| Podcast No. 271: New Relationship Marketing Posted: 12 Jan 2012 06:51 AM PST Earlier this week, I went one-on-one with Mari Smith, the author of New Relationship Marketing. Mari has been called the “Pied Piper Of The Online World,” and you’ll see why when you hear how enthusiastically and sincerely she shares her tips for marketing your business. 
To listen to my 30-minute interview with Mari, and to put her tips to work in your life right away, scroll to the bottom of this page and click the play arrow. If you don’t feel like listening right now, here is a high level summary of what Mari and I discussed, with time stamps in case you want to scroll forward. - You’re already a relationship marketer (2:14)! Since the notion of relationship marketing is based on the underlying intent that governs all of your actions, if you have a business, you currently engage in some forms of relationship marketing every day! Unlike the traditional sales and marketing process, which focuses on closing the sale in front of you, relationship marketing focuses on earning and nurturing relationships, and on acquiring customers for life. This is not a “one off” process. It’s continuous and flowing, and allows you to use new media tools for great efficiencies.
My Takeaway: Rather than focusing solely on your sales cycle, focus also on how relationship cycles complement your sales cycle. Observe how they mature over time. See how they lead to sales and other positive outcomes in your business and in your life. - The line between business, personal and private (28:00). Stressing that you must take control of your privacy, Mari divides sharing into three categories: business, personal, and private. She suggests a 3-prong test to determine whether or not to share something publicly. Don’t miss this section, where Mari discusses how she applied these tests to determine whether and how to share her change in marital status at her blog. You’ll get some great tips if you are trying to figure out what to share and what not to share.
My Takeaway: If you have a business, there is not such thing as complete privacy. You cannot be an recluse online and then expect the Internet to deliver sales for you. Strike an intentional balance between disclosure and non-disclosure that works for you. Like relationship marketing itself, this is a dynamic process, and may vary greatly depending on the season of your life, the stage of your business, and your own personal comfort level. - Three things that will always draw people (11:47). Whenever you’re at a loss for how to connect with and nurture a relationship with someone, consider approaching them around one of these three things: family, hobbies, or travel. Everyone likes all three, so you can’t go wrong with any of them. This is a super tip for when you need ideas for new blog posts, and want to use your blog to reach out to specific people with whom you want to do business.
My Takeaway: Use your blog, Twitter, FaceBook, etc., to find out about the people you want to connect with. Just like you approach the job interview process only after doing homework on the employer, approach the business networking and marketing process by first doing your home on the business and/or business owner you want to connect with. About Mari Smith Mari is a passionate social media leader, specializing in relationship marketing and FaceBook mastery. Fast Company describes her as a veritable engine of personal branding, a relationship marketing whiz and the “Pied Piper
of the Online World.” In addition to her new book, New Relationship Marketing, Mari is the co-author of FaceBook Marketing: An Hour a Day, and is considered one of the top resources and thought leaders in the world of new media marketing. Follow Mari on Twitter here, and check out her website here. How to Listen to the Show This post contains my paraphrases of the information Mari shared. To hear it from the horse’s mouth yourself, listen to the entire 30-minute show using one of these options: - Download it on iTunes. (It usually takes a day or two for iTunes to feed the show there.)
- Click on the arrow at the bottom of this post to listen now!
- Because I have not had a chance to load all of my shows to this blog, you can listen to hundreds of interviews from 2005 to 2010, each one as relevant today as it was when I recorded it, at my Indie Business Radio site.
Question: What do you think of Mari’s tips? What did we miss? How do you use technology to nurture relationships that help you and others be successful?  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
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