As a business owner in any industry, one of your primary goals should be to build strong relationships with your clients so that they keep coming back. It’s much more cost effective to market to existing clients and referral business than it is to market to new prospects. Money can buy you advertising space, postcards, and spots on the radio, but it can’t buy you strong customer relations. If you’re looking for an effective way to drive your business with strong relationships, here are 5 ideas that you should try.

1. Don’t Forget the Importance of Networking

Networking can include anything from participating in a small business referral network to meeting strangers in line at the store and giving these people your card. Networking doesn’t cost money and is one of the most effective ways to build customer relations. When you network with other business owners, customers, and prospects, you’re keeping your brand in the back of their mind. As long as you make a positive impression, people in your network are more likely to call you when they have a need over the competition.

2. Try Affordable Marketing Techniques

If you want positive relationships, your marketing list will be far more receptive to your message if they see you as an expert. For example, as a dentist there’s a number of cost effective ways to show that you know your industry to a widespread audience. While email marketing might not work for everyone, if you have a list of clients and genuine prospects who want to hear what you have to say, start an email marketing campaign. Enter email addresses in your Mac dentist software, send newsletters, build confidence, stay on the clients’ minds.

3. Communicate Often

While quality is important, quantity is important as well when you’re building relationships. Don’t forget the importance of following up after you communicate with a client or customer. Send 123 Postcards to tell your contacts you enjoyed your meeting and you can reinforce who you are and what business you represent.

4. Don’t Forget About Loyal Customers

You might be so focused on marketing to new clients that you completely forget about your customers who have stayed with you from the start. When your customers tell you how great you are, don’t forget to ask them for referrals. Letting them know you’ll take care of their friends and family as good as you take care of them will certainly get you more referrals.

5. Rewarding Your Customers for Retention

Customers love being rewarded for their continued business. The reward can be anything from a discount or a gift card, to a promotional gift. This shows your customer that you appreciate them and will also payoff for you in the long run in the form of increased retention.

When it comes to running a business you need to focus on your relationships. Take a step back, assess your tactics, and determine whether or not you’ve made relationships a priority. If you haven’t start nurturing the relationships you have so that you can build new relationships and retain old customers.