Many marketers like content marketing because it allows them to get out in front of their competitors. Otherwise, they risk the prospect of potential customers buying from their competition.
Why? Content marketing enables you to help prospective customers see all about your business before you see them.
What’s the secret? The secret to success from your content marketing – you must be great in online teaching and in building trust.
Online readers are looking for good information about answers they seek. That requires understanding about their behavior and empathy for their concerns and aligning them with your products and services.
Unless you want to direct your prospects to Amazon.com, where the lowest price is king, your content marketing should direct to your online or brick-and-mortar site by differentiating your products and services for value and target your objectives whether it’s geographical or age demographic.
For your e-commerce sales, your content marketing should be focused on important digital functions such as driving downloads or add-on options.
Trust comes before teaching
Success is aided, in part, by your value proposition or benefit statements to meet value perceptions, which are often subconscious emotionally-speaking.
True, 18 percent of people base their buying decisions solely on price. But unless the sales volume is spectacular, companies rarely survive by slashing prices to attract such undesirable customers.
For the other 82 percent, there are five motivating perceptions you should keep in mind in your content marketing.
The motivating perceptions:
Employees, Spokespersons – 52 percent. The key characteristics are integrity, judgment, friendliness and knowledge. Remember, about 70 percent of your customers will buy elsewhere because they feel they’re being taken for granted by your employees. And customers normally will not tell you why they switched to your competitor.
Image of Company – 15 percent. They are concerned about the image of your company in the community. Cause-related marketing is a big plus in forging a positive image. So is cleanliness and good organization.
Quality of Product or Service Utility – 13 percent. The customer is asking the question – “What will this do for me?”
Convenience –12 percent. Customers like easy accessibility to do business with you. That includes your Web site, telephoning you, and the convenience of patronizing your business.
Price – 8 percent. Price is important, but it’s the least concern among the five value-motivating perceptions.
From the Coach’s Corner, here are related marketing tips:
How to Newsjack for Publicity of Your Content Marketing — Newsjacking – the art and science of obtaining mountains of free media coverage and social-media spin by getting your content injected into late-breaking news stories.
Marketing Strategy That Best Defends Your Company Against Competition — What do I mean by the phrase, “A marketing strategy that best defends your company”? Protecting your assets with the right marketing strategy results in the shielding and enhancing of your brand, as well as protecting your customer base.
Outshine Your Competitors with Great Newsletters – 16 Tips — A great newsletter is a terrific tool in your marketing mix. Why? Your prospects and customers have signed up for a subscription. Here’s how to get top-of-mind awareness with your newsletter.
“You have not failed until you quit trying.”
-Gordon B. Hinckley
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