Say Bye to Short-Term Sales Pitches and Hello to Creating Conversation with Customers
It may seem counterintuitive to do so but brands who want to sell more would benefit from communicating the opposite in their messaging. Authoritative advertising isn’t how it’s done anymore. Consumers don’t want to be ‘sold to’. They want an interaction, to know the brand they’re supporting, and an experience. They want an identity that they connect with. Short-term sales pitches – wrong approach! Creating conversation is where to invest your time, money, and attention.
A conversation between a brand and a consumer doesn’t focus on sales. It focuses on sharing information and education, having fun, and creating meaning. Consumers better understand a brand’s mission through two-way conversation. Social media marketing is built off conversation. Authentic, less sales oriented digital marketing can spur major sales for brands who do it right. Static advertising is boring and its purpose is transparent. It treats the customer like a number. Unfortunately, this only ends badly for the brand who chooses to go this way.
Think about what happens when you make a social media post on a product or service you’re selling. If all the message is is, ‘Please buy my product!’ there’s not a whole lot for a user to say. What about if you ask a question? When you leave it open-ended, this is one way to involve a consumer in a conversation. Alternatively, what if you posted a how-to blog post or an instructional video on how to use a certain product without ever directly selling it to the user watching – this could work.
Give your user a reason to leave a comment, to like, or to share. The best way to create engagement is to be engaging! Influencer marketing is one example of this. A person is clearly selling you a product yet because the presentation is so fun and engaging, the average user might not necessarily notice that it’s a direct marketing message. An influencer’s also providing value. They may open their message with a sponsorship but going beyond the ad, there’s meaning for the user to sink their teeth into.
A major conversation starter, as it turns out, is video. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube are powerful platforms on which you can share video. Do you know what the most effective marketing video there is – one that tells a story. Storytelling does not emphasize a sale. It emphasizes communication. Tell a story about what how a product or service impacts a customer’s lifestyle. Tell a story about how your company came to be. Tell a customer’s story. Storytelling can be funny, informational, or emotional. Video marketing is a perfect medium for telling a story in this vein.
Short-term sales pitches live and die by what happens in that moment. They serve no long-term purpose. Bottom line is that it’s a weak strategy. As a brand or business owner, see yourself as a consumer first. What would motivate you to connect with your brand? If you’re not giving it already, start. If you focus on communication, sales will come. It’s a given. Brands who communicate with their audience best are unsurprisingly those which sell the most.
Contact the experts in digital marketing at Unlimited Exposure and see the success you deserve. In our experience, it’s communication-first marketing on social media, email, video, content marketing, and in website design that wins the day. The facts back this up. Connect with your audience today.
