It goes without saying that marketing has gotten harder and harder over the years. We have gone from door-to-door sales people who had 2 precious minutes to capture the attention of their target audience to websites that now have less than 2 seconds to do the same. At the same time consumers have developed highly-tuned “marketing sensors” and are much less tolerant of being marketed to. So, unless you are ok with dismal response rates and mediocre conversions it is time to rethink the use of obvious marketing techniques. If obvious marketing techniques are out, then its time to jump on the content marketing band-wagon to drive results.
This isn’t just another blog about content marketing.
I’m here to tell you that not all free content is created equal. The real winners and losers of content marketing are those who understand that success hinges on how the content is framed and if your frame puts the audience in a positive or negative mindset. Thats right – a consumer’s mindset impacts the efficacy of your free content. There isn’t any grey area here; either they have a positive or negative mindset. A positive mindset (or frame) pre-sells your products. A negative mindset (or frame) doesn’t. Simple as that.
Now its not all doom-and-gloom. Know that there is an ideal frame that, when presented to your audience via your free content will make them want to be associated with you, refer you business, and maybe even buy your products themselves. To be successful, you just need to find that ideal frame – and continually use it in every piece of free content you create.
Before you start trying to develop your own frame i’d recommend you start paying attention to the free content that you consume daily and how you feel about the brands behind them. Do the frames they use make you:
– Want to read more?
– Anxious to get their next update?
– Interested in talking about the ideas they espouse?
– Compelled to talk about them, or refer their products or services to others?
If any of the answers to these questions are “yes”, then you’ve found a brand that has figured out a frame that puts you in a positive mindset when interacting with their free content. I’m not saying its easy, but its a dirty little secret that you now know and can leverage to get real business results. (Just don’t tell anyone else…)
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