Unforgettable, that's what you are
Turning your company into a bestseller isn’t as hard as you think, but it’s a noisy world out there and ever cleverer ways of creating a dialogue can easily distract you from one simple fact – tell a good tale clearly and people will engage with you.
As a basic guide, unforgettable content depends on three essential ingredients –
interest – give your customers something they will find genuinely useful and something they’ll want to talk about;
positivity – be upbeat, engage with people’s hopes and make them want to share their good news with everyone they speak to;
relevance – understand and relate to your customers on a human level.
Sounds daft, but the first way to distinguish yourself is to be human. Your personality is your difference so don’t be shy – people want to get to know who they might be doing business with.
Being human
In a world where so many of our conversations happen remotely, being human is more important than ever, and brands that bring the human touch will be the most trusted and successful. Being human in everything you say about you and your business will win you three winning commercial assets – transparency, empathy and trust.
For 30 years, we’ve been helping businesses to communicate honestly in difficult times. Now, more than ever, staff and customers demand truth and transparency. How you work, how you make money, how you pay your team… These days there’s no room for wool-pulling – you’ll get nabbed. Honest, open, human content shows that you’ve got nothing to hide, you’re approachable and you’re ready to talk business.
Truth to tell
The most compelling reason for making your content a really great read is that you need to regain your customers’ trust every single day to keep them loyal and wanting more. As in any relationship, we’re much more likely to trust and connect with someone who shares our view of the world than a large, bland organisation with no personality. By being positive, relevant and interesting, you will win and keep more customers.
There will be a storyteller in your business – someone who knows your products and service levels inside out and has the emotional intelligence to talk about them with candour and new depth. You’ll immediately stand out as bolder and much more interesting than any of your competitors. People buy people, so tell the world about the personalities who oil the wheels of your brilliant business.
Don’t try to be clever. Don’t lie. Don’t copy. Write stuff that you’re confident about, write about what you know. And if you stop enjoying the task, then let someone else take over. If you’re not having fun, it will show in every letter, word and full stop.
Professionals call this ‘content marketing’ and ‘brand journalism’ – we prefer to say that we’re telling the truth from a very human perspective. Understand what your customers want and find a good, solid human voice, and you’ll stand the best chance of building fun and sustainable relationships with your staff and your customers in a digital world that can otherwise seem very cold.
