How do you add value in your marketing? Have you thought about it? To be effective in Content or Educational Marketing you must add value as defined by the customer. I want you to steer away from your first thought, which is more than likely your product or service, but instead think about your marketing material. For your Content marketing material to be effective, I believe it must have 4 components:
Value Added: Your marketing needs to add additional knowledge or be a reinforcer of your product or service to your customer. A blog or commenting on LinkedIn are several online examples. It can be done in traditional advertising and marketing. Using a 2-step advertising strategy and offer something of value versus trying to coerce them into buying a product. Especially consider your marketing message in each step of your marketing process or value stream. I believe that if you are effectively using the Pillars of Lean Marketing House properly that you need to increase the value of your offering as you walk someone through the process. You must also segment your list during the process so that the perceived value is also recognized.
Quality: If you look at marketing in today’s world, I believe authenticity is sometimes more important than a professional full color ad in your trade magazine. People want to become connected, just review some of the YouTube videos of BlendTec and the Will it Blend series. Variability is the lager culprit of quality. It goes without saying, your marketing should be professionally looking, but I believe the biggest problems with quality is variability. It confuses the message to your customer. When you dilute your marketing message not only by confusing advertising but sometimes being in the wrong place, even with the wrong customer, can send mixed messages to your target market.
Time: Delivering your message when a customer needs it, is imperative. Before or after the proper time reduces the value tremendously. Few customers will put it in a file and save it for when they need it. We are simple on information overload – ALL THE TIME. The timeliness of your message is important to understand. You seldom can do this without understanding your customers buying cycle and the needs they have during that cycle.
Cost: This is a little of a 2-way street here. One you must consider your own cost and the ROI on doing the particular piece. You have to determine if a Super bowl Ad is worth it. However, when I consider the marketing piece I am going to employ, I like to think of it in a different way. Is the content something that the customer would pay for? If this does not raise the bar on your marketing, you are doing a lot of things correct. If you had a free whitepaper to download, why not sell it on Amazon for $2.00. Is is worth it? Is not relinquishing my e-mail address and giving you permission to market to me worth $2.00. Look at your marketing material and put a value to it! Better yet, ask your customer if there is a value to it?
Would it be great if your customer was willing to pay for your marketing?