By Janette Speyer, Web Success Team

What makes a successful relationship between a client and a marketing provider? As a partner in an online marketing agency, we always strive to find the right formula to keep our customers engaged. After many years we have found that it’s not that complicated. Here are a few simple rules to keep your customer content and wanting more.
 

1. Actively listen: A company will come to you with a set of concerns and they will expect you to help them find solutions to their marketing problems. Listening carefully to them will open the door to a good relationship in the future and help deliver on your efforts.

 

2. Build a partnership: After all you will be partnering together to find the best solutions for the brand. Engage your client by becoming part of his marketing team. Get inside the company and learn the culture and the players. This will help you understand the brand on a deeper, more personal level so that you will be able to use this information in your social media programs.

 

3. Solve problems one at a time: Often times you will strongly disagree with some of the initiatives that your client is using in his marketing strategy. There is always room for improvement but don’t bombard the customer with too many changes and requests. Be aware that marketing is only one of the concerns that your customer has to deal with. They have many other problems on their plate.

 

4. Find a way to measure ROI that makes sense: Too often in online marketing and social media we tend to throw analytics and metrics everywhere to prove a point. Find a metric that your client can relate to and one that is worthy of his investment.

 

5. Keep the social media jargon to a minimum: As an agency you are always an early adopter and well versed in the coming and goings of online marketing strategies, but your customer isn’t. That’s why he hired you. Don’t intimidate them with endless chatter about Twitter and Facebook. Customers want to mind their own business not yours.

 
In this changing era one cliché that still holds true is the customer is always king. Are you faced with concerns with your customer management? Please feel free to share your opinions and experiences on Facebook, LinkedIn and Google+!

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