Who are you and why should I buy from you? Why should I even pay any attention to you? These are very important questions every small business encounters. Therefore, it is important that you develop marketing strategies that address them. One tried and tested strategy is developing content that presells.
While content that sells is meant to pitch the prospect, content that presells is meant to put them in the best frame of mind to receive your pitch. In fact, if done right, you wouldn’t even have to make the pitch for them to buy. So how do you go about developing content that presells?
1. Show Them You Are An Authority
Who would a person listen to if they have been diagnosed with a brain tumor? A thousand noisy touts? The politician who promises heaven and earth or the doctor who’s just been named as the top expert in brain tumors? People listen to experts. In fact, many people will do anything their doctor recommends. Why? They have come to the conclusion that he or she knows what’s best for them.
So how can you demonstrate that you know a lot more than the average person? How do you differentiate yourself from wannabe experts? You give them content that proves you are very good in what you do. Give them articles that solve their problems. Give them tips that make their lives easier.
How did you get to the point where you’ll do anything your doctor says? You tried what they said on minor issues and found that they worked. By the same token, your prospects will be more willing to buy anything you recommend if you can only show them (in smaller things) that you know what you are talking about. High value content is key here. Don’t try to hoard useful information. Give it to them and they’ll begin to see you as an authority.
Another thing that helps build authority is association. If people see you on a TV show with the country’s leading weight loss expert, they will pass on some level of authority to you and consider you a weight loss expert. That’s why good web development companies leverage the assets of recognized authorities in your niche to pass on some that authority to you. An example of this is submitting great guest posts on the leading sites in your niche.
2. Show Them You Care
People really don’t care about what you know until they know that you care. Many people will always show a preference for people who have shown that they care. The internet makes it very easy for a business to follow up on prospects. You can give them little gifts (that really don’t eat into your marketing budget) from time to time.
You can share their pains and allay their fears in ways that were NOT possible a decade ago. Web 2.0 means you can connect with people at a very special level. Replying to their comments and keeping them updated on the various social sites is one way you can show that you care — One way to show that you are NOT just a merchant but a friend. An autoresponder series can be set up to send them messages that help them deal with various challenges. That’s another way to show you care.
At least, 80% of the content you send out to them must be focused on helping them — Only 20% or less should sell to them. Do this right and they’ll happily respond to you whenever you sell to them. We all prefer dealing with people who care about us (We call them friends).
There are a many ways to show you care. Also, there are many tools that can help you show your prospects that you care. However, they require that you master them well before you attempt to use them. You don’t have time for that as a business owner. Thankfully, a good internet marketing firm can help you develop a well-rounded pre-selling strategy. You reap the rewards while you focus on the core aspects of your business.
