October 12/19; Volume 30/Number 8
By Lisbeth Calandrino
We know that consumers are reading less and less of traditional advertising. Even the most staunch newspaper readers are turning to online information. I pick up newspapers when I’m traveling, but I only glance through them. By the time I get the newspaper, the news is old. But if I don’t read the ads, how will I stay up-to-date with what’s going on in the marketplace?
To keep in touch, smart businesses give consumers something for free in exchange for their email addresses. Unless you put me in your database, how can you send me any content or offers?
But how many advertisers actually do this?
Here is where content marketing comes in. Content marketing focuses on creating and sending out relevant messages to a particular group of customers. It is the latest buzz word—a new twist on a very old concept. It’s staying in touch with your customers by creating and distributing valuable and important information that makes their lives better. The key is to keep them interested in you and your products so they remember you. It’s like building friendships.
Speaking of friendships, a woman in my Pilates class told me she knows how to be a good friend. She has been trying to organize a dinner for four people for the past two months. All of us are interested in dinner, but of course we’re all too busy. I started thinking; she continually contacts us, sends suggestions for choosing a date and invites us out for coffee after class. She is very nice and caring. She does know how to be a good friend. She never pushes but is always there.
Content marketing is a way for you to be a good friend to your customer.
Customers are pulled in many different directions and seem to always be short on time. If you want them to remember you, you have to keep them close. The easiest way to keep in touch is through segmented email marketing with different messages geared toward different types of customers. Using a “one size fits all” motto doesn’t work anymore.
A year ago I didn’t know anything about content marketing. I thought I had to create all of the content and frankly, like you, I was too busy. I had tried Constant Contact, an online marketing tool that sends out messages for you automatically, but I was writing my own content and not being very consistent. After a while I had run out of things to say. Can you believe that?
Then I met Greg Incardona, one of the creators of Follow Your Customer. When I told him our industry needed a follow-up system with messages created specifically for flooring customers, he told me his company had plenty of content ready to be customized. Once this is done, Follow Your Customer automatically sends it out with the appropriate back links for your website or social media platforms.
After I joined, we started using email marketing programs for the flooring industry. We can design a customized one-year program for your entire customer base or we can target past customers, potential customers, etc. All I need is your database; I’m your personal marketing manager.
We don’t bombard customers with advertisements or promotional information; instead we send interesting and valuable content that continues to build trust.
Visit followyourcustomer.com to sign up for a free webinar.