What does useful mean to you, or more importantly, to your customers?
Does it mean they can immediately do whatever they looked up on your website?
Does it mean it makes them go, “I can get one of those right now.” Or, does it mean, “Thanks, that’s good to know.”
Whatever useful means to your customer is what your content should be.
Billions of search inquiries go into browsers every day. I typed in “real estate” because I’ve been dreaming about a house.
Above the fold were two ads…nope, no interest, And then there was a map with dots where houses were for sale in my local area. That map caught my attention.
The map was sponsored by multiple real estate agencies. Whichever dot I clicked took me to that realtor’s site where contact details were readily available.
It was useful.
Not all funnels are that short. Even with a short useful funnel, I didn’t buy a house or even leave my contact information.
I’ll check with some coworkers before I get serious. I’ll check out the realty sites more closely to see if they have any of that highly desired “useful” content.
Useful content can come in dozens of different forms. It can be a blog post, a white paper, an article, images, product descriptions, and even video.
Giving your clients useful content on a regular basis means they’ll know you are the “go to” person or place when they need to buy.
Useful content can be creative. There’s a propane dealer who puts out fabulous recipes on his site during BBQ season. There’s always a simple call to action at the end telling customers to check if they need more propane before next weekend. Sometimes there’s a coupon.
A tutoring company puts out a newsletter and regular content with study tips tied to what the local schools are teaching. Those tips let parents know that the tutoring company is familiar with their curriculum. A subtle call to action saying, “If Timmy’s struggling with single step equations, we can help” lets mom know that the tutor can help today. That’s the homework Timmy was trying to do just last night.
You should be putting out content that helps your clients.
Imagine being a home repair company that sends out emails telling clients it’s time to change their a/c or furnace filters. It’s not that complicated a task. But there are many people who would call you to do it if you prompted them with the right content and a well thought out call to action.
Knowing that customers can do it themselves is not a reason to avoid “How to” articles or videos. You can still sell the materials they need to do the work. Besides, many customers will say, “That’s too hard or takes too long.” Your content will let them know you are an expert in the field and can do it for them. Make sure your contact details are easy to find.
Content is not about the hard sell.
Content is a way to serve your customers. It lets them know you care about them. It helps you build the relationship that brings them to your company when they need something instead of going somewhere else.
Think about what kind of content will serve your customers.
If you need help, send me a message. I can help. Get the content out there that will help your customer and promote your business all at the same time.