I have a group called Dinner Club on Facebook where people sign up and are notified of the restaurant we’re going to the fourth Thursday of every month.  It is usually a large group, so sometimes it can be difficult to find a restaurant.  A restaurant manager joined the group and then sent me an email letting me know he would be happy to be of assistance should Dinner Club want to come to his restaurant.  This is a small but vibrant example of two people who haven’t met identifying a shared need or want, and creating a connection of trust, immediacy and relevance.

The influence of proximity and direct dialogue can’t be underestimated as one of the primary reasons people do or buy things, and brands should seek to create online experiences that replicate the closeness implied in proximity.

Close proximity dialogue has the following benefits:

• trust in the source,
• immediacy of the recommendation, and
• relevance to the person’s needs or wants at that point in time.

To achieve proximity, brands must focus on these three benefits.  Many companies do one or two things well, but rarely do they nail all three.

Zappo’s has done an excellent job of establishing consumer trust and loyalty by providing a wide selection of products, fast free shipping, excellent customer service, customer reviews, and no hassle returns. CEO Tony Hsieh, in a recent talk at SXSWi, said the true mission of Zappos’s is to create happiness. Compassion for the customer and a strong culture reflecting this mission have led the company to revenues in excess of $800 million.  Customer service is their primary marketing tool, with a 24/7 call center and operators who double as shoe therapists.

Amazon has certainly pioneered the way in creating immediacy and relevance by providing recommendations based on current and prior purchases, but they tend to be indiscriminate.  Buying a Tickle Me Elmo doll for somebody’s kid doesn’t mean I’m interested in buying more toys. The problem of relevance becomes even more difficult to solve because people typically live out different personas in their daily lives—work, leisure and family.

As advances are made in social networking and mobile technologies, achieving close proximity of dialogue will be the critical link that makes your marketing more effective.

Melinda Partin is CEO of Worktank.