One factor that is often overlooked in marketing a business is the developing a relationship with the clients the business is targeting. Too many businesses use a “push” strategy in their marketing efforts, meaning that they push the features of their products/services on their target audience, and let them decide how to use those features. Instead, those features should be marketed to potential clients as benefits, and the marketing should help to direct the customer to the best uses for the product or service. By promoting benefits instead of features, you start to develop a relationship with your customer by giving them information they can use to make a decision.

But what exactly is the difference between features and benefits? If you own a car wash company and all of your marketing focuses on the packages and prices of your car wash, you are not developing any kind of relationship with your target customer, because all you are doing is listing features. If all you provide your customers with is bare bones data, you are not going to convince a lot of people to use your business. You have to convince them of how your car wash is better than the other guy’s car wash, even if the features of both—price, packages—are essentially the same. If you are targeting a client only with price and features, when the next company’s marketing promotion or advertising campaign comes back with a lower price or better features, your clients will switch from your business to theirs.

However, when you market with a relationship in mind—that is, you stress the real benefits a customer will gain by doing business with you—customers can start to see you as a different, and there is huge value in differentiating yourself from your competition. Using the same car wash example, if you develop marketing pieces that educate and inform potential customers about what makes you different—and better—you give them clear reasons to choose you over a competitor. If you market based on establishing relationships, on sharing benefits, you gain more loyal customers than just targeting those customers looking for the best deal. If a client feels an allegiance to your company because of the information you provide, and you also provide a quality product/service, the next time they are targeted by a competitor with a lower price, they are less likely to switch companies based on the business relationship you’ve developed.

Rather than push features, use your marketing efforts to help build customer relationships with your business. An added benefit of strong customer relationships is referrals to other friends and family by your customers. People are always looking for great work, and those customers that feel attached to your business can help promote you to the people they have relationships with in their lives.