At a time where social media and marketing have become the norm, it is imperative to remember that marketing requires conversation. Marketing may be many things — but it’s always about listening and talking! Conversation can take place online through blogging or on other platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram etc. It could also happen face-to-face in person with potential customers at events like trade shows or conferences; by phone; by snail mail (yes!), including letters and postcards; via email campaigns (where you don’t need an HTML template). Whatever your preference for communication may be — there’s no wrong way to go about communicating with your audience if you’re trying to sell products/services.
So, what does it mean to have a conversation in marketing?
People love to be heard. They enjoy the feeling of being understood.
When we listen to them, we build trust and a bond that is important in any type of business relationship. If we want to sell products/services, we need to take the time to listen and understand people’s needs — not only as consumers but also as human beings!
It means that we need to take the time to listen to what our audience has to say. It means asking questions (and not just about their preferences for products/services but about their likes and dislikes) so that we know what will interest them, what will make them want to buy from us and how we can better serve their needs. It means paying attention to what they respond to, what they like and don’t like about our products/services, and making adjustments accordingly.
However, conversation is not just about listening
It is also about talking!
As important as it is to listen to people, it’s just as important to have the confidence in ourselves and our products/services that we can talk about them in a way that will encourage people to buy. We need to be able to explain our products/services so that people not only understand what they are but how they can benefit them.
Listening and talking are two parts of the same coin — both equally important for the success of marketing relationships. A new way to look at content is this: it should be a two-way street. You can’t have dead end or dry, boring text that just doesn’t cut it anymore. The idea is that you must consider what makes for compelling conversations and deliver your information in an engaging manner with active social media channels involved all while respecting the general guidelines of copyright laws on the internet.
It’s one of the most basic human needs. We all need to hear a voice in order to feel connected and alive. Connection is a key element when it comes to marketing, but in order for marketers’ messages connect with audiences, they must be able to speak from their own experience — which can only happen through conversation! Conversation leads us down paths we never knew existed until that very moment when words are exchanged between two people who think deeply about what could or should come next.
This is a stark contrast to the days where personalization was carried out through surveys and questionnaires. Nowadays, marketers are looking for different ways of understanding their customers by using data such as social media or search engine history. Marketers now have more tools at their disposal which could potentially yield better results than old-fashioned methods like running focus groups and surveys (and having respondents fill in long forms).
Having conversations with yours audience, makes things more personal and engaging making it easier for them to communicate with you, which can lead to increased conversion rates, higher customer satisfaction levels, better product recommendations based on their needs, and decreased churn rate.
The importance of conversation cannot be understated. Conversations are an experience that people can’t get enough of or avoid — there will always be conversations between you and your friends, strangers on the street, acquaintances at work, etc. A great marketer needs to acknowledge the important of having conversations if they want to stay competitive today.
Comments