Relationship status: When it comes to your brand, it shouldn’t be complicated

When was the last time you gave your business to a cold caller? I’m always surprised that businesses still use this model. I’ve actually gotten a couple of cold calls recently and they leave me wondering, “Does that really work for them?” Yes, they are getting their name out there, I remember them, but not in a good way. Cold calls leave me thinking, “I don’t know you, why are you bothering me?”

Attracting new customers to your brand, products and services requires relationship building. And that’s where content marketing comes in. Is every tweet going to result in a sale? No. But every tweet is going to help you establish a relationship with your customers and potential customers.

It’s about trust

People want to do business with companies they know and trust. The new generation of consumers are social and they want to socialize with brands before they buy. If a relationship isn’t already established within an industry, consumers are using social media networks to ask people they already have established relationships with for recommendations.

Establish trust through content marketing by using it to provide excellent customer service, establishing yourself as an industry leader and being authentic.

It’s about time

Who are your best friends? Who do you have the strongest relationships with? I’m going to bet that they are people you’ve known for a long time. Building stable relationships takes time, and effective content marketing takes time, too. Social media success does not happen overnight, not even in three months. Each tweet will not result in a sale. However, implementing a content marketing strategy that works to meet customer needs will.

Build relationships through content marketing

Content marketing is all about providing value to your customers and potential customers without charging them for it. Your content lets audiences know who you are, why they should trust you and encourage them to engage with you to establish relationships before, during and after doing business with you. You’re doing more than creating brand awareness, you’re doing it while building relationships.

There are many content marketing tactics you can use to start creating meaningful relationships: blogs, social media, infographics, white papers, videos, books, emails, websites, you get the idea.

Think of your content like Tetris pieces. No one piece is going to get you where you need to go. The more content you create, in the right shape, the better you’ll be able to fill in your customer needs and clear the line…I mean, get new business. And just like with Tetris, you need to to be quick, stay on top of your content and use a strategy, or you’re never going to get that high score.

Basically, building relationships through content marketing is a lot like building relationships when you walk through the door on that first day of kindergarten, only with different tools. Show an interest in others; put your best self forward; be considerate; help others. If you have friends, you know how to do this; now get your business out there and meet people.