1. Break down every element of customer contact. Chances are your relationships with your clientele involve a lengthy list of steps, from initial contact, the sale itself to a follow up. Look at each step under a microscope to determine what works well and what needs work. This analysis can help improve your customer relations. And it can also provide a thematic frame for your marketing efforts-for instance, if you've established a reputation for support after the sale, that's a solid marketing target. "Examine every aspect of every transaction as if you were the customer," says Shel Horowitz, author of "Principled Profit: Marketing That Puts People First.""What improvements would you make if you were that customer?" she asks.

2. Emphasize customer service throughout. That focus on the customer experience segues to an essential overriding theme-a push to deliver standout customer service. And that means continuing efforts to monitor customer satisfaction, your interaction with customers and a genuine commitment to institute real change when necessary-not to mention building your marketing around those themes to illustrate how valuable they are to you. "This does not mean thanking them 10 times or telling them how much you appreciate their business," says Jay Weinberg of the Chicago-based JAY group. "It means making it very easy for them to do business with you."

3. Maintain ongoing contact. One potential snafu to any marketing effort is the feeling of a marketing hammer that appears out of nowhere and slams you to the ground. Counteract that by setting up a regular means of contact with customers, both new and prospective. Robert Skrob, author of "The Official Get Rich Guide to Information Marketing," says a regular newsletter-perhaps published once a month-is effective in keeping you in the minds of your customer base as both an authority and professional resource. "It keeps you in constant contact and, if nothing else, says 'I'm here,'" says Skrob.

4. Emphasize information, not sales pitches. An essential element of any effective marketing campaign geared to long-term customers is a focus on information, not overt sales blather. For instance, that can translate to an auto repair shop offering a checklist of things to do before taking your car on a long trip. Augment regular monthly contact with special reports that are specific to one topic, adds Skrob: "Before anyone buys from you, they have to trust you. And the first step to establish trust is to let people know that you know what you're talking about."

5. Happy employees, happy clientele. A satisfied, loyal customer base doesn't exist in a vacuum. If they're coming back for more, chances are rather good that they enjoy coming face to face with someone with whom they're happy to interact. And that means satisfied and motivated employees-in effect, an ongoing form of marketing that solidifies customer loyalty with every visit. Corporate consultant Michael Brown offers a variety of strategies to help ensure that your people are ready to cement relationships with customers. For instance:

• Let your employees know you appreciate what they're doing, both with simple gratitude and financial reward.
• Allow your employees to make decisions on their own rather than blindly following company dictum. That empowerment can help promote a commitment to do the right thing.
• How do you know what employees value? Brown urges employers to follow employees during a typical workday to gain a sense of the issues and challenges they routinely face.

6. Use technology to know what to market and to whom. Customer management software-such as Microsoft's Customer Dynamics CRM-can prove invaluable. I can provide demographic data and other information from customers. And it can organize it to help you identify significant marketing trends and patterns-something, notes Skrob, that can be effective in getting existing customers interested in other products and services you may offer: "It can help show that if they buy product X, why they may be attracted to product Y."

7. Never forget to encourage referrals. A below-the- radar network can prove the most effective marketing tool around. Build it by promoting referrals from your current client base. The advantages are numerous: inexpensive, positive and beneficial to the referring party if you offer rewards for new business. Consider handing out business cards to longstanding customers to share with friends. As Skrob notes: "Make it as easy as possible for them to make referrals."