Content Marketing vs Selling

You have probably heard that when it comes to marketing and social media ‘content is king’ and you may have some understanding of this statement.  However, as I continually assist Businesses and Individuals in developing marketing strategies that work well for their niche, I see quite often that a lot of them are still using the ‘cram my product/services down their throats‘ approach to their marketing strategies.

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As I work daily with Social Media Platforms and empower companies with their Social Media Strategies, I am still finding that quite often many are still ‘stuck’ in the mind-set of “here is our stuff, we are great, here is why we are great, buy from us”, which quite frankly – no longer works in our current on-the-go ever mobile society.

We are bombarded everywhere we go with radio ads, tv ads, billboards, bumper stickers, email ads, magazine ads (try going to buy groceries and NOT see these!), movie ads, you name it – it is constant.  Most of us are quick to admit that we are very tired of it, and yet more often than not companies still attempt this approach and wonder why their marketing is not working for them.Believe In The Best

The bottom line is that it is not about you – it is about them! In order to be effective in your marketing and thereby gaining customers, you must be able to show your audience (aka Target Customers) how and why what you have to offer benefits them.   Generally they do not care about your company – they simply want their problems fixed effectively and quickly.  Plain and simple.

They have families, children, activities, and as a result ‘problems and situations’ that need fixing.  If you can listen well enough to understand what they are needing assistance with and show them that you genuinely care about what they are facing, it is at that point that you can then show them that what you have to offer has worked for others and how.  You must also keep in mind that even though one particular product or service worked great for you, your friends, or your relatives, it very well may not work well for someone else, and if they tell you as such accept it kindly and move on.

We do business with those whom we know, like, and trust.  Yes, price matters.  But what matters even more is to know that you really care about me and what I need, and that you show me that first.

Social Media is not an advertising platform – it is a relationship platform.  It is designed in such a way that if you use it as a 24-7 Networking Meeting instead of attempting to sell what you have to offer constantly, you will be highly successful with it.  Of course there are many ideas and methods in content strategies, however in my experience there are no ‘cookie cutter’ answers.  I teach my clients to ‘think outside the box’. They first must know who their customers are, where they are at (i.e. Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest) and meet them there.  It does not matter whether you like a particular social media platform or not, what matters is where are your potential customers hanging out at?  If they are on Twitter – you better be on Twitter connecting with them, talking to them, and building relationships with them.

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In the many years I have been developing Businesses, and assisting in their marketing strategies, I have seen many fall prey to the ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach in Social Media.  That is simply not effective.  Each Business (or cause) is different, has a different target customer, with different problems they would like solved.  The most effective way to use Social Media is to genuinely care about your audience and show them that on a daily basis.  That means you are going to have to talk to people on a computer or cell phone regularly if you want your social media to work well for you.  Yes, there are many automated systems out there, yet in my experience each has proven thus far to be not very effective, as people want to know you are there (or at least believe that you are) and they want to be heard and talked to.  

Therefore the ‘content’ that you are creating and distributing should be showing them that you care – period.  You should be sharing other’s content as it pertains to your brand or cause, and you should also be promoting others who fit your brand or cause.  The more you show your audience how much you genuinely care about them, the more likely they are to contact you and/or send their associates, family and friends to you for your products and services.

Robin R. Robbins

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Social Media Marketing – It’s All About Relationship!

 

Social Media is truly all about Relationships.  One of the biggest mistakes I see continually on many Pages/Platforms is too much ‘self-promotion’ and not enough relationship building.

Facebook, Twitter, Google+, LinkedIn etc. are fantastic ways to get your Business ‘out there’ and let people know what you are all about.  However, if you are not genuinely engaging with your clients/customers on a daily basis, and showing your ‘social media audience’ that you truly care about THEIR wants/needs – you are quickly going to get ‘lost in the shuffle’.

We are all daily bombarded with advertising – just about everywhere we go, somebody is trying to sell us something.  So if you are treating your Social Media Pages strictly like an advertising platform – you are going to be hidden in the news feeds rather quickly and/or ‘dis-connected’ from your potential customers/clients.  This results in ‘shooting yourself in the foot’ so to speak as your efforts can end up being a waste of your valuable time.

The main key to remember when using all Social Media is that it is not about YOU nearly as much as it is about THEM.  If you keep in mind that Social Media is about Building Relationships (not selling) and you strive to post content that is of value to your ‘audience’ – you will fare much better in promoting your Business.

It has been proven that the best ‘rule of thumb’ for posting on Social Media is to go by the 80/20 rule (80% of your results will come from 20% of your actions).  Strive to post content of value to your ‘audience’ (aka potential clients/customers) at least 80% of the time.  Answer their comments and questions on your posts within 24-48 hours and engage with them regularly.  Actual promotion of your Business should be kept at a 20% minimum – and again, all comments/questions from your audience should be responded to within a 24-48 hour time frame.  This will keep your audience engaged, (relationship building) and establish a trust between you and them.  As you continue to build the relationships and gain the trust of your audience – they will share your content and posts willingly, which in turn helps in building and ‘advertising’ your Business for you.

Examples: If you are running a Construction/Renovation company, then 80% of your posts on Social Media (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn etc.) should be tips/tricks in Home/Office Renovations.  If your company provides Office Support Services – 80% of your posts should be Tips/Ideas to help out those seeking your services.

Since RRR Consulting & Publishing is about motivating others and helping them succeed at all levels you will see us post many different types of tips/tricks/success tips/motivational quotes & videos about 90% of the time.  You can ‘follow our lead’ at: https://www.facebook.com/rrrconsultingnpublishing.