Have you ever been sitting in your house when the power inexplicably went off? Do you remember the wave of unsettling panic that swept over you because everything you use to keep you safe, informed, and connected to the outside world was suddenly immobilized? That’s the way you’re going to feel when consumers turn off your volume and not just unplug your amplifier, but smash it.
Today’s world of attention is characterized by i-Pads tuned to YouTube or Vine videos by kids wearing Beats. Nothing else besides what’s coming through those two devices matters. (As a parent with firsthand experience, trust me on this one!) What if you could create customers that behaved like my kids? What if customers were so in tune with YOU that they would voluntarily wear earbuds and bookmark your channel on THEIR IPad? Isn’t that the goal of content marketing? What would that do for retention?
I think we all know the answers to those questions. What many are still struggling with is formulating and executing a plan to make it happen. There’s no better time than the present, right? How about we start by dismissing some competitive paradigms?
- “Everyone” is NOT your target market. “Whoever chooses to engage with you” is.
- Your current customers (and mine) have the right to choose to leave you (and me) if you/we aren’t serving them how they want to be served.
- It is NOT necessary to openly solicit anyone else’s customers. Solicitation by competitors won’t be the impetus for movement from one provider to another…Movement will be based on know, like and trust relationships built within connected communities.
Now that we can dismiss those actions, we can focus on activities that will generate positive outcomes for both representatives and brands/companies.
- Get on your personal brand IMMEDIATELY, and be transparent about it. Contrary to popular belief, you are not a different person at work than you are at home. Stop thinking you are.
- Everything you do on line is a representation of you. All attitudes, opinions, and even connections define your world view. The more insights and information you share, the more beautifully your life puzzle will come together.
- Accept the fact that people can view your integrity trail any time they want. In fact, encourage that they do so. This will help speed up the due diligence process and in some cases accelerate the sales cycle.
- Learn to connect and serve rather than advertise and sell. The “close” is now executed through validation of virtual identity (online) compared to physical identity (in-person). When those two personas match, trust is more likely to be established.
- Educate and engage within multiple communities by enlisting the help of your team and your personal army of advocates. Highlight the uniqueness of every member of each individual community and lead by example in the growth of all involved.
Identify your customers’ favorite channels and help them tune out the static.