Relationship Marketing: How To Build An Online Business By Addressing People By Name

When you receive an email from someone, you expect them to address you by name either in the subject line or at the beginning of the email message, don't you? You may be surprised to find out that most marketers do not mention your name in either place. Clearly these are not people who wish to be known as relationship marketers. Yet it is a well known fact that using someone's name makes for a better marketing outcome in almost every case. If you want to succeed as an online entrepreneur, use every opportunity to address your prospects and clients by name, and to make them feel as though they are a part of your cherished community.

Autoresponders and broadcast emails are the place to start. Your service provider uses a type of mail merge system that allows you to enter the specific name of the person you are writing to simply by typing the merge code. For example, it may be something like %$firstname$%. I like to do this in the subject line and the salutation, but you also wish to do it at some point within the email message itself. Remember that someone's name is the sweetest sound they will ever hear, so make the most of connecting with them in this way to get your relationship off on the right foot.

Hosting teleseminars is yet another way for you to connect with people on a more personal level. When people call in to my open trainings I always make sure to get their name and the city they are calling from. Then I call them by name as I answer their questions and include them in the conversation. Of course this makes everyone feel special, and that is the intention when you are a relationship marketer.

Meeting people in person at conferences, workshops, and other live events is the final way you can build relationships, and again you'll want to use their name as often as possible. People at these events almost always wear a name badge, so greet them by name whenever you see them. This will also help you to not forget their name, as saying it out loud helps to build a synapse in the brain that allows you to recall information more easily at a later date.

As you can see, there are multiple opportunities for you to connect with your community by addressing people by name and letting them know that you truly care about them and their success.