So many times we want to start promoting right away. We want to send that press release, we want people to know about our product, about our service. It’s important, right? We want to sell our brand, and one way to get the word out is Public Relations. It’s like having a party, you want to invite everyone so they can come and show up, right? But what happens when they arrive, and you don’t have the drinks and the snacks? They will glance at your party but won’t stay for long, right?
Think of it as you would for any outreach campaign.
What do I mean by a strong foundation? Well, I mean having a strong content foundation. When somebody visits your website and your social media accounts, they can find engaging and exciting content.
We need the following types of content:
- Product content – selling content
- Engaging content – creative content that ignites people’s curiosity
- Valuable content – content that adds value for people, like ideas, tips, strategies etc.
Most companies have product content. They talk about the product, how great the gym is, how great their company is, testimonials, and obviously ‘buy now’ content. They are indeed very important but in the social media era, where people don’t really follow brands that easily, you can’t survive purely on that. Or you can only if you have an unlimited marketing budget.
So, what happens when we read about a new brand or a new offering? We often go to their website and social media and have a quick glance at what the company is. While we do that our subconscious mind already forms an opinion about that brand. The big question is, does everybody want your product?
Actually, only 3% of people are active buyers. Yes, only 3%. These people are ready and want to shop. They will make a purchase in the next 30 to 60 days.
Then you have 7% of people who have an intention to change. These people have a need but aren’t proactively looking for a product like yours. They are receptive to new ideas and might change their opinion about a product in your category.
Then you have 30% of people that have a need, but they don’t act. This is a group of people that are not buying. They have other priorities, maybe a new born baby, maybe they are moving, maybe too much stress, you know, because life isn’t not black and white.
We shouldn’t even think about the last two groups of people. 30% of them are not interested in what you are offering and 30% don’t have a need.
So let’s focus on the ones that we can convert. Let’s say that they read an article that your brand is featured in, they go to your website and like it (assuming the User Experience and the design is great). Then they check out your social media and they see your product content. Again, we will assume that they like it. But unfortunately, they aren’t in the market for that gym membership right now because their expenses this month are over the roof. So they leave, they say, another time.
They go about their day without following you on your social media or signing up to your newsletter.
To acquire this client, you will need to do another PR campaign or targetted social ads to reach that person again and hope that they are now ready to buy, right? As we mentioned, only 3% are in the market right now. So, it’s a vicious cycle of running PR campaigns, social ads, google ads and all the other ads required to acquire that client.
But here’s what you can do before doing any campaigns: create valuable content that will make them want to follow you on social media or sign up to your newsletter. Why? Well, it will help you with the 30% of people in the group that have a need but are not ready and the 7% of people who intend to change. Then once they connect with you on your platforms, you will be able to stay in touch. You will be able to share with them content that perhaps will inspire them, motivate them and ultimately, when they are ready to buy, your brand will be on top of their mind.
How do you do that? Well, the how is all about creating a great content strategy and executing it.. Perhaps you have a great offering, asking them to sign up to your newsletter because every month you send insights or strategies that they can use to achieve their goals.
Once you have the foundation, you have great content that adds value so you can do any PR campaigns or ads you want and it will help you maximize your Return On Investment. This way, you have more opportunities for people to sign up to your newsletter or follow you on social media.
We often want the six-pack without doing the foundational work. We often want to have loyal clients without giving them something to care about. Unfortunately, we know that it doesn’t work that way.
So, before your next campaign, think of your content strategy.
If you have any questions, you can always email me at [email protected].
P.S If you are interested in building your brand’s purpose, I have a book called Not Another Pair of Shoes. It’s available where books are sold. Here’s the link: www.notanotherpairofshoes.com
