As another year of marketing winds down, and we gather around the fireplace to talk about how to work smarter, first, let me take this moment to thank you for your loyal following of my communications ideas.
I’ve always believed marketers have one of the best and one of the most frustrating jobs. We can influence sales prospects to become a buyer, and we celebrate. And we can fail to generate sufficient contact-us leads. Either way, do we know why?
I think the essence of what we do is about building and maintaining trust. That’s why I believe marketing, based on a complete understanding of the buyer persona, competitors, and value proposition, must be written in the everyday language of simple sentences. Certainly, we’re more likely to trust this communications style.
I’m sure you prefer easy-to-understand content. Your sales prospects think the same. And, in B2B, they want to know how they can make money with your company. Simple messaging that explains how to increase the top line is an approach that maintains mindshare.
Plus, you can work more efficiently by letting go of all the technical data in the initial stages. A product marketing team member can bring forward those details in sales presentations once you’ve earned coveted contact-us leads. In this way, you’re taking the prospect on a persuasive content journey.
In 2022, for that journey to gain more attention, more digital, less print is the way to go: brief Web content, interactive PDFs, branded video, email marketing with video, and animated GIFs on social are and will be compelling communications tactics. That is, if you include the right message for the right audience using the right language to build trust.
The new year is the ideal time to begin a think-like-a-customer strategy. Give him or her information in digital channels, primarily, to do a better job. You’ll stimulate greater buyer emotion and ensure greater buyer engagement.