Everyone has had a first date that’s gone poorly from the start, and there are often times a major thread these dates have in common. Many bad dates consist of an imbalance between how often each person talks. People who propel bad dates onward dominate the conversation and may even slip into braggadocio at points during the night.
Good first dates, on the other hand, offer a balance between one party talking and the other listening. As a company, you want to provide a good first date experience for your customer. The process is not all about you, it never is. Instead, you want to know what your customers want out of you and ease them into the idea of purchasing your products or service by providing value first. Content marketing is like a first date.
Content Marketing is Like a First Date
“Great marketing, like a great date, is an equal portion of give and take. It’s knowing when to reveal something about yourself and realizing when you’ve entered the realm of too much information.” — Chirs Kocek
Frame Your Business in Terms of What Your Customer is Looking For
It’s a golden rule of content marketing. Your business shouldn’t just sell a product or service. Rather, your company should sell an experience, a process, and a feeling that the customer can sink their teeth into and cherish even after your product or service has done its job.
If you’re selling a pizza, you’re not just selling a pizza. You’re selling a night out, an event of flavors, and a mingling of romance and entertainment in the air. You’re selling everything that the pizza represents while keeping your customers’ eyes focused on the prize – that one, physical pizza.
Before you ever get there though, it’s about helping the customer first. Providing value to them. Answering their questions. Building trust.
Add Value
Content marketing is not just throwing a product into the faces of your customers and users. Great content marketing sees people as people and informs or entertains them on a fundamental level. This is a value-added way to advertise and inform customers about your product or service without boring them or making them feel as if they’re “obligated” to purchase what you’re selling.
You’d never try to strong-arm a first date into any experience they’re not prepared for or don’t want, right? Treat that date how you’d treat your customers; ease them into the experience and have a purpose and plan whenever you start off a new campaign or marketing strategy.
Evoke An Emotional Response
Research has shown that consumers are much more likely to purchase a product with which they uniquely identity. In short, if you can create trust and intimacy between you and your customers, they’re far more likely to purchase from your company and retain their business with you.
Practically this looks like:
- Sharing behind-the-scenes content.
- Introducing team members and the faces behind the business.
- Answering questions in a video format.
- Connecting with real-life users.
Start Connecting with Your Customers
Just like you’re looking for a connection on a first date, your content marketing strategy and plan should have the same goal in mind. To connect with your audience, to provide value to the time they are spending with you, and hopefully start to build a long-term relationship.
If content marketing feels complicated, we get it! We aim to make it easy. Schedule a free consultation to learn more about us and our process.
