Often business owners intuitively ‘get’ social media. They can be themselves and engage with their audiences naturally. Communication is authentic and they can build a loyal following which leads to increased sales and referrals.
But with other forms of communication like EDMs and web copy, business owners can come unstuck. Unsure how to market themselves in these channels, their language can become stiff, formal and a barrier to engagement.
This is where you may see grandiose and unfounded statements, such as: “We’re Australia’s number one provider of XYZ”. Of course, that’s great if it’s true but all such claims need to be substantiated with evidence. Otherwise it all sounds rather hollow, boring and, most significantly, rather disconnected from the customer and their buying experience.
Know your customers’ needs
The key to strong content marketing is to know your customer and their needs, and have a definite service offering that delivers for them. This means no “we look to provide…” statements: you either provide something consistently or you don’t mention it. Content should be focused on what clients gain through doing business with you.
It’s worth considering what factors influence your customers’ buying decisions. For example, it could be your product range, service, price, value for money, quality, reliability, results, convenience, style, creativity – or something else entirely. Having a clear customer value proposition will guide your content writing, making marketing easier.
The trick is to fully understand who your target market is and what their pain points are, and then ensure that your business provides solutions to these customers. It takes a mental shift to step outside of your business and take on the perspective of your customers or prospects, but it’s one that gets results. In essence it’s not about you, it’s about your customers.
Help business clients win business
The same is true for business-to-business marketing; you need to communicate very clearly what you offer that company and how they will benefit from working with you. Their ultimate goal is, of course, to sell; so how specifically will your business help them achieve this? Rather than by talking about how great your business is, you need to make a compelling case as to why this firm should work with you.
To find out more, or for help with your business-to-consumer and business-to-business marketing copy, contact Caroline Roberts on 0404 960 908 or caroline@luminous-copy.com
Luminous Copy 