Question: Our company has become very proficient at curating and sharing content. We have even built up a nice following. However, we have noticed a stall in our conversion. Any ideas on how we can get our readers and listeners to become customers?
For today’s business, it is so important to be more than just an “Online Promoter.” That type of web behavior was very pre 2005 and really was never a great way to build real loyalty.
For companies who are selling online, it is so important that your online visitors feel like you are taking them through a journey rather than just hitting them between the eyes with a request. A lot like building personal relationships, people build relationships with brands that they feel they can trust, and get to know. This used to be done face-to-face, but now this is done from screen to screen.
So in a world where people are seeking more info, looking to build trust, and potentially wanting to do this without ever “Talking” to you, what is the best way to approach this?
The idea of sharing, or building a “Brand Newsroom” is no question a growing trend and a great means of being a source for your customers, but much like the media of old, which is seeing constant decline, a brand newsroom needs more than just sharing, informing and inspiring. What most businesses need to do, that so many are not, is engage.
For those less familiar, the idea of engaging is to proactively reach out to your readers, followers and fans and not just have a dialogue through a bull horn, but to have conversations that are 1 to 1.
Now I know that the idea of talking 1:1 to every person who engages your brand online is a big task, but it is the task nonetheless. If you think back to the days where each and every customer engagement involved a sales executive sitting across the desk or sharing a meal, the task of reaching out with a tweet or a message on your LinkedIn page really isn’t that great. However for companies, many of whom seek a shortcut to success, this may feel like too much. Having said that, in the world we live in, those little interactions are much like the sales call of old. They are building a lasting impression, a connection, trust and a pathway to a meaninful business relationship.
This isn’t heavy lifting or something that businesses should be doing. Really this is the essence of selling in a connected world. Businesses must do more than just share, promote and tell. They need to talk to people, we call this engagement, and for businesses that want to be found, seen and heard in a crowded online space, it is the absolute best way to do so.
Has your business moved beyond just sharing to engagement? If not, is it time that you should?
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