Relationship Advice That’s Good for Business: A Post-Valentine’s Day Post

by Anagog Team | Feb 15, 2021 | Classics, Customer Relationships, Customers, Engagement, Marketing, Mobile App
Estimated Read Time: 4 Minutes

A fulfilling customer relationship means knowing what your customers care about, how and when to interact with them.

Making relationships work in business

Now that you have had the chance to take care of your primary relationships, it might be a good idea to spend some time on the day after Valentine’s to ponder your second-most important relationships, those you have with your customers. Here is some relationship advice from our column, “Ask JedAI”.

Dear JedAI,
My customers and I have had a great relationship. They used to love buying my products, posing with them in photos and posting them on Instagram, telling all their friends how much they loved their new product. But lately they stopped responding to my emails. Some of them have even unsubscribed. There were even some negative reviews about our newest release. Last month we had a big sale and few of them showed up…I suspect that they started visiting my toughest competitors. The spark has gone from the relationship. Please tell me: What went wrong?
Regards,
Feeling Abandoned

Dear Abandoned,
What you are experiencing is actually quite common. You see, many companies plaster their walls with posters that promise: “We are customer-centric”, “Our customers come first” or “We love our customers”. Unfortunately, these often become empty promises because, let’s face it, companies like the thrill of the courtship, often spending hundreds of dollars to win over new customers yet, once the rush is over, they neglect to nurture the relationship and focus on the next conquests.

A good relationship is based on a simple recipe: being there for each other, communicating clearly and maintaining respect. These are the foundations of a lasting relationship.  Did you make it a point to focus on what your customers need when they need it? To communicate with them clearly and respect their privacy? 

These days, more than ever, you have the tools to collect data and personalize your messages. But have you been listening? Or have you viewed your customer relationships primarily through a “what’s in it for me” perspective. As in all relationships, if you are only interested in one thing, the other side will catch on and will not appreciate it.

That is why nurturing a personalized relationship with your customers must be about more than ‘pushing product’ or ‘maximizing CLV’, even if those are your ultimate goals. Communication is key; not just on what matters to you but also about what matters to them. You need to listen to everything they say, pay attention to everything that they do and respond accordingly. Engage your customers in their daily lives, delighting them in moments that matter with personalized messaging that gives them a sense that you care for their needs and therefore are there for them. This will help avoid that ‘taken for granted’ feeling and restore the romance (and mutual benefit) to your customer relationship. (It can also save on your User Acquisition budget). Good luck with your next customers!

 

Dear JedAI,
I used to really like buying from Company A. They had a cool app, free membership and a very fun shopping experience. But lately, I feel that they have become pushy, always trying to get me to buy things when I am not sure I’m ready. And I am getting a really creepy feeling that they are following me around and watching me. I find myself looking at advertisements for other companies and I am thinking of moving on. Should I make a clean break and uninstall or just stop using their app until they get the message?
Sincerely,
Feeling Unappreciated

Dear Unappreciated,
Your story is all too common, so don’t feel bad. Many companies are single minded when it comes to customer relationships; they look at your online profile and make you an attractive offer to get you to say ‘Yes’. Unfortunately, once you sign up, they stop paying attention and instead of listening, their ‘personalized’ approach is simply to send you pictures of their products hoping you’ll be impressed. 

What’s important is how they make you feel. Do they see you as a person, or as a UserID? Are they interested in how your day was or do they just talk about what they want to offer you? Do they know when to approach you or do they invade your space with messages at inconvenient times? Personalized relationships should feel mutually beneficial; there is no reason for you to welcome them into your phone if they have no intention of making an effort to get to know the real you, not your online persona. 

Are they patient with you? Are they willing to give you maximum value regardless of how often you buy or which data you are willing to share? How comfortable do they make you feel? If you feel pressured into granting them permissions or subscribing to things you’re not comfortable with, this is the time to say “No, thanks”. Luckily for you, there are plenty of other apps in the app store and I am sure you will find one that will make you feel special by saying the right things, at the right time, while respecting your right to privacy. I hope you find the app that’s right for you!


So you see, apart from the scale, customer relationships are pretty similar to personal ones. And similarly, it makes sense to invest more in the relationships that you’ve already established than to be fixated on adding new ones. Personalized engagement can ensure the ultimate customer experience, resulting in a higher brand loyalty and ultimately a greater ROI. The alternative is an “acquire, churn, and burn” cycle that will cost you a lot.

Engaging with Users when it matters

With Anagog’s Mobile Engagement Platform, you can Micro-Target audiences for a highly personalized touch and select moments of delight for each individual customer, so you can create true engagement, even if it will not generate direct revenue for you. Your customers will feel that you care about them personally, and you will win their trust by providing them with the ultimate privacy protection of “all on the device” technology – their private data stays private and local.

Want to join us in making relationships last? Want to learn more about how you can do it with your customers? Reach out to us below.

To learn more about how Anagog’s solutions can increase transparency and eliminate the need to collect private information, contact us