Best PracticesDealership Marketing

Crazy Sexy Content Marketing: Get in the Game

J Jade Makana
Posted onMay 4, 2012 at 5:37 PM
Updated onUpdated on Mar 10, 2013 at 6:29 PM

 

Whoever said content doesn’t sell products was seriously disturbed.

Starting now, content marketing has eclipsed traditional sales copy ten to one, and it’s time to get your head in the game if you want your piece of the new revenue pie.

Fact: Modern man rejects push marketing.

Fact: Modern man is so saturated with offers; it’s going to take more than 10% off to inspire sales.

Fact: Modern man has elevated shopping research to an art form.

Welcome to the new marketing game. Education is the new offer. Fans are the new leads. Blog posts are the new ads. 30 tips is the new 30% off. Transparency is the new bait-and-switch. The best expertise is the new lowest price. Review stars are the new dollar signs.

And bombarding your prospect with features and functionality at the first point of contact is like trying to get to third base on a first date: it’s really inappropriate.

Engagement Metrics are for Amateurs

If you are still considering fans, followers and blog comments to be “conversions” it’s time to up your game. Engagement is not an end-goal metric. It’s the tip of the iceberg, the opportunity, the hand in the air.

Similarly, a new Twitter follower is not a return on investment. It’s a lead. And a blog comment is not bottom of the funnel activity. It’s beginning of the funnel activity.

So how are you going to parlay all your awesome engagement efforts into leads and sales? By creating great magnetic content that’s going to push prospects further down the sales funnel.

How do you do this? Easy. Feed their vice.

People who subscribe to blogs, follow Twitter streams, and Facebook pages have revealed one key fact about themselves: they are shameless information junkies. So feed their addiction. If someone read and commented on a blog post, send them a series of videos on that topic, your latest whitepaper, or invite them to a webinar. Don’t leave it at that, however! Content marketing is content PLUS marketing, so don’t forget the second half of the equation. A good rule of thumb is, after a lead has partaken of 3-5 pieces of content on a particular service or product, try to engage them with a next-step marketing offer: a free 30 minute phone consultation, a free trial, or a free gift with purchase. From there you can go about your normal sales process.

And commenting is the new not commenting, so tell me about your own crazy, sexy content marketing efforts below!

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Jade Makana
Jade Makana is the Senior Social Media Analyst at ADP Digital Marketing. Jade specializes in bringing corporate brands to life through emerging media....
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    dealerrefresh
  • May 22, 2012
Jade – love the article and for several reasons. I’ve been saying for years now (when I started DealerRefresh over 6 years ago) that we are in the age of “Content Marketing”.  
 
The creation and sharing of valuable content to attract and convert prospects into customers and customers into repeat a customer is where it’s at! It’s the New Marketing.
 
The days of relaying merely on “interruption” marketing - TV or Radio ad has been out the door for sometime now. Unfortunately all too often, many dealers still rely on this aged practice to drive showroom and service traffic.
 
There are many ways to drive traffic and profit with content marketing: blogging, video, video tutorials, email newsletters, white papers, modern press releases and more...but let’s face it, many people are confused about the concept of content marketing. Our industry isn’t known for great interruption” marketing, how on earth are we going to figure out effective content marketing?  
 
Instead of great content, the push has been social media this and social media that. I’m not against social media BUT the backbone of ANY social media campaign and or marketing is GREAT CONTENT. Yet none of the social media services within our industry (from what I’ve seen) focus on great content as the core of their offering. Great content gives social media life.
 
FACT: the dealership is full of great content but it’s formulating the content for easy consumption that proposes the challenge. Content marketing is a lot of work and takes consistency, another reason why most fail at it.
 
Looking to get a start in content marketing? IMO you start with a solid blog combined with an effective email newsletter strategy.
 
Jade, do you (or anyone reading this) perhaps know of any dealers that have an effective content marketing strategy around a dealer blog and email newsletter?
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    BrianPasch
  • May 22, 2012
Jade
Bravo!  Great article.  I am a strong advocate and practitioner of content marketing and all I can say is that it works!  Now, why don't more people implement a content marketing strategy?  
 
Well, I guess that would create a very lively discussion!  What does the DealerRefresh community have to say about the barriers that prevent consistent, creative, and original content marketing?
 
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Jade - you have a great article here. Articles are really great tool nowadays especially for building relationship and company branding. Digital marketing really rocks now.
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