Volume 27/Number 26; April 28/May 5, 2014
By now you know your customers aren’t interested in traditional advertising and marketing. Like you and me, they often skip television and spend their time surfing the Web.
Even though ads pop up when you’re watching YouTube, it’s easy enough to skip them. Most of us know that traditional advertising is becoming less effective. There is a better way to get to your customers; it’s called content marketing.
Content marketing doesn’t look like the old advertising methods. You know, put an ad in the customer’s face and assume she is going to call you. Instead of running ads, content marketing is giving valuable information to the right customer.
None of this works unless you know your market. The object is to find the right customer and give her consistent information to drive her to action. A successful content marketing campaign establishes you as an expert in your field and sets the groundwork for a long-term business relationship.
What I’m talking about is communicating with your customers and prospects by giving them information without trying to sell them. We’re all too smart to stand around and listen to someone’s sales pitch.
Let’s say your old instinct says you need to run an advertisement and explain why your business is the store of choice. Instead, why not write a blog and give your potential customer the criteria for determining the right flooring store or supplier? Hopefully your store meets these requirements.
Keep in mind that content marketing isn’t new. You’ve probably heard of John Deere, the farm equipment company. In 1885, John Deere started The Furrow magazine to educate farmers on new technology and how they could be better business owners. Over 100 years later, The Furrow has 1.5 million copies in circulation in 40 countries, and John Deere is still a market leader.
According to Roper Public Affairs, 80% of decision makers prefer to get company information in a series of articles versus an advertisement. Seventy percent said content marketing makes them feel closer to the sponsoring company, while 60% said company content helps them make better product decisions. Can you imagine the customer is actually looking forward to hearing from you and may read your e-mail several times?
Content marketing is the present and will continue to be the way we communicate with our customers. Think about how much junk you get from companies that are always trying to sell you stuff. The other day I received one of those keys to a brand-new car. This one is the oldest in the book. You go to the showroom and see if your key fits the new car. Even if the key doesn’t fit, you get a $5 gift certificate to Target. However, try to get out of there without a test drive—it will never happen. I told them I just came to see if I had won the car and wanted nothing else. They weren’t happy.
How do you know if your content is valid? If it is, people will stop and think. It also makes them do something different because of what they read. In other words, you made a difference in their lives in some way.
Why do I write this column? Because I love what I do and have experience in many different facets of the flooring industry that I want to share with you. I hope my information will make your life and business better. If you like what you read, one day you might hire me. If you don’t like it, you won’t. It’s as simple as that. Isn’t that what we’re all trying to achieve?