Ever been to a store or restaurant where the customer service was so terrible that you left declaring that you would never return? It has happened to all of us at some point.  It makes you wonder how some of these businesses continue to operate successfully.  What about in the online world?  Have you ever visited a website (whether you were looking for information or looking to make an actual purchase) and had a terrible online experience?  What are the chances that you would ever go back to that site…I bet they are pretty slim.

This got me thinking about relationship marketing and lifetime value of a customer.  Before we get ahead of ourselves, we should define what each of these terms mean.  Relationship marketing means adding a “personal stamp” to your marketing message.  It means adapting your marketing message to the needs of one versus the needs of many.  It’s the building of a relationship between you and your defined target consumer.  If you are successful in building a strong relationship with your customer you can expect that the lifetime value they bring to your business will be great.  Lifetime value simply means the value a customer brings to your business over the course of the relationship that you have with them.  The longer the relationship the greater the lifetime value you will receive.

Let’s apply this to your online marketing efforts.   We know that more and more frequently web users are using search to help them find information on the web or even make an online purchase.  If you are not utilizing a search marketing campaign users may not find your site and even if they do, they may not find what they are looking for once they arrive at your site.  If your site is not being found in the major search engines, you really have restricted your online presence and as a result limited your chances for success on the web.  Recent studies have revealed that 71% of small businesses still have no online presence.  It’s pretty hard to build a relationship without an online presence these days.  Not to mention that you are not taking advantage of the lifetime value that your online consumers may bring…. but you can bet that your competition will.

Think of it like this, there are four ways to sell more products/services:

1. Sell your current product/services to new customers
2. Sell new product/services to existing customers
3. Sell new product/services to new customers
4. Sell more of your current product/services to existing customers

The easiest and most profitable of these four options is to sell more of your current product/services to your existing customers.  This is where lifetime value comes in as this is the basis for relationship marketing. 

It may be time for you to evaluate your search engine marketing efforts.  What type of experience do your site visitors receive when they land on your site?  Does your site offer a personalized message that will help build the relationship between your business and your consumer?  Are you able to match the benefits of your product/service to the customer’s needs in a personal way?  If you answered “yes” to these questions then you should be on your way to receiving greater lifetime value from your online visitors.

Jody Nimetz
Search Marketing Strategist
Search Engine Positioning by Searchengineposition
Enquiro Full Service Search Engine Marketing
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