Forget chasing down every random stranger on the street trying to sell them something. That's not how businesses work anymore. 

I'd be kidding myself if I didn’t say that customer relationship marketing is the most crucial focus for brands in 2024 if they want to see real, sustainable growth. 

A strong brand culture, where you truly care about your customers and what they need, is what sets you apart and makes your customers choose you over your competition. 

There’s a reason why 84% of B2B buyers are likely to pick a vendor who truly understands their business goals via B2B relationship marketing. 

So, read along to find out everything about customer relationship marketing, what is relationship marketing strategy, how to make one, and brands who do it the best way possible. 

What is customer relationship marketing 🤔?

Customer relationship marketing (CRM) means building long-term connections with your customers. 

Instead of just aiming for one-time sales, this approach focuses on creating long-term customer satisfaction that benefits both the company and the customer.

The goals of CRM are pretty straightforward:

1. Increase customer lifetime value (CLV)

2. Boost customer engagement because you want your customers to be excited about your brand and interact with you on social media, your website, or through loyalty programs.

3. Drive customer loyalty because loyal customers are more likely to recommend you to their friends and family, which brings in more business without extra spending on advertising.

Relationship marketing works best with existing customers rather than new customers since they already know and trust the brand. It takes less effort to sell to someone who has previously bought from the company. 

While acquiring new customers is essential for growth, it is usually more expensive and time-consuming than retaining existing ones. Marketing campaigns aimed at attracting new customers often require significant investment in advertising, promotions, and outreach efforts. 

Relationship marketing ensures that businesses don't lose sight of their existing customers in the pursuit of new ones.

Benefits of relationship marketing

Companies can enjoy a range of benefits that support long-term success when they focus on building strong connections with customers. 

Here are some benefits of relationship marketing: 

• Increased Customer Loyalty: When customers feel valued and understood, they are more likely to stay loyal to the brand.
• Higher Customer Retention: Relationship marketing helps ensure customers continue to choose your brand over competitors.
• Improved Brand Reputation: A strong focus on relationship marketing can lead to positive word-of-mouth and online reviews.
• Increased Sales: Loyal customers tend to spend more over time. They are also more open to upselling and cross-selling opportunities.
• Better Customer Insights: Building relationships with customers allows businesses to gather valuable feedback and improve their service. 
• Cost Savings: Investing in relationship marketing can save money in the long run. The cost of retaining a customer is generally lower than the cost of acquiring a new one.

Steps to make an effective customer relationship marketing strategy

You have now understood the value of customer relationship marketing. Next, follow these steps to make an effective relationship marketing strategy for your business. 

Map your customer journey

First, you need to map out the steps your customers take from the moment they learn about your brand to when they make a purchase and beyond. The journey will look different for new and existing customers.

For new customers, imagine how they first hear about your business. Is it through social media, a Google search, or word of mouth? Once they find you, what do they do next? Do they visit your website, read reviews, or sign up for a newsletter?

Existing customers have a different path. They already know your brand and have purchased your products or services before. Think about what keeps them coming back. What kind of communication do they receive? Do you send them special offers or updates on new products? 

Think about the customer’s questions, concerns, and motivations at each stage. The map will be your blueprint for creating a customer relationship marketing strategy. 

Personalize the customer experience

According to McKinsey, companies that provide personalized experiences to their customers generate up to 40% more revenue than their competitors who don’t.

But what does it mean?

When communicating with customers, address them by their name and use a friendly tone. Make your emails and messages feel personal, not like they were sent to everyone.

Use data from your customer’s past purchases and browsing behavior to understand what they like and what they need. The more you know about them, the better you can personalize their experience. Next, use this data to create one-to-one messages and offers. 

Let’s say person A loves trying new beauty products, while person B sticks to his tried-and-true favorites. 

When they receive emails from your company, wouldn't it be great if A got recommendations for the latest launches and B saw deals on his usual products? 

Provide valuable content

“Provide valuable content” might sound cliched, and you might have heard it a million times, but it’s an absolute game-changer.

People come to your brand with questions and problems. Your job is to provide informative and engaging content that solves those problems and makes their lives easier.

Create digital content in various forms, blog posts, articles, videos, social media tips – anything that educates and entertains your audience. 

For instance, you could write blog posts with helpful tips or create video tutorials to teach how to successfully use your products. 

Here at Formaloo, we do it all the time. We have hundreds of explainer videos and thousands of content pieces that we have created over the years for our beloved customers.

Your content should be easy to understand and directly relevant to your customers. For example, if you sell fitness trackers, your content might be workout videos, healthy recipe ideas, or tips for staying motivated.

The easier it is for your customers to find value in your content, the more they will appreciate and trust your brand.

