Often, we see that in the implementation of marketing conversations online, the perception of how we build real relationships changes. The personal journey a brand can build seems to get lost. Instead, the focus is on what the business wants to sell and how to broadcast while challenged with standing out in ever increasing noise.

We agree that at times this approach might be necessary. Yet, it makes it much harder to build a meaningful, long-lasting exchange. It’s like a series of one-night stands, a superficial approach at building a long lasting relationship.

Without understanding and support, how can a business create a genuine brand affinity, and build the foundations for real relationships?

At encendo, we often find businesses focus on the tools that make marketing happen. We support our clients in avoiding a tunnel vision of expectation that these tools will build the engagement on which their relationships are built on.

Communication Tools

These channels are only the tools with which to communicate. Although many are effective in reaching the right people, this means little without engaging at the emotional level of that audience. Understanding the pain points of your audience, and matching this with a strong message, is extremely important.

In Association with

What support can you offer to help your audience understand their challenges, and find the solutions to them? Without great content and a strong message, your conversations online are based on transactional motivations.

This is in itself is not a bad thing, but has its own unique challenges. It is not the best route for building brand affinity and therefore you have to fight for attention each time you start an online campaign. This also has a direct impact on the lifetime value of a customer.

More importantly, by only conversing at a transactional level you will only ever be engaging with the small percentage of your audience who are at a buy-stage at that point.

Adding Value

We are regularly challenging our clients on how can they add value when not talking directly transactional with them. What content or resource might they have available which is not directly related to an end transaction, but supports the relationship by solving a pain point?

A strong marketing communications strategy uses the digital channels to show how we understand and support, giving real relationships the best chance to grow.

This then helps potentially leaky funnels to be optimised, as transactions now become second nature to an emotive relationship which has – over time of course – been built on brand affinity, understanding and support.

So how do we build these relationships? We think it begins with the very people who make up our business. It’s the ethos that runs through them. This naturally morphs and influences the messages and creatives that flow through the numerous digital channels we use to build real relationships with.

This is reflected in all the micro moments that we have with customers. From the direct touchpoints to the more subtle, we can make sure that the focus is on building the relationship rather than the commoditisation of the channels we use to communicate.

Listening and analysing, we take all the information our audience touchpoints present to us. By truly listening we understand our audience in the contexts of their own lives. We can then create great messages that evaluate how we fit into their everyday, and therefore when do we not fit in, and what can we do about that.

All real relationships take time and work. The highs and lows, the things we get right and wrong. This emotional investment in understanding and support is what builds a harmony in the relationship, and what makes it real.

Francis Mac Aonghus is Managing Director of encendo