Relationship Marketing – The "Not Optional" Modern Way




What is relationship marketing and how is it different from transactional marketing?

How can internet tools, like social media, email, and text messaging, help with both but particularly relationship marketing?

In this blog, we’ll take a look at how you can use these tools to grow your business and make more sales.

“I’ve got a guy.”

“You’ve got a guy?”

“Yeah. I’ve got a guy.”

Everyone wants to be able to say that. 

Everyone wants to have a person in the right places to help them get through whatever they need. 

Every auto dealer wants to be someone’s “guy”. We all want the phone to ring with someone saying, “Hey, <insert your name>, it’s <insert their name>. I wanted to schedule a time to come down and look at trucks.” 

That’s the call we work hard for. 

So, how can internet tools help us make that happen?

First, we should look at the differences between relationship marketing and transactional marketing.

Relationship marketing is marketing that’s designed to create long-term bonds between a vendor and a consumer. It’s not about a single sale, but about the relationship that’s built in trust and familiarity. Here’s an observation: Until recently in all but the very largest cities, all sales were based on relationship marketing. Everyone knew everyone else, so of course, they knew who their car dealer was and asked for him by name.

Transactional marketing is marketing based on a sale. That’s the goal. When you see an ad for a cheeseburger, they aren’t asking how your kids are or how you might like your burger cooked. They want you to buy the burger as they serve it. The auto sales industry, these are the dealerships that simply stand around waiting for someone to show up and then sell them a car. Once the sale is made, that’s it. There’s very little contact. 

Why is relationship marketing better?

The answer to that is simple: Would rather sell one car to a customer or a new car every three years? Do you want to have one member of a family come and buy a vehicle or have an entire family referred to you for their transportation needs?

The answers are obvious. 

Relationship marketing takes longer, but it lasts longer. It’s there to make sure that you have business going into the years ahead.

How to use modern tools for relationship marketing?

There are a lot of ways to use email, texting, and social media to build a relationship. 

Social media – Posting surveys, fun contests, and even just useful information will forge a relationship with your customers, even if you don’t know who they are. They’ll see what you’re doing and refer to you as a business they trust.

Email – Sending a message to someone’s inbox is an excellent way to bring to personalize the relationship. You can send them longer, more in-depth things that they need to know. You can also customize your message for them. For example, if you have your CRM track everyone who clicked on an ad for pickup trucks, the emails you send them will feature pickups, not economy cars. You can also email personal messages to people to inspire action.

Text messages – The most intimate way to contact someone is through text messages. You can reach out with messages that ask how they are, how their car is running, or if they’d like to stop by. You can send messages inviting them to a BBQ at your dealership or any of a thousands other things. Your messages can be signed personally and help to build that personal relationship.

Using SimpSocial to do it

SimpSocial makes this all very easy. With the help of SimpSocial, you can have ads that inspire people to contact you and then those leads can be put directly into marketing messages. 

The tone of the messages is up to you, but our team can help you get it all set up. 

Even more important, everything someone does, from the first click on a Facebook ad to buying a car is tracked in a CRM so you never forget what you know about someone. When someone makes an appointment, you can look up their name, their kids’ names, know what type of vehicle they’re likely to want, and much more.

Building relationships takes time, in life and in business. Using the modern tools that are available, it’s easier to do than ever!






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