While push marketing remains an important component of any customer acquisition or retention program, pull marketing has become even more so. It is becoming increasingly more common that consumers have already done much, if not the majority, of their research before reaching out to a salesperson.

This research includes searching the internet, looking up websites to compare companies/brands, finding out more info on other similar items, reading reviews, asking friends or others they know use the product, etc.

This is one reason why content marketing has become such a critical part of any marketing program. It provides related, beneficial information that can be found during the research process of a prospective customer.

People like to buy from people, so the more you can develop relationships with your customers, the more effective your marketing will be.

This is where relationship marketing comes in.

Relationship marketing is a broad term that focuses on customer loyalty, retention, and satisfaction rather than primarily on sales. Instead of saying, for example, “Don, we know that you’ll really love our new product,” you relate to your customers as you would to a friend, based on who they are.

When you invest in any marketing effort, you want to know if it’s working. Who doesn't? You want to know if your money is being used effectively or not.

There are many approaches to results measurement, and the right choice for any marketing campaign will depend on your marketing goals. For numerous marketers, response rates are the first measurement they use. These are helpful, however, there are other measures that are more telling. Let’s look at three of them.