Every Touchpoint Counts: Developing Authenticity and Setting Expectations

I recently attended a session at a conference that centered around incorporating authenticity into account-based marketing, also known as ABM. If you are not familiar with ABM, it’s simply a strategic approach to focus an organization's B2B sales and marketing efforts on a defined group of high-potential targets instead of everyone, in an effort to create more personalized messaging and content to increase engagement. 

It was in this session that I heard a quote that stuck with me, “With every touchpoint that you have with existing or new customers, you are building or crushing your brand.”  It was such a simple statement, yet it was filled with so much truth and power. It was the reminder of the importance of every contact – big and small.

To me, that quote means taking every sales or marketing interaction to the next level - creating a real, personal experience for an individual. Every contact that you make with an existing or prospective customer, you are developing an expectation of you and your brand – how you will help them and what it will be like to do business with you.

Integrating authenticity is more than personalization, it is about demonstrating empathy and being human. It is one-to-one messaging.

Here are three ways that you can integrate authenticity into your messaging to stand out with new and existing customers: 

1. Create content specific to the needs of your target audience that drives prospective customers to want to spend time with, and engage with, your content. This could be an ebook, calculators, infographics, case studies, videos, and more.
   
   
2. Use individualized videos created specifically for a lead or existing customer with a message that is of interest to them instead of sending an email that will get lost in their inbox.  An example might be a video with a personalized message highlighting who you are and how you do business, or an invite to an event that will be of interest to them.
   
   
3. Send a personalized hand-written letter instead of a thank you email or phone call. It delivers a personal touch and shows them they are important enough to put in the extra effort.

At the end of the day, it is all about using authenticity to build relationships with your targets. Technology has the ability to make us more efficient, but a human touch is needed to keep it real. What are ways that you are integrating authenticity into you and your team's sales efforts?