Perhaps the greatest thing about digital marketing is not how it helps us reach the customer in new ways—but how digital devices let the customer reach back! That’s why one of the greatest mistakes in digital marketing strategy is overlooking that reach-back element. Too many companies still assume marketing to be a one-way street, where advertisers lob clever messages toward consumers, hoping a customer will reward their creativity by making a purchase.
It drives me nuts when I see a social media site that’s little more than a Facebook version of a company’s website. Social marketing must be social before it can effectively serve as marketing. Your social presence should inspire topics that are conversation-worthy and related to customers’ needs and the business you are in. It should offer ideas worth talking about (from your customers’ point of view).
Rather than an advertiser monologue, your blog or social media site should invite a dialogue, one that your prospects and customers will find meaningful and valuable. Provide value to them, and they will find value in you.
Whether we’re talking about a rich media demonstration of how the customer will use your product or testimonials from other customers who have experience owning the product or using the service you sell, your online presence should be more than an arena where you talk at your prospects.
It is a place where your prospects should feel like they can talk with you, interact with you, get to know you, and get your help answering questions or solving problems. Ultimately these little conversations lead to trust, and trust leads to revenue.
Of course, when people think about social media, they are often talking about Business-to-Consumer (B2C) marketing. But if you sell Business-to-Business (B2B) products or services, you stand to benefit from a similar social strategy, called Inbound Marketing. That’s where a B2B social strategy is refined to the point that it directly contributes to lead generation.
It’s not just where you find more prospects to call on. It’s where you get prospects to call on you.
The most successful digital marketing companies realize that a strong relationship between their company and their customers is more than just a transaction; it is a series of transactions. And the currency isn’t always money.
Sometimes, the items exchanged are questions and answers, problems and solutions, reputation and trust. Your company’s blog can and should be one place where those transactions are born.
If you’d like to know more, schedule a 30-minute call with one of our inbound marketing experts.
