So buyer expectations have changed, and businesses need to find different ways of reaching out to clients and customers. If your business is to succeed in our Internet-dominated, low trust social media age this is what you need:
1, A spotlight: so you get found
You want your business to be found in a direct search by buyer searching on the web: e.g. ‘I faced a legal dispute regarding the croft I own in Scotland – lawyers Inksters came out top in a Google search when I typed in ‘crofting law’.’ And you want to be the company that gets stumbled upon in a general web search. e.g. ‘I was looking for ideas on how to transform my IT department when I stumbled upon a very informative slideshow from management consultancy Formicio on the subject.’
Marketing your business with valuable content gives you a very strong web presence and gets you found.
2. Star quality: so you stand out from your competitors
When you are up against a competitor, valuable content gives you the edge; rather it gives you lots of edges. ‘It was clear they were more expert, more helpful, I could see what they were all about, how passionate they were about their subject. They looked like they were the kind of company we could work with. This gave them credibility and made me trust them.’ It’s a way of demonstrating your expertise and value in a way that catches the eye.
People gravitate towards businesses that make their marketing valuable.
3. Buzz – so people talk about you and refer you
Referrals are gold dust. Valuable content is an easy referral tool, and it gives people something to talk about and share. People are far happier to pass on something useful or compelling they’ve read or seen (it makes them look and feel good), then hand over the spare business card you gave them (in fact, they’ve probably lost that already).
Valuable content builds your reputation and will prove the rightness of their referral.
4. Personality – so they learn to like and trust you
Winning the marketing game means getting people to know, like and trust you and remember your business when the time comes to buy. You’ll achieve this by sharing information that is important to your audience rather than being overly self-promotional.
Valuable content gives you something to talk about that matters and a reason to engage. It shows your human side.
5. Shelf life – so you are remembered when the time comes to buy
Be remembered and easily found when the time comes to buy. ‘Their articles were useful so I signed up to their mailing list, and they continued to send me relevant stuff. Now the time has come and I’m ready to buy they are the first people I thought about.’ Being in the right place at the right time is useful, and valuable content lets you do that.
Keep your business on that radar in a way your clients appreciate.
Valuable content delivers all of these things. Put this approach at the heart of your marketing and watch your business fly.
[This is an extract from the Valuable Content Marketing book, now in its 2nd edition. You’ll find case studies and more information on each of these elements in the book.}
Other articles you might like:
- A brief history of marketing
- Why interruption marketing is worse that a waste of time
- Are you still selling like it’s 1992?
