What are some of the best relationship marketing examples to get you inspired? Continue reading for more!
As the increasing digitalization has enabled the access to endless amount of information, more and more companies are realizing the importance of relationship marketing as a sustainable, long-term strategy to make their customers happy and keep them coming back.
Nowadays, digital competition is so high that customers can switch from one company to another in the matter of minutes.
With the amount of options they have, and considering how easy it is to make a decision based on reviews and other users’ experiences, it is no surprise that keeping your customers long-term isn’t at all an easy task.
But it’s an important one – according to Outbound Engine, acquiring a new customer can cost up to 5x more than retaining an existing one. Additionally, increasing customer retention by just 5% can boost profits from 25-95%.
Fortunately, this is where Relationship Marketing comes into play. For this reason, today we will see some of the best Relationship Marketing examples in real life – but before that, let’s see what all this really means:
What is Relationship Marketing?
As opposed to Transactional Marketing, in which the main purpose is to drive as many sales as possible, a Relationship Marketing strategy focuses on establishing long-term relationships with customers by building an emotional connection and driving customer loyalty.
| Relationship Marketing | Transactional Marketing |
| Purpose: attracting and maintaining the customer, the sale is just the beginning, but the relationship is what measures success. | Purpose: the end goal is to complete the transaction and make a sale, and the sale is the measurement for success. |
| The customer is well known. | The customer is anonymous. |
| The focus is on customer experience and quality of the service. | The focus is on the product and the quantity of the sales. |
In other words, Relationship Marketing is a strategy that emphasizes on customer retention, satisfaction, and long-term value rather than short-term goals such as customer acquisition and individual sales.
This type of Marketing is usually not linked to a single product or service, but to the strategy that the company uses to maximize the value of this relationship for the customer.
Top 7 Relationship Marketing Examples
And now that we’ve cleared out the concept, let’s hop onto our Relationship Marketing examples:
1. Amazon
First on our list of awesome Relationship Marketing examples is Amazon. Despite being the world’s largest online retailer, driving a net income of $21.33 billion sales per year, the company practically set the standard for customer service in ecommerce.
And here is how they did that:
Customer ratings & reviews
Amazon was one of the first companies to introduce a review system on their website back in 1995, and customer reviews have been a key factor in the brand’s global success. They help customers make a well-informed decision based on their needs, even if it doesn’t end up in a sale for Amazon.
Easy return
One of the reasons why so many people shop with Amazon is how easy they’ve made it to return and refund any product, no questions asked. This possibility keeps customers coming back since they know that they can always return something if they aren’t happy with it.
In many cases, when the customer requests a return for a faulty or wrong product, Amazon not only sends them a new one for free, but also lets them keep the original one as well.
Data-driven Marketing
Amazon uses big data and web research for most of their customer-facing interactions. Their call center representatives take service requests by greeting people with their name, leverage available information to make them feel more comfortable, and personalize all their emails and recommendations.
2. Siteground
Next on our list of brilliant Relationship Marketing examples is Siteground. The Bulgaria-based web hosting company takes an excellent care of their customers, and tries to resolve any issue that they could possible have as fast as possible.
In fact, Siteground consistently ranks among the top companies with the best hosting support, and they have a customer happiness rate of 99.7%.
Both from reading reviews and from my own experience with them, Siteground:
- Offer 24/7 support through live chat and calls;
- Resolve 90% of issues during the first contact;
- Their live chat often has a waiting time of just 1 minute or less.
In fact, from my own experience, they almost always answer in less than 2 minutes, and have managed to resolve my issues extremely quickly and with great attitude.
Relationship Marketing examples: Siteground’s excellent support
I’m not sponsored by them in any shape or form – but comparing the experience with other hosting companies I’ve worked with, Siteground definitely deserves the excellent reviews for their customer service.
Their support team is extremely capable, well-prepared and friendly – which is what makes Siteground one of the best Relationship Marketing examples in the hosting niche.
Additionally, the company constantly provides added value in terms of helpful blog content, self-help knowledge base, as well as plugins for speed optimization and site security – all without extra costs.
