We know very well that, in a sales process, communication is the soul of the business, right? With the relationship ruler for marketing, it is possible to enhance this communication, adding value to the customer experience and building a close and affectionate relationship between the brand and the lead.
Therefore, to determine a marketing rule, combining an understanding of the customer journey with studying its characteristics is necessary.
Were you curious to understand how the relationship ruler works in marketing? Then read our article!
What Is A Relationship Ruler?
In general terms, we can define a relationship ruler as a set of actions that identify moments when the company and the customer make direct contact and determine, for each of them, a specific approach, considering characteristics of the moment of the purchase journey and the profile of the particular person.
With a well-designed ruler, it is possible to define every detail of the customer relationship process, completely aligning the fronts headed by the marketing, sales, customer success, and product sectors.
It may seem simple, but a well-designed relationship ruler is a proper relationship marketing strategy. It can bring substantial benefits, such as improving brand reputation, adding value to the sales process, and optimizing the customer experience.
How To Create A Relationship Ruler For Marketing?
Creating a relationship ruler for marketing goes through some essential steps. Our main tip for creating yours is to map out the process, put the plan into practice and always revisit it in search of opportunities for improvement and possible corrections.
The essence of creating a relationship ruler is planning. For this, it is necessary to recapitulate the purchase journey and determine, for each stage, the moments in which there will be contact between the company and the customer.
We know that the points of connection between the company and the customer vary according to the marketing strategies adopted by the company, but, in general, we can mention some moments that are present in any purchase journey made in e-commerce, for example:
Registration And Welcome
Consider the importance of the first contact with the customer to formulate the relationship ruler strategy now.
Here, to show the lead that the company has a pleasant profile, careful and attentive to the needs of its consumers, it is essential to consider a personalized welcome message combined with the standard process of formalizing the registration and confirming data for activating the account.
Think about the possibility of giving a gift or bonus for the new customer in addition to the welcome. Thus, he is encouraged to start his journey at that moment.
Products Visited
In e-commerce, it is common for the visitor to browse the pages and access different products but not make a purchase. This can occur due to several factors, but it is essential that the reinforcement about the products visited is part of the relationship rule.
Sending emails with links to access pages recently viewed, offering discounts to complete the purchase, and including messages with expressions that denote urgency (such as “Are you going to lose?” or “It’s ending!”) can help encourage the resumption of the journey.
After-Sales
The completion of the purchase is not, by far, the end of the customer’s journey with your business. One of the most critical steps in a digital marketing strategy is after-sales when the company “takes care” of the customer so that they become loyal and make purchases in the same place again.
For this, it is worth using satisfaction survey strategies, sharing the product page on social networks, etc.
Cart Abandonment/Purchase Withdrawal
In addition to being an essential key performance indicator, cart abandonment is a critical moment to use the relationship ruler. After all, no company can let its customer go without trying to convince him to proceed with the purchase, right?
In this case, the most used strategies are sending the cart items by email as a kind of reminder of the interrupted activity, a call to action that encourages the customer to complete the purchase, and offering a bonus or discount for the completion of the purchase (as in the case of visited products).
Commemorative Dates
In any good relationship, remembering commemorative dates is expected. Therefore, include messages via SMS, apps, or email celebrating important dates in your relationship ruler.
Include birthdays, Christmas, Easter, and other occasions that allow an approach linked to the products offered by the company (such as Carnival for commemorative items, the arrival of winter for clothing stores, and so on).
Inactivity
Don’t let time cool your customer relationship! Say hello whenever he spends a long time without interacting with the brand.
It is worth contacting by email, SMS, and social networks. The important thing is not to let the lead become, again, just an uninterested visitor.
For each of these moments, creating scripts and diversified communication tactics is possible. However, it is essential to remember that all milestones in the relationship ruler must form, together, a single strategy. Therefore, the visual identity and language must be coherent and standardized.
The critical point is that, regardless of the stage of the purchase journey, the contact with the company must be light, pleasant, and, in no way, represent any pressure for the customer.
What Are The Advantages Of Adopting The Relationship Ruler?
After reading this article, you must already imagine the advantages of adopting the relationship rule in marketing, right? We will list some of them below to inspire you even more, in case you are not yet thoroughly convinced of their importance:
- increased sales;
- increased customer satisfaction rate;
- greater customer engagement;
- better user experience;
- encouragement to inactive users.
Having leads engaged and encouraged to continue interacting with the company can yield unexpected results.
Also Read: Five Relationship Marketing Tools: How To Use Them?
