Content Marketing Today

Ask Not What Your Customers Can Do for You. Ask What You Can Do for Your Customers.

Your customers really need your help.  Now is the time to deliver content and solutions that provide that help.

Smart, sales focused companies have long known the importance of uncovering the thorniest problems that their customers face.  Why?  So that they can deliver meaningful solutions to those problems.  In fact, the most sophisticated sales approaches go even farther by seeking out challenges their customers may not know they have.

In our current, grim economic climate, your customers face what may be the toughest challenges of their business careers. More than ever, we have the opportunity to help them solve those challenges by providing solution-oriented content.

Although this applies most obviously in the business-to-business marketplace, it can be equally relevant for business to consumer marketing.  For example, the new series of Microsoft laptop commercials illustrate that they truly understand the concerns of cost conscious consumers.  Here is what we wrote about that series relative to the late, unlamented gates-Seinfeld ads: Now Microsoft Gets Authentic—and It Works!

You don’t need Microsoft’s money to develop a deep understanding of the tough, tough challenges your customers now face.  Simply, make time for in-depth conversations that encourage your customers to share honestly.  The insights you derive from these conversations will enable you to create content that resonates with your customers.  You will also enable you to sharpen your sales message so that your customers trust your solutions to match their toughest challenges precisely. 

In so doing, not only will you be helping your customers you will be establishing long-term loyalty that will serve you well when we finally emerge from the recession.  Too few companies take the time required to understand and to respond to their customers most important needs. When you do take the time, you can be sure that your company will be remembered and rewarded as one of the very good guys. That’s a pretty good place to be.