3. Desigual
Our list of Relationship Marketing examples continues with Desigual, a Spanish clothing company known for its unique and colorful styles that make the brand so iconic.
Here is how they establish sustainable, long-term relationships with their customers:
Desigual Magic
The company has an awesome loyalty program that’s free to join and provides special benefits for its members. You get 10% on your first online purchase upon signing up, 25% on your birthday, priority access to all Desigual promotions, and you accumulate discounts on each purchase.
You also get the benefit of returning a product without having to attach the purchase receipt, which is a great perk for ensuring that customers are always happy with Desigual even if they aren’t happy with their particular purchase.
You also have 60 days to return a product, which is more than what most companies offer.
Relationship Marketing examples: Desigual
By shopping Desigual, you also accumulate points for every purchase, and you can use them at any time to get a sweet discount on your favourite garments.
Personal shopper
Another awesome thing that Desigual introduced to establish a relationship with their customers is their Personal Shopper. By leveraging data from previous purchases and viewed products, the company makes personalized suggestions for each customer:
Virtual shopping
And last but not least, another reason why Desigual is on top of our Relationship Marketing examples is their Virtual shopping service. You can sign up for an exclusive shopping session with an assistant who will help you select the clothes that best fit your style, and maximize your shopping experience with Desigual.
You can book your session via Whatsapp, phone, video call or directly in the store.
4. Zalando
While we are still on the topic of clothing brands, next on our list of Relationship Marketing examples is Zalando. The German multi-national ecommerce brand is doing an excellent job in keeping their customers satisfied, and establishing a long-term connection with them.
There are a lot of things that they are doing extremely well in terms of customer experience, such as allowing you to save your brands for easy filtering, or offering personalized recommendations based on data.
However, because I don’t want to offer repetitive examples, I will focus on their return policy, which is amazing:
100-day return policy
The company offers one of the longest period for returns on the clothing market – 100 days are more than 3 months! And the best part is, you don’t have to justify nor prove anything for them to accept your return. You simply give a reason which is purely for collecting feedback, and will not affect your return, and that’s it.
Home pickup
One of the main reasons why I continually purchase from Zalando, even if the product is cheaper on another website, is their return options. I hate having to go somewhere to drop a package, no matter how close it is to my home (yes, I’m that lazy 🙂 ).
However, with Zalando, you have the option for them to come and take your package from the comfort of your own home. You try the clothes, and if there is something that you don’t like, you can request a pickup for a specific day and hour.
Relationship Marketing examples: Zalando
And yes, this service is 100% free. The fact that Zalando makes it just so easy for people to return a product establishes a great amount of trustworthiness which pays off in the long run.
5. Hermés
Speaking of awesome Relationship Marketing examples, I can’t forget to mention Hermés. Hermés has a unique approach with their Marketing strategy – in fact, they don’t really invest in Digital Marketing, but focus on the power of exclusivity and word-of-mouth.
They are doing a great job applying this strategy with their Birkin bags.
Hermés’ Birkin bags are some of the most exclusive and expensive bags in the world. In fact, it is so difficult to purchase a Birkin bag directly from the company that the prices go sky high when one of them shows up on the second market. They get up to $500,000 for the most rare and unique pieces!
The main reason why is because customers can’t simply enter a Hermés store and purchase a Birkin, even if they have the money. In fact, they should build up purchase history with the boutiques, and get invited to order one:
- Spending $4,000 to $8,000 on non-Birkin/Kelly items to receive an offer for a basic leather Birkin/Kelly.
- Spending over $20,000 on non-bags to get offered a special order (where you can design your own bag).
- Spend a lot more and become a big client for an offer for a crocodile or ostrich Birkin/Kelly/Constance.
By doing this, Hermés not only establishes a long-term relationship with their customers, but also delivers an exclusive experience that makes them feel special, even among other celebrities and wealthy people.
6. Hubspot
Our list of Relationship Marketing examples continues with Hubspot, an American company that develops software products for Inbound Marketing, Sales, and Customer Relationship Management.
