In the marketing stratosphere, “Content is king.” That means it’s really important.
But what is it?
First, I’ll start with what it isn’t:
- It’s not advertising copy
- It’s not a brochure
- It’s not always about you
- It’s not a sales pitch
I know what you’re thinking: Then how do I ever sell anything?
Patience, grasshopper. Remember in the previous blog we talked about persistence? Persistence requires patience.
Today’s electronic culture allows the prospect to learn about you before acknowledging that he is interested – or not – in you. So the courting period, as it were, is longer and more secretive. Your prospect now learns more about you without having to enter into a conversation with you yet, thus determining if a conversation is worth both your valuable time.
In that courting period is when you have a one-sided conversation, providing information and resources that establish your authority and build your credibility without giving away the store. In short, good content is helpful without being annoying or selling for free.
More questions for you to answer:
- What are my prospects interested in?
- What resources can I share that don’t cost me?
- What resources can I refer to (websites, whitepapers, etc) that will be interesting to my prospects?
- In what areas can I best establish my company’s authority?
I know…more homework. But if you do it, marketing automation will be more fruitful!
