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Hello Folks, Happy New Year.
With 2012 already here, I wanted to talk about what I believe to be the most important aspect to a business, and what you can do very simply to gain customers this year. The Blog. NOT "THE BLOB"...people mistake it! Blogs and email marketing are the most potent form of marketing your business, so I decided to write a little new years excerpt to REALLY REALLY clarify why this is important for you in 2012 and beyond...
Blog’s have become credible with today’s consumer. People want to deal with people, not companies. People will tell you the TRUE story behind products and services.
If you believe there to be some relevance to that statement, would it also make sense that the businesses reputation is now 100% online? That your customer at anytime can say whatever they want, and furthermore, BE HEARD. People will seek out information on your business. Many companies have to think about and consider what these people will be saying about you when they leave your store or use your product or service. Most companies are doing blogs today because they realize this. It comes back to the idea of rather than the company telling you how good the baby diapers are for their baby’s butt, why not let a mom post a picture of her baby’s up-close-and personal butt skin photo’s and then endorse Johnson & Johnson's most recent "Huggies"-Brand diaper. People REALLY DO THIS, my example is so silly, but so real. People will post pictures of anything. The access to information is ridiculous.
How to think about all of this:
The saying goes “if you go to the Hardware Store and buy a drill, you’re REALLY buying a 2 inch hole in your wall.”
Here’s my version that will sum it up for you…
“if you go to the Apple Store and buy an iPhone or iPad, you’re REALLY buying instant information* at your finger tips.”
*information- when I use the word “information”, this can be in the form of entertainment (watching tv on the train ride home idea). It’s accessible through the mobile device or anywhere the person wants (grocery store, directions, dental office, bank, gas station, you name it)...
We believe Information to be the representation you make about your business. Think about that for a moment. All we're really saying is that in the "information age", the better information "wins". The control of flow of information is also crucial. Many companies let the cat out of the bag too quickly. Ever get an offer in your email? Look at the New York Times most recent TOTAL FAIL. Funny question because we all get 50 emails a day like that. Even from companies we know and already trust. It’s extremely frustrating. You want to sometimes say “leave me alone”.
So how do we get around that? How do we actually reverse the mood here, and make the person excited about our email or blog?
When we speak with our customers, we want to keep having them access more and more from us. It’s the idea that you’re starting by giving away something for free. The people using it, by default, become “prospects”. Furthermore, the person is utilizing the info because it makes them better at something. That is the key. They need to use your information to be smarter, better more apt at doing something. If I decided to give guitar lessons online showing the “major and minor pentatonic blues scale”, the person watching that video just got better, smarter and more savvy in playing a guitar. They are probably very excited. Seeing a little dexterity in your hand is a special moment!
Something this simple is an easy and tactical way to gain tremendous credibility instantly. Think about the most common questions you get or the most common problems your product or service solves, and that will be the raw material for you to create valuable information and content about your business.
I love the example of a dentist because you see a dentist twice a year, maybe even only once. It’s a tough relationship to nurture. If I had gone to dental school and created my own practice, I would be creating content such as “how to keep your teeth and gums clean without ever using floss”. This is perfect. It’s specific. Everyone wants to keep their teeth clean, it’s implied that floss is annoying and causes pain in gums and bleeding sometimes. If I can learn to keep my teeth just as clean without the “pain and bleeding”, I’m going to take this very seriously, as I will the doctor/business presenting this to me.
As I said, blogs have gained tremendous credibility with consumers. The content you create should clear up the confusion that occurs with your (and everyone’s!) products and services. By answering the most common questions or addressing the most common problems, you’ll find your business in a light of high credibility and customer confidence.
