Closing the Gap through the power of human connection
What’s already happening inside your business that could be meaningful to your audience?
I’ll start with a question about your marketing as a whole… are you