Value Content truly is king. Successful engagement and customer retention take more than sales. Your readers want interesting, relevant information—Value Content. You need it on your website, social media and in your emails.
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As a consumer and as a marketer, I frequently sign up to learn more about a company and/or their products. I want to know what they offer, what value they share, and the marketing techniques they use.
At least 85% of them send me emails that are sales notices. Sometimes, multiple times a week every week.
That 85% is missing an important success determiner.
Where is the recipient in their buying decision?
The people who respond to a sale notice already know the company and want the product. They are just waiting for a great price to buy it.
The rest of the audience may not have enough information yet to make a buying decision. The notice of a sale is probably not going to give them what they need.
That group will probably feel a little frustrated. They couldn’t get enough information or find what they wanted on your website or social media. That means lost sales.
They may hang around hopeful you will send something useful. Or they may just unsubscribe and look elsewhere. Even worse, they could tag you as spam, which can have its own repercussions.
As the business owner or marketer for your brand, you need to understand when to send sales copy and when to send informational content.
I’ve found in my work with clients, it is something often overlooked. The good news? The 15% of businesses that focus on the buyer’s journey have a wide-open field. This group focuses on providing useful information and guiding the prospect through the purchase and beyond. They engage them and build a relationship.
This business practice sets them apart from competitors by focusing on the customer's need, rather than the sale.
When I added a monthly newsletter for one of my clients, it made a huge difference. The newsletter followed the best practices of at least 80% useful information. In the bottom section, they announced the monthly specials. In less than 10 months, the gross sales for this 20-year-old company increased by 22%.
Relevant value information for the target audience increased both sales and retention. Higher lifetime customer value.
It all goes back to your list. If your product offerings and/or your audience interests are diverse, you need to segment.
In some situations, different demographics may use the same product. But they may use it in different ways. That means your content writer has to address both uses in one email, or those groups need separating.
The emails that go out need to be focused on what is important to the audience segment that receives them.
There are different types of value that you can share. Today’s consumer is looking for MORE information than ever before. They are looking for some things that weren’t a consideration two years ago.
Some information is great to share with your entire audience. Other things need to be segmented.
If you’re adding a new product or new division, your audience wants to know this. Again, this information may be full list appropriate or segmented.
If you have added a new social or environmental responsibility, your audience, your online family, will want to know. In today’s world, these are considered highly important steps. But follow up those announcements with documentation of actual implementation.
They want to see your words in action.
They also want to know you are taking care of your team.
For many years, the brand was a product, a company. Now your audience wants to buy from a human being. Human to human.
This is crucial for online connections as you aren’t physically face to face.
They want to meet you and learn about your products, your values and your mission. They want to see these aren’t empty marketing words. Today’s buyer wants to connect with you and become part of your group, your tribe. We’ve been so disconnected, “being a part” of something is highly valued.
They love meeting your team, the people that create what they are buying or help take care of their needs.
Showcase new hires, promotions, or your employee of the month—and why.
Show the value this person brings and how they might interact with them.
This kind of showcasing has another function...staff loyalty and retention. We all crave to be recognized and appreciated. Show your business cares.
I use a Fitbit and MyFitness Pal. I get daily emails with helpful information. How to get the best results, how to maximize the interaction, and tips for success.
You want to do this with your products or services. Nurture them with useful, helpful content. Tips, techniques, and or success stories.
If it is a complex product, help them understand how it, or its ingredients, work to give them the desired result.
Share unique or new techniques customers discovered and shared via feedback or social.
Be sure to emphasize social channels you or your team are regularly active on. Let them know where to find you, how you answer questions and the best ways to reach you.
Judith Culp Pearson is a copywriter and content marketer for brands in the wellness sector. Products that help improve people’s lives. Need help to maximize your email marketing? Reach out to her via her website, Linked In, or by clicking her name link.
Judith Culp Pearson receives three top honors
at the annual Society of Permanent Cosmetic Professionals in
Ft. Worth, Texas - October 7-9, 2023