Implement multi-channel marketing

People get their information in different ways. Some love scrolling through Instagram, while others prefer in-depth blog posts. Multi-channel marketing lets you cater to these preferences by using a variety of channels to connect with your customers.

We are talking about social media, email marketing, your website, and even good old-fashioned text messages (if that's what your audience prefers!)

For instance, let's say you run a clothing store. You can share eye-catching product photos and reels on Instagram, send discount codes via email, and feature detailed style guides on your website. 

This way, you reach your fashion-forward audience wherever they're hanging out online.

The most important thing is to find out where your customers hang out the most or which channel they prefer.

Use automation to your advantage

It’s 2024, and automation is on the rise. It’s not just a bandwagon, it’s the way of the future.

Using automation can greatly improve your customer relationship marketing strategies. It helps you manage tasks efficiently and stay connected with your customers without constant manual effort.

Let’s take automated email campaigns, for example. You can create a series of emails that guide new customers through their first few weeks with your brand. Share helpful tips, introduce them to your best products, and invite them to engage with your community. 

Use automation to segment your audience based on their behaviors and preferences. This way, you can send targeted messages that are more likely to resonate with each group.

Implement a loyalty program

Implementing a loyalty program is a great way to keep your customers coming back.

You could offer points for every purchase, with points redeemable for discounts or exclusive products. Or, you could provide early access to sales or special events for loyal customers.

Choose rewards that will excite your customers and make them want to participate.

Let your customers know how they can earn points or rewards and what they can get in return. Be transparent about the rules and benefits.

Track your results

You've put in the effort to build a killer customer relationship marketing strategy. But how do you know it's actually working?

There are many ways to track your customer relationship marketing efforts. You can monitor things like: 

• Email open rates 
• Click-through rates
• Sales figures
• Customer engagement on social media
• Customer satisfaction surveys
• The list goes on…

On top of that, you can use analytics tools, such as Formaloo, to analyze data. The tools show you a comprehensive view of how customers interact with your brand, how often they purchase, and how they respond to your marketing efforts.

Now, let’s see some famous brand examples that are killing it with their relationship marketing.

Successful real-world examples of relationship marketing

Most successful companies understand that relationship marketing goes beyond mere transactions. 

Here are a few real-world examples of relationship marketing that brought immense revenue to businesses. 

Starbucks

Starbucks does more than a morning caffeine fix to their customers via a personalized relationship marketing strategy. 

Baristas are crucial to this strategy. They’re trained to be friendly, attentive, and knowledgeable. With over 60% of Starbucks orders being custom, they excel in personalization and customer engagement.

Their social media strategy is also impressive. In 2014, Starbucks ran a successful online scavenger hunt for their Pumpkin Spice Latte. 

By using the @TheRealPSL Twitter handle, they gave select customers a chance to taste the drink before its official release. Fans followed clues to get a secret passcode and then visited stores to get the drink early.

This campaign increased foot traffic to Starbucks locations and boosted sales, with nearly 62,000 social media users sharing their excitement. 

Sephora

Sephora has nailed relationship marketing with a well-rounded strategy. They use a demand-oriented pricing strategy where prices are set higher for popular products and offer competitive deals throughout the year. 

On average, customers spend about $33.17 a month on beauty items.

Their “try before you buy” approach allows customers to sample products in-store or through virtual try-ons online. 

Sephora also leverages influencers to market their products in real-life scenarios and post tutorials on their website.

The Beauty Insider program is a major success which drives 80% of their sales with over 17 million members. The program offers tiered rewards that encourage more spending for exclusive benefits. 

Apple

Apple uses multiple channels to engage with its customers, including live chat, email, phone, Twitter (now X), and an Apple support app called Tips.

One of their standout tactics is their daily tip posts on X. This strategy helps users get more out of their Apple products by revealing features they might not know about. 

Since its launch, the Apple Support X profile has grown significantly, from zero to over 1.6 million followers in 2024. The account has also received more than one million replies from Apple Users. 

One tool to get customers in the door and keep them!

Let me say it, “Customer retention is the holy grail of business.”

And that retention is a by-product of building great relationships with your customers.

But you can’t achieve it willy-nilly. You need the right tools for successful customer relationship marketing, and Formaloo is an all-in-one solution for that!

Formaloo is built to help you to build stronger customer relationships. You can create surveys and feedback forms to understand your customers' needs, preferences, and pain points. Use the data to implement targeted marketing campaigns and personalized experiences.

Leverage Formaloo to build your custom CRM for client relationship management and segment your customers based on demographics and purchase history. 

Free up your time and resources by automating tasks like welcome emails, birthday messages, and abandoned cart reminders.

Try Formaloo today for free.