Building a personal connection in marketing can unlock great opportunities. Whatever business you’re in, it all boils down to one factor: how well you know your customers.
No matter how slick your website, how well thought out your social media strategy, or how outstanding your product or service is, if you aren’t serving up what your customers want, when they want it, then you aren’t going to succeed.
That is what a real personal connection in marketing looks like: you anticipate the customer’s needs before they ask.
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Personal Connections In Business
The best businesses do well because they have worked hard to forge a real connection with their customers. They have learned to anticipate what they will need so they’re always one step ahead.
They use myriad channels, from getting out and meeting customers in person at events to conducting social listening or focus groups, all the way to investing in software.
They use several channels to do this:
- Meeting customers in person at events
- Social listening
- Focus groups
- Customer data and software
It uses machine learning and big data to paint a more accurate and dynamic portrait of your customers. Hence, being good at this is something you should never stop striving for or learning about.
Find A New Role Model
As start-up businesses, we are used to looking up to the blue-chip players or the disruptive start-ups in our industry. But it’s not Apple or Lyft we should be modelling ourselves after.
No, it turns out the best business role models tend to be a lot closer to home – quite literally. The neighborhood corner shop may not be glamorous.
But it’s to this kind of family-run micro-enterprise that we should look for inspiration to build personal connections.
The cornerstone of their business is personal service for each and every customer. They don’t have giant advertising budgets or fancy technology.
👉 They achieve success through giving the ultimate personal touch to a small group of repeat customers.
Cutting Edge Customer Service
If you think about it, it’s quite funny that in this digital day and age, the cutting edge of customer service should come from the kind of business which hasn’t fundamentally changed in centuries.
The key is to log those little details about your customer and weave them into the purchasing experience. Whether your company is small enough to do that by hand or gets some help from a killer social listening system is up to you.
The principle is that in a world driven by algorithms and contactless transactions, people really do value being made to feel a little important.
With social media acting as the village square, the feedback it generates is amplified by digital word-of-mouth.
Ask Questions To Make Personal Connections in Marketing
Questions are how you start a personal connection in marketing, rather than a pitch.
Often they don’t respond well to the lack of authenticity. Instead of going into a sales process, flip it around by prioritizing questions.
Again, this can be digitally or in person. Take your time to fully understand the needs of who you are dealing with. The more relevant data you collect, the more you can tailor your offering.
Questions may require a little more upfront work, but this approach has a much higher hit rate than a blind pitch. It will also help with the holy grail of marketing – turning customers into brand advocates.
The value of repeat custom you are likely to get if you really make a connection with a prospect far outweighs the extra effort in getting to know them. And if it’s not a match between the client and your product or service?
Don’t be too proud to recommend them to somewhere else.
They’ll usually be so impressed by your honesty that they may just reciprocate by talking you up to someone else who will be a good fit for what you do. I’ve seen this work wonders over the years.
👉 People love getting referrals and will likely refer you in the future once you make a personal connection. Don’t overlook this. It will make you feel good.
Hone Your Listening Skills To Make Personal Connections
Just as important as asking the right question? Really listening to the response. In any situation where a prospect is giving you information about themselves or their business, it’s very rude and insulting to make them feel ignored.
This even counts online. Don’t make your customers hand over endless data and then fail to follow up. Or tell them how the new information will personalize your offer to them.
We can avoid not listening – again, whether in person or online – but not pre-empting a response or failing to personalize subsequent communications.
If your follow-ups still aren’t relevant after a customer has taken the time to give you information, they are unlikely to give your business another chance.
Really, great personal service, even in the digital age, comes down to old-fashioned values like respect, honesty and authenticity. Be guided by those, and you won’t go far wrong.
You will soon see the benefits of personal connections in marketing.
Provide Exceptional Customer Service
Exceptional customer service is imperative when it comes to personal connections. Building strong relationships with customers is crucial for businesses to thrive.
When customers receive exceptional service, they feel valued and appreciated, which leads to increased loyalty and repeat business. By providing personalized and attentive support, businesses can foster a connection with their customers, creating a positive experience that encourages them to return.
Additionally, satisfied customers are more likely to recommend a business to others, amplifying its reach and reputation.
In a competitive market, exceptional customer service is not just a nice-to-have, but a must for businesses aiming to cultivate meaningful personal connections with their customers.
Your Take: Personal Connections In Marketing
In conclusion, making personal connections plays a crucial role in enhancing your marketing efforts with clients. By establishing meaningful relationships, you can gain their trust and loyalty, which in turn leads to increased customer satisfaction and repeat business.
Make it a priority to engage with your clients on a personal level to create lasting connections that will benefit your marketing strategy in the long run.
Are you making a personal connection with your clients and potential clients today? I’d love to hear how you are doing this and what other tips you could add here in the comments below. ⇓
Frequently Asked Questions About Personal Connection in Marketing
A: It means treating customers as people you know, not as a list. You remember details, ask questions, and tailor the next step to what they actually need.
A: Ask better questions, listen in comments and email, and follow up with something specific to them. A useful reply beats a polished broadcast.
A: No. Personalization is usually data (first name, last product viewed). A personal connection is the relationship behind that data — trust, memory, and honesty.
A: Ask better questions, listen in comments and email, and follow up with something specific to them. A useful reply beats a polished broadcast.
A: No. Personalization is usually data (first name, last product viewed). A personal connection is the relationship behind that data — trust, memory, and honesty.
A: AI makes generic outreach cheap. That makes a real connection rarer and more valuable, especially for small businesses that can still talk to people one at a time.
Disclosure: This Inspire To Thrive blog post may contain affiliate links. I may earn a commission from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you. Some sections were drafted with AI tools and carefully reviewed/edited by me.
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Hi Lisa,
Personal connection builds a long term bond between the two i.e. Marketer and the customer.
Also everyone likes it when someone treats very nicely. In this digital world when no one has time for others, in that situation when a person comes and treats them personally very respectfully it’s really unmatchable.
Keep sharing the stuff.
Regards
Kaushal Dhawan
hey Lisa
great insight.
personal connection is an essential element for success in any business and question is a great way to reach out industry leader.
thank you so much
Thank you Mahmudul. You are right about reaching out via a question, so true! Thanks for coming by here and have a great day!
Hi Lisa,
Funny… I just listened to a podcast about this subject (Pat Flynn).
How was your path to success? I see your site is doing pretty well…
Cheers,
Engin Soysal
Hi Engin, nice! I will have to check it out, I haven’t done many podcasts or listening to many but my Sirius in the car is running out so I may start listening more to podcasts. My path was long and not easy! It tooks years to get this website off the ground and running smoothly. I have been too many others quit before they became successful. How long have you been blogging Engin?
I would say… about 2 months now. I’m a newbie actually. I always had the idea of doing it but never did because I was either lazy or just didn’t feel like it… Now that I am blogging I noticed that I can write without thinking… Maybe that’s my superpower…
Cool. I just saw your blog, nice! I do like it and left a comment as well. Don’t give up within the 1st year.