promote relationship marketing, customer loyalty and customer retention.

With a series of strategically developed touch points across media, your business can develop a relationship with your customer base, using the sequence of marketing materials to promote trust, educate consumers about your services and products, up-sell and cross-sell and gain referrals.

In the end, the new loyalty program will benefit your customers, with the discounts and special deals they’ll receive. It will also benefit your business, with the information you’ll glean from response forms offering keen insight into buying behaviors and needs.

Contact Halo Programs for more information about our proven marketing programs. Our comprehensive programs are customizable to fit your company’s needs, and personalized to effectively build your brand.