1. Make Sure You Have A Vehicle For Information Dissemination.

Get a Blog (I love the free service from Google called Blogger (www.blogger.com) and create a series of on-going communication forums with your audience, your community. Provide lots of value with information. If you’re a chiropractor, talk about areas where patients can make their lives healthier with certain foods, exercises, and more. If you’re an accountant, discuss practical tax-saving ideas and how to manage for your small business. Whatever you offer, talk about it in terms of benefits for your community. Don’t forget the benefits of Podcasting to talk your way to success. Study the market first to see what is offered now but open up that possibility for your community.

2. Check Out Web 2.0’s Biggest Stars.

Get involved in communities like Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, YouTube, VideoJug and more. Find the places where your customers tend to gravitate. Be there in a pleasant, value-added way. Don’t push your stuff or try to sell. This is not the place for that. Instead, provide value and let people know about you. This soft-sell works much better in today’s Web 2.0 world. Also check out the hybrid of Meet-Up groups. Meet-up groups connect online but meet with real people who share a mutual interest with you in your geographical community. This is a way to develop not only business relationships but mutually beneficial personal relationships.

3. Provide Ways For Buyers To Connect With You Directly.

Many in the Internet Marketing world only want to sell a box of CDs, DVDs or pamphlets. Think about how much of that stuff (often selling for $2,000+) you really use. Does it sit on a shelf and collect dust? Find a place where you can get real assistance from a human being. Remember that you won’t get a lot of personal attention at real low prices. However, if you want to learn swimming really well, get a good swim coach. If you want to learn to play the piano, look into a good piano coach. This is a time-honored way to learn (think apprenticeships from the Middle Ages) and it still works today. Supplement it with good quality, relevant material that you can get online. It’s not either or; it’s both and.

Relationship Marketing is about connecting with people on a personal basis, not just through selling masses of stuff. Provide ways that people can implement change in their lives and you will prosper. As Web 2.0 evolves and changes (every week is bringing new changes) the time-honored principles of helping others, genuine caring and providing value work more than ever today.

Source: Web 2.0 Ideas For Relationship Marketing by Terry Brock, Portland Business Journal

This entry was posted on Tuesday, October 16th, 2007 at 6:58 am and is filed under Blogging. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.