Why Customer Care Is the Ultimate Marketing Strategy is a question that often sparks debate among business owners, marketers, and customer service experts. One of the most controversial aspects of this discussion is how companies should deal with so-called “outliers.” These “outliers” are customers who present hard-to-handle problems and often have personalities or situations that make resolution more complex than usual.
Many experts argue that businesses should operate with maximum efficiency and that customer service should follow the same logic. From this point of view, companies are encouraged to spend roughly the same amount of time and resources on every customer interaction. The reasoning is simple: allowing difficult customers to consume too much attention can drain time, money, and employee energy, ultimately slowing growth.
However, this efficiency-first mindset begins to break down when customer care is treated as the ultimate marketing strategy. Every customer interaction—especially difficult ones - has the potential to shape public perception of a brand. As highlighted in the importance of customer reviews, how a business handles feedback and complaints directly influences trust, credibility, and future purchasing decisions.
In today’s digital environment, unhappy customers rarely remain silent. Reviews, ratings, and online conversations can quickly amplify a single negative experience. This is why businesses that prioritize thoughtful responses, empathy, and resolution often outperform competitors who focus solely on efficiency. Strong customer care not only reduces churn but also supports long-term visibility, as discussed in how customer experience impacts online visibility and trust.
Rather than viewing challenging customers as a burden, modern brands see them as opportunities to demonstrate values, reinforce reliability, and build lasting relationships. When handled correctly, even the most difficult interactions can become powerful proof that a company genuinely cares—turning customer care into a marketing asset rather than a cost.
The new approach to customer care
We are in the age of social media and the increasing influence of online customer reviews. These sources substitute the traditional word-of-mouth and are way more effective. One unsatisfied customer can reach out to thousands or even millions of people in minutes. Apparently, it has become an expectation to not only have our say but also to reverberate it to a huge crowd. Nowadays, no one and nothing stays hidden. No unhappy customer stays in the dark without having a say. For these reasons, the aforementioned approach is outdated.
Big marketing gurus, such as Gary Vaynerchuk, confess a different belief. I really like one of his stories about “care marketing”. He had a liquor store in 2001 in New Jersey, and on a memorable December 23, the whole state was hit by a heavy snowstorm. This was the busiest day of the year, as in every year. They were packing all day and started shipping when an old lady called them because she hadn’t received the case of wine she’d ordered.
On this busy day, they earned around $40K every single hour, and this lady was outraged over her $45 order. She was shouting into the phone, “My family needs it for our Christmas dinner!” After figuring out what had happened, Gary grabbed the wine, hopped into the car, and drove more than one hour in the blizzard.
The old lady opened the door and expressed her gratitude with a quick and quiet, “Thanks”. Everyone at the company was pissed off because they felt it was a waste of time on that busy day. Obviously, it wasn’t the best option to do rationally. This more than two-hour-long trip didn’t put a significant amount of money on the table. But it did more in the long term. It laid down the bricks of the company’s future culture toward its customers.
These “outliers” are not only statistics but also real people. Real people who can trumpet their satisfaction or unhappiness.
Everyone is in customer service
As Jason Wesbecher says in this article, we are all marketing, and we are all customer service. Traditional companies, and it’s even truer for big corporations, are strictly separated into different departments: product management, finance, marketing, sales, customer service, and so on. Managers and C-level executives think that every department specializes in their own things and only the appropriate departments communicate with the customers.
You may think it’s true, but this is not really the case these days. Each and every department should take care of the customers. If the product management doesn’t listen to the feedback of customers, or the marketing team creates a brand without considering people’s emotions toward the company, this business is destined to go bankrupt in a short time.
People remember human interactions today, and it’s even true in the online world. So, improve on these interactions, and train all of your employees to think about their customers every single minute of their workday. This care is what makes businesses successful.
Let me show a great example: At Wiremo, this is why we created Wiremo Triggers. You can interact with customers immediately. When someone leaves a bad review with a low rating (1 or 2 stars), you can ask them about the problem instantly. So, you can initiate a conversation with the reviewer and take care of them and fix any issues.
If you are ready to improve on your interactions and show care to your customers, try a review service such as Wiremo now.
