Marketing Communications

534 CHAPTER 15 E-COMMUNICATION

Relationship marketing and the Internet

Th e basis of loyalty programmes consists of collecting data that are related to the customers’

behaviour. What kind of customers are they? What do they ask for? What do they buy? What

interests do they have and how can e-communications to be tailored their wants? Customer

profi les drive what the website looks like, which e-mails customers receive, what kind of off ers

they receive, etc. Th e Web is not about fragmenting audiences but about creating one-to-one

relationships for marketers and increasing the bond between consumers and producers.

Database applications, like collaborative fi ltering used by Amazon.com, focus on customer

retention rather than acquisition. Th e Internet is well suited for the evolution towards an

individualised, tailored value proposition. It off ers addressability, two-way continuous inter-

activity, customisation capabilities, on-demand availability and seamless transactions. Marketers

can leverage interactive media to identify self-selected users, enhance loyalty by providing value-

added services, use what they learn about their customers to customise existing products or

create new products and services, and start an ongoing online communication with customers.

E-mail communications with customers are more personal and intimate than the traditional

letter with glossy brochure. When a customer sends an e-mail to a company, the person who

replies to the e-mail suddenly becomes the representative for the whole company.^227

Relationship marketing is all about building confi dence and growing the relationship.

Make your consumers ‘feel’ they can count on you, and then deliver. Because we live in a digital

world this relationship is more and more created and supported via the tools provided by

social media. A formula for success includes building a quality online community. Use and select

carefully social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Google+,

etc., as they will help in promoting your brand. Off er quality content on blog posts. Above all

be consistent in your brand message and off er value. Be honest and passionate about your

brand and care about your fans and followers. Listen to your current and potential customers

and off er solutions to their problems, needs or interests. Once the relationship is solid you

can reach out to your friends, followers and fans by giving them clear off ers or calls to action.

Maintain a consistent style, using personal and promotional content. Integrate offl ine activities

to optimise online, like networking, joining relevant groups, and be accessible.

Th e use of loyalty programmes can be very successful. Identify advocates of your brand

and get them to help in promoting your products and services. Encourage them to share their

product experiences with their networks, interact with them regularly, swap tips and ask

for their advice. Th is is again a form of relationship-based marketing. And do not forget

to reward your brand advocates even if it is simply thanking them publicly with a Tweet or

Facebook post. Relationship marketing is the new currency of business but also via the

Internet it takes time and eff ort.^228

Based on purchase data – collected through the Dunkin’ Donuts Perks Card (DD Perks), their own loyalty card –

Dunkin’ Donuts found out that the heavy Dunkin’ Donuts customers visit the store several times a week while

spending twice as much as the average customer. The light customer however spends less than 25% of the average

amount. Next to the increase of in-store sales, Dunkin’ Donuts wanted to quintuple its customer database, leading

BUSINESS INSIGHT

Dunkin’ Donuts builds relationships online

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