Making Connections

Modern marketing is changing at light speed.  As fast as technology is making strides, so are the industries that use it.  Marketing takes advantage of every tool in the box to get your message out and reinforce it to your customers.  However, this exchange is not a one-way discourse.  It should be a two-way conversation.

Even though modern marketing plans use the best of technology, many of the methods are focused on an old idea: making personal connections.  These days many people live in a way that keeps them isolated from others.  We telecommute or spend the workday in walled in a cubicle.  In the evening we order our movies online instead of going to a theater.  We don't call each other but choose to send a text instead.  Our lives are thoroughly integrated with technology.  However, we are sometimes lacking in personal relationships.

That lack extends into our relationships with products and services we use and the companies who provide them.  Once we might have had a relationship with a salesman or representative whom we knew by name; we now use an automated phone system or an online form.  Brand loyalty no longer holds the importance it once did.  This has a pronounced effect on businesses, especially small or service-oriented businesses.
Creating a personal connection with a customer or client is an important part of your marketing plan.  There are a number of ways that you can make that individual contact with your customer.  Some are old school classics and some use contemporary technology.

Classic

•Personal calls.  You don't need to spend the entire day on the phone but the occasional personal call or even voice mail may mean the world to your client.  Calling to check on a complaint will make him feel how much you value his opinion.

•Hand written notes.  A hand written note says the same thing.  A personal thank you or congratulations note is a rare thing these days but it takes very little time to write and mail.

•Show up.  This sounds very elementary but if you make an appointment or a meeting, be there and be there on time.  Don't send an assistant and don't call at the last minute to cancel or reschedule.  Being prompt and attentive with personal appointments builds trust.
Contemporary

•Social media.  Connecting with social media sites like Facebook and Twitter are the modern equivalent of chatting at the local diner.  You have the chance to engage with your customers and hear back from them, both of which are valuable exchanges.

•Personalized emails.  It may not be a personal as a hand written note, but a personalized email message delivers the content each client needs.  There are companies and software programs that will tailor your messages to each client.

•Blogging.  Writing a blog gives the customer a chance to hear you "speak" in your own words.  You can write in your own words and with your own tone.  Your customer gets to know a little more about you.  If you allow comments, you may get to embark upon an interesting, ongoing discussion.