Among fierce competition in the industry, Hubspot manages to stand out and build sustainable, long-term relationships with their clients in the following ways:
Outstanding customer support
On top of their customer support, the company offers an impressive collection of learning resources to ensure that their clients have all the information that they need to succeed.
They have a community in which you can start a discussion and look for solutions, an extremely powerful and intuitive Knowledge base, developer documentation, customer blog – and you can even work with a certified partner to help you get started.
Relationship Marketing examples: Hubspot
Free software tools
They also have a huge amount of awesome software tools to provide added value for both existing and potential customers, ensuring that they have all the tools necessary to maximize their use of Hubspot. Some of them include:
- Marketing plan generator
- Email signature generator
- Free live chat software
- Free online form builder
- Website grader
And a lot more! The amount of added value that Hubspot provides with all of its free and plentiful resources really helps to establish trust with their customers, and keeps them over a long period of time.
Forever free CRM
If the rest wasn’t enough, the company also provides a 100% free Customer Relationship Management tool to make it easier for businesses to establish and maintain relationships with their own customers.
7. Emirates
Relationship Marketing examples: Emirates
Another company that really takes care of its customers and aims to exceed their expectations, whether they’re travelling with Economy class, First class or Business class, is Emirates. Here is how the largest airline of the United Arab Emirates achieves that:
Top cabin features
While many airlines only focus on their customers when they are travelling in First class, Emirates offers top cabin features in Economy class as well. In fact, their main claim is “It’s an Economy Class that feels like an upgrade”. Some of these features include:
- The option to select a regionally inspired meal from the onboard menu;
- Inflight entertainment with over 4,500 channels of movies;
- A complimentary beverage;
Of course, this experience gets even better with First Class, which, according to Emirates itself, “is as close as it comes to your own private jet”. With Business Class, you also get a complimentary limousine service to pick you up and take you to the airport.
Customer feedback
To ensure that it provides customers exactly what they need so it can exceed their expectations, Emirates doesn’t forget to request customer feedback. But beyond filling out a questionnaire, they make it even more personal.
According to Nienke Bloem, who got upgraded from Business Class to First Class when the airline encountered a booking problem, one of the flight attendants asked her personally about what they could improve, and took notes of it.
What she did at that moment, I still find extraordinary and something more employees should do. She said: “Thank you for your customer feedback, but I am curious, what could we have done better?”
WoW moment
Emirates’ employees really go out of their ways to keep customers happy and establish an emotional connection with them. As Nienke Bloem explains in the above-mentioned article:
After that feedback moment, she asked if I would like a souvenir to remember my flight. I was very curious what she meant and of course I replied “Yes”! She brought me an instant camera, took a snap shot of me in my seat and had a folder to put the picture in. Emirates thought of the moment of WOW, got instant cameras out to the crew, instructed them and supplied them with cards to put the photo in.
These details really add up when it comes to customer experience, and are an excellent way to build relationships with your customers.
What is Relationship Marketing?
Relationship Marketing is a customer-oriented strategy that focuses on establishing long-term relationships with customers by emphasizing on customer retention and satisfaction instead of taking a purely transactional approach.
What is an example of Relationship Selling?
One example of Relationship Selling are real estate agencies which rely on building relationships with customers that can later buy or sell again or recommend them to a friend. Relationship selling aims to establish a sustainable and positive connection with customers in order to encourage brand loyalty and continued sales.
What are types of Relationship Marketing?
There are five types of Relationship Marketing also known as levels: Basic Marketing, Reactive Marketing, Accountable Marketing, Proactive Marketing and Partnership Marketing. Basic is the simplest step which focuses on acquiring a customer, and Partnership is the most advanced stage.
How does Coca Cola use Relationship Marketing?
Coca Cola uses Relationship Marketing to establish an emotional connection with their customers by inspiring positive feelings. They achieve this with messages such as Share a Coke with a friend and Open a Coke, open Happiness.
And that was all from me for today! Thank you for taking the time to read my article on some of the best Relationship Marketing examples! If you liked it, you may also like 11 Brilliant Customer Experience Examples (Real-World Cases).
I hope to see you in the next one! And now it’s your own turn – which Relationship Marketing examples would you add? Let me know in the comments below!
