The Secret to Connecting with Customers

Last week, I was chatting with some business owners about engaging their customers through social media. As I was talking through things, I realized that when it comes down to it, the secret to connecting with customers–through all types of media–can be summarized in two short imperative sentences: Share value. Show personality.

Share value.

Notice that I didn’t say, “Share your latest sales.” I didn’t even say, “Share info.” To really pique your customers’ interest, you have to share information that’s valuable to them. By that, I mean you should give your customers (or potential customers) relevant info they care about.

Find the intersection of their wants/needs and your goals. Speak to their interests while staying within the realm of your company’s expertise. READ MORE

Using Content to Make Your Site the Ultimate Sales Rep

Too many people view their Web site as a digital brochure or, even worse, as a virtual business card—a place to slap up contact info and forget about it. Although that’s better than nothing, it’s not enough.

A site that only tells about your company is fine if someone already knows about you and simply wants to learn more. But that doesn’t do much to increase sales. Like Ben said in his post yesterday, your site should be like a salesperson working around the clock to boost your business.

How do you turn your site into your company’s biggest promoter? Through content. Whether the content on your site takes the form of blogs, white papers, online articles, or videos, it can’t just be a collection of words thrown up there. Like any effective salesperson, it has to be good, and requires a strong strategy behind it. For your site to function as a top salesman, like any person in sales, it needs to do these three things. READ MORE

Bite-Size Content Marketing

This holiday season Dove chocolate is proving that content marketing can come in small packages—in bite-size packages even. 

The company teamed up with Martha Stewart to add a special edition to its Dove Promises line of chocolates. (The line typically includes inspirational messages—think along the lines of feel-good fortune cookies—imprinted inside each wrapper.)

With the holiday line, Dove is building brand awareness and playing off Stewart’s reputation as a creative entertainer, offering tips from Stewart inside each candy’s wrapper. Targeting its female customers, the wrappers offer tips in three categories—chocolate gourmet, holiday treats, and seasonal crafts.

The brand’s homepage reinforces the marketing efforts. A Flash piece shows examples of expanded tips with photos of the finished product. One wrapper suggests using a vegetable peeler to make a garnish of chocolate curls. Another says, “Cut marshmallows into seasonal shapes to serve in hot cocoa.”

If site visitors find the tips useful, they can e-mail them to friends with a quick, simple form. It’s a win-win situation—Dove gets its product in front of more people, and customers get helpful information.

If the company wanted to step this up a notch, it could allow people to share the brief tips through popular social media sites like Facebook and Twitter. On its site and on YouTube, Dove could also incorporate videos of Stewart demonstrating the tips. READ MORE