How content marketing builds brand loyalty
You may or may not have heard the phrase “content is king.” In the marketing field, this expression is a cliched answer to so many questions.
“How do I gain more social media followers?”
“What is an easy way to engage a prospect so they enter the sales funnel?”
“What affects my conversion and retention rates?”
“How can I increase the number of opens and click-throughs on emails and newsletters?”
While the answer is simple — content is king — people get tripped up over this. In Why commercial real estate brokers need a killer content strategy, I referred to content as marketing’s passive income. Every post pays dividends that snowball into a fortune over time. There are no get-rich-quick schemes here. Those who believe posting one insight on LinkedIn will turn the tides and drown the company in sales leads are sorely mistaken.
The real star of the show
Imagine the content creator is a speaker in Times Square with an empty set of seats before them. With witty remarks, astute observations or hard-hitting rhetoric, slowly but surely passersby turn to listen. Some are so intrigued, they sit down and get comfortable.
With every quip, seats fill. Bonds strengthen between the speaker and the spoken to — they inch to the edge of their seats and hope to hear more.
These engaged followers become allies, advocates and connectors.
To pull a page from Malcolm Gladwell’s book, connectors are what make the world go ‘round. Everyone knows one: a person who rattles off a list of contacts you need to meet if you express enthusiasm over any given topic. Connectors draw people from all walks of life together and harmoniously unite otherwise disjointed communities.
This is what they do in the audience too. Connectors tap into their seemingly infinite network in search of others who may take interest in the speaker. They also forge bonds with other listeners, thus linking the person on stage, those sitting in the audience and the outside world to form mutually beneficial partnerships. Suddenly, the audience becomes the main event. It coalesces and disperses until someone finally stands up and says they would like to do business.
Whether in the digital or real world, audiences are human beings craving connection and authenticity. If at every turn there are sleazy sales pitches, don’t expect a warm reception. Helpfulness, candor and insightfulness elicit loyalty and kindness.
Loyal listeners will stand up in the crowd and turn into leads.
By sharing opinions and ideas with your audience (AKA your social media followers or email lists), you are providing value to their lives that they otherwise would not have. Build this loyalty and trust before making any requests of them, such as “buy my product” or “use my services.”
Once your audience is on your side, you might not even have to ask at all.
For ideas on how to increase your audience through content marketing, contact julianne@contentbyjulianne.com or fill out the submission form here.