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Secondary Post Instructions

For responses, consider your classmates initial posts and answer the following: How does the virtual environment lead into distribution strategies. Is there long-term impact on supply and demand and how do companies create solutions if relationships weaken. Finally, compare alternatives in using different distribution channels.

Respond 1 James Roth

The landscape of business to customer relationship building has changed over the years. However, the steps remain the same in concept, even with the introduction of the internet and social media. According to the text, the steps to relationship building are (1) prospecting, (2) planning the sales call, (3) presentation, (4) responding to objections, (5) obtaining commitment/closing the sale, and (6) building a long-term relationships (Donnelly, 2018). The first step is identifying potential customers. This step is a result of market research and strategic planning. Potential customer segments can be identified and “sold-to” using tactics to ensure that the customer hears what they want to hear about your product. They want to hear that the product has value to them. In order to sell the product, it must create straight-forward, real value for that customer. An elementary example of value is a customer craves ice cream, but they are at home. An ice cream truck is valuable, at that time, to the customer. For more complex businesses, in modern-day, social media can help create value to the brand. A technique of many successful brands today is not to sell their product, but to sell an idea. The idea hits deeper human value, such as belonging or good-doing. 

Nike started a new advertisement TV commercial recently, featuring many successful athletes, with motos like “winning isn’t for everyone” and “no time to lose” printed over legendary athletes performing their sport. Implying that if you wear Nike you are a winner, and belong to a prestigious group of winners. These are a strong commercials, directed at athletes with ambitious goals, something that many athletes already possess. It has always been a part of the Nike brand, success. Successful athletes wear Nike. These advertisements solidify group, a group that their customers strive to be a part of. Nike is selling success, not sports-wear. Nike’s social media pages are currently flooded with video shorts, showing exactly what is described above. Re-enforcing the idea of the prestigious winning group that wears Nike. The marketing includes hype music, famous athletes and moments, various sports, and Nike apparel, all of which appeal to the market segment to which they are selling. The presentation hits on multiple dimensions of an athlete’s psychology, making this a very good marketing plan for this customer segment. Nike builds long term relationships by keeping relevant athletes on their payroll and by continued product innovation and featuring. They create emotional connection to the product. According to Li, “central to customer engagement is the necessity to create customers’ emotional connections with the firm’s social media brand (Dwivedi et al., 2019). In fact, different forms of social media tools (e.g., vlogs or podcasts) that enable real-time interactions between the firm and its customers can be adopted to strengthen emotional attachment and value creation” (Li et. al., 2022). Nike’s model has worked successfully for many years, and with marketing like this, will work for many years to come. Social media is a great way to build a following, customer base, and present purpose and a sales pitch. The value of social media marketing can be determined in various ways depending on the product, but; number of views, interactions, following gained, and product sales can be good indicators of social marketing campaign success levels.

References

Donnelly, J.P.P. J. (2018). A Preface to Marketing Management (15th ed.). McGraw-Hill Higher Education (US). https://bookshelf.vitalsource.com/books/9781260300147

Li, F., Larimo, J., & Leonidou, L. C. (2022). Social media in marketing research: Theoretical bases, methodological aspects, and thematic focus. Psychology and Marketing, 40(1), 124–145. https://doi.org/10.1002/mar.21746

Reply 2 Ian smith

Building relationships online has really changed thanks to technology and the way business is moving toward being all digital. Social media, marketing, television, and email have all allowed new ways for businesses to connect with customers, partners, and colleagues to take hold. Unlike in-person interactions, building relationships online focuses more on being consistent, transparent, and engaged. To form strong bonds, businesses need to make sure their digital interactions feel personal and genuine. Studies show that personalization in these online interactions helps build trust and customer loyalty (Kaplan & Haenlein, 2010).

Social media plays a huge role in this, as it lets businesses connect with customers in more meaningful ways. By sharing useful content regularly, responding quickly to questions, and joining conversations, businesses build credibility and trust. For instance, an active presence on platforms like Instagram or LinkedIn helps companies learn about their customers’ needs and preferences, leading to more engaging interactions (Tuten & Solomon, 2017). Social media’s two-way communication also lets businesses handle feedback or concerns in real-time, which is super important for maintaining strong connections.

Another important element of online relationship building is consistency. In the online world, where many interactions are short, maintaining regular and genuine communication is essential to staying at he forefront of the mind for customers. Businesses that consistently deliver value and stay responsive to their audience’s needs can build deeper, longer-lasting relationships. For example, using tools like email newsletters and social media posts to update customers on new products, industry trends, or helpful tips keeps the conversation going and shows that the company cares about its audience.

On top of social media, tools like CRM systems help businesses track customer interactions and preferences. This kind of data helps companies offer personalized experiences, making the connection with customers even stronger. Research shows that personalized marketing boosts customer satisfaction and loyalty in the long run (Verhoef et al., 2010). Beyond just personalization, offering consistent customer service through various virtual channels—such as chatbots, live support, or email—further builds trust and reliability.

To figure out how social media and virtual tools impact relationship building, companies can look at things like engagement rates, customer retention, and brand sentiment. When there’s high engagement and positive feedback on social media, it’s a good sign of strong relationships. Plus, by tracking the lifetime value of customers gained through digital channels, businesses can better understand the long-term benefits of building relationships online (Hoffman & Fodor, 2010).