As part of an email interview I received back from a colleague, she said that content helped:
“let people see that you are knowledgeable in your field and know your onions! It’s a means of re-assurance”.
Larry Bilotta made a similar point in my recent interview piece with him. As did Luis Maimoni in a comment on this blog.
I like the reassurance point.
Let’s assume that you’ve decided to invest in some outbound marketing efforts – advertising, direct mail, that kind of thing.
Done well, these strategies can certainly help drive people to your site and generate leads.
Before a buyer makes a decision however, there’s a good chance that they’ll want to do a little homework on you and your business.
They may find blog posts, white papers by you, articles you’ve written or videos of presentations you’ve delivered. Good, informative content demonstrates that you know your stuff.
Moreover, the fact that you’ve produced this content gives evidence – rightly or wrongly – of your authority to publish (i.e. if she’s written all this stuff she must be a pro).
The Lesson: Even if content isn’t the reason you initially attract a prospective customer, it can still provide the reassurance that allows you to close the deal. You are what you publish.
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Good post Mark,
Content is king in my mind and a major part of the branding process. Show exactly what you are about, what you know, what you do and set yourself apart from your competitors.
When it comes to providing a quote and making a sale (which may be months or years down the line), how will the customer decide between you and your competitor? Lowest price, or the re-assurance that you have given them excellent information (for free) that has been useful over the past weeks or months?
It’s an easy choice (to me anyway). But it takes a little effort and a medium/long term view. You can’t do it overnight!
Great point Nigel.
It’s always worth bearing in mind that content can’t exist in a vacuum – you still need to promote it, deliver excellent service and build relationships, but, by putting content at the heart of that process you’re also putting the prospective customer’s need at the forefront of your marketing too.
As you say, a perfect way to ’set yourself apart from your competitors’ – especially if you have a necessarily long sales funnel.
Thanks for the insight.
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