Nearly 70% of consumers will pay more for brands that they love. That is the epitome of successful relationship marketing. It involves getting to know customers by truly understanding who they are—what they like, what they need and how to communicate with them. In a competitive marketplace, this hyper-tailored approach to marketing is the key to creating and keeping customers who love your brand.

But how do you get it right in a digital world that seemingly changes daily? Marigold released its Relationship Marketing Trends: Brand Rankings Report, which includes data, insights and consumer preferences on 200 brands. The report findings show that brands that get relationship marketing right emphasize optimizing customer experiences, from loyalty programs to gamification to personalized messaging and more. 

The following are five brands that are doing relationship marketing right. 

Marriott delivers personalized experiences.

Competing for audience attention means that personalized brand interactions have become increasingly important. Nearly 80% of consumers say they’re likely to engage with a personalized email tailored to their interests. Yet 40% of consumers have cited frustrations with receiving irrelevant content or offers from brands in just the last six months, with similar numbers (33%) taking issue with brand messages that fail to address their wants or needs. 

Marriott scored particularly high for its customer personalization efforts. Visitors to Marriott.com can provide information about their travel habits, such as the cities they visit, their favorite activities and preferred Marriott brands. Using this information, Marriott delivers timely and relevant content to meet the customer’s interests.                  

McDonald’s is consistent across multiple platforms.

Successful marketers know that consumers purchase from a variety of channels so creating consistent experiences for their customers across channels, from email to social media to website, is imperative. In fact, nearly a quarter (24%) of consumers go so far as to say that a consistent digital experience (across a brand’s website, mobile app, etc.) is more important than price when making a purchase decision. 

A true omnichannel approach means reaching your customers where they are, taking into account when and where they prefer to be contacted. While email remains the top marketing channel for driving consumer purchases, SMS, social media platforms and mobile apps are also driving substantial numbers of sales. 

McDonald’s has a long-held position as a leader in omnichannel experiences. Their focus on making customers’ experiences faster, easier and more convenient through the various ways they order and receive their food has earned them consistently strong customer relationship ratings. From its digital platform that provides a more personal, convenient and better customer experience to its commitment to food delivery and drive-thru innovation, its omnichannel strategy seamlessly integrates web, mobile and in-store to enhance its customer experience. 

KFC keeps it fun and engaging with games.

Loyalty programs that use gamification are a fun and exciting way to get customers to interact with a brand. Earning rewards in the form of loyalty points, discounts, or freebies for completing tasks or challenges creates memorable experiences and higher levels of customer engagement.

KFC gamifies its rewards program particularly well. Customers earn 10 points for every eligible dollar they spend with online or app orders, which can be redeemed for menu options in KFC’s Secret Recipe Vault. The rewards are seasonal, rotating constantly to keep things fresh and can be personalized for loyalty members, making the experience even more impactful. The program, which reached 1 million members shortly after launching, proves that consumers appreciate fun and games when it comes to loyalty. 

Trust is a differentiating factor, particularly for Bank of America.

The foundation for any successful relationship is trust. This is true for a brand’s relationship with its customers, especially concerning its use of personal consumer data. Brands need to make consumers feel comfortable to share their data and feedback with them. 57% of consumers say their favorite brand uses their data in a way that makes them feel comfortable and nearly half consider a brand’s reputation a more important factor than price when making a purchase decision

This is especially true for financial services such as banks and credit card companies, which require significant personal information. Consumers need to feel confident in a brand’s security measures when handling so much of their intimate information. 

Bank of America does this well and commands an exceptionally high consumer relationship rating. Its robust security center, available on the web and via mobile app, makes it incredibly easy for members to access their security. User-friendly options to set up two-factor authentication and enable alerts and push notifications complement the security center. 

Adidas delivers a compelling loyalty and rewards program.

Loyalty programs are designed to reward and incentivize a brand’s most engaged subscribers so they become brand super fans and continue to return. 67% of global consumers find it important or critically important for their favorite brands to offer a loyalty program, while 37% state that they’re more likely to participate in loyalty programs this year than last year.

Adidas scored a high consumer relationship rating in part due to its adiClub loyalty program, which excels with its multi-faceted approach to engagement and rewards. Members earn points through purchases and interacting with the Adidas app. The tiered system offers increasing benefits across four levels, unlocking exclusive rewards like early product access, special event invitations and personalized offers.

Relationship marketing is about building long-term, meaningful relationships that go beyond transactions. The most successful brands in relationship marketing truly connect with their customers on an individual level. They foster a genuine connection with the brand via games, loyalty programs, personalized experiences and trust-building. As these brands have learned, these tactics make it possible to get to know customers and turn them into super fans, which ultimately can increase customer lifetime value.