This week I’ve been commenting on Relationship Marketing. Relationship marketing is to market based on a level of permission or connection. It is essentially the opposite of interruption marketing which comes out of context and sometimes uninvited. Also known as permission marketing as Seth Godin made popular, it is a fact that someone who has invited your message is much more likely to purchase your services.

Relationship Marketing Example 3: Search Marketing.

When People are searching for a solution that is ultimately your product, that is the perfect time to get your brand in front of them. It is not irrelevant or an interruption, it is exactly what the consumer is looking for. The fact is, if you were searching for someone and you found it because of marketing, you would be appreciative. It’s all about marketing that is relevant within the context the consumer receives it. By searching or “asking” the buyer is essentially permitting you to be that result.

Where this turns into relationship is when the consumer seeking approaches you by signing up for your news letter, requesting more information, downloading a whitepaper, etc. Search marketing is an exploding industry, so I would say two things:

1. Don’t forsake search marketing for your business. With as much as people are starting the purchasing and decision making process with a search on the web, forgoing search marketing for many businesses can mean passing up a lot of business.

2. Don’t rely on search marketing for your business. As fast as this industry is growing, it is faster being manipulated. Just as fast, those that make the rules are changing them.

In short, use search to some degree by creating both organic and paid results – there are millions of related methods so hire an Indianapolis Marketing Agency to help you establish your direction in this area (full disclosure – I’m biased). In closing, search is a great wedge to open the door to establishing true marketing relationships that are truly relevant and interested in your brand and the solution you provide to them.