As people increasingly move online to research purchases, request information, and conduct transactions, human interaction is being replaced by points and clicks. For businesses, this is both good and bad news. While the Web offers unparalleled convenience and efficiency, online customer relationship building doesn’t just happen — companies need to go the extra mile. Here are some ways to put your best virtual foot forward as part of a relationship marketing strategy:

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• Offer member benefits. Encourage customers to tell you more by registering on your site. In exchange for their information, offer access to “members-only” sales, resources, or promotions. “This helps customers feel valued and allows opportunities to deliver special offers tailored to their needs,” says Megan Smith, marketing consultant for Richards Relationship Marketing, in Dallas.

• Be responsive. Since nothing kills relationships like unreturned email messages, responding to queries should be a top priority. “If a brand fails to use the communication channels provided to customers, [it] risks not only losing the customer, but also backlash due to poor service,” says Kelly Reaves, media director at MindComet Corp., in Orlando, Fla.

• Get customers involved. Give customers an emotional stake in your success, and encourage viral marketing by asking them to provide expert commentary or referrals. Ann Roskey, a customer relationship management expert with Accela Communications in Southboro, Mass., recommends producing video customer testimonials for the Web. Or host an online video contest and get customers to create their own testimonials. “This would give [businesses] the benefit of a customer endorsement — the best kind of word-of-mouth marketing there is,” Roskey says.

• Acknowledge economic challenges. Even as spending slows, creative businesses are finding ways to turn adversity into opportunity. Reaves cites Houlihan’s Cinco de July-O email promotion, which invited consumers who cancelled summer vacations because of gas prices to a celebration at the chain’s restaurants. The campaign increased sales 26 percent over the previous year.

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