For those of you who don’t buy into Facebook or Google Ads, you rely on marketing to help build your business. (And I’m right there with you, by the way!) But you need to know what the main goal of your marketing is so that you can keep your expectations in check. There’s nothing worse than publishing a few blog posts or YouTube videos and hearing, “But where are the sales?”
A few pieces of content isn’t going to make you an instant success. And if you’re listening to a few of the “gurus” out there who “made millions overnight,” you’re going to be disappointed. That’s not what marketing is all about.
So what should you think about when you’re creating marketing content?
Educating Your Audience
One of the main goals of marketing is to educate your audience. The people who follow you need to know you’re an expert in your field and they need to get to know you better. The best way to make that happen is to publish consistent content that shows off your knowledge base and your personality. YouTube videos, blog posts, Instagram stories and Facebook Lives are great ways to do just that.
Make sure that 80 percent (or more!) of the content you publish is focused on educating. Teach your audience something, whether it’s something that you offer as a service or something they should know or be able to do before they work with you. Either way, when you come from a place of educating, you come from a place of good (and not salesy ick).
Building Brand Awareness
The more consistent you are with your content, the more aware people will be of you and your brand. No one will know you’re out there if you don’t make yourself more visible. And there are so many opportunities to be visible these days too–both on your own platforms and on others’.
The type of content you create tells others what you’re all about, from your values to your business model to your offerings. The more you’re out there talking about what’s important in your industry, the more you’ll attract the attention of your ideal clients and customers.
Solidifying Brand Loyalty
When you grow your following, you want to make sure that your followers stick around. They’re loyal to you as a business and as a person–whether that means they consume your free content, share that content or buy from you for the long-term. And even when things don’t go exactly as expected, your loyal followers and customers will stick around.
The most obvious example of cult-like brand loyalty is Apple. What other brand has people lining up overnight to spend $1,000 on Apple’s latest release? (I feel it’s important to note that while I may have an iPhone, I’m NOT in this camp. And I’m well aware that may turn off a few of my loyal followers.)
One of the best ways to do marketing right is to set up your expectations to be realistic. Find out how in the video below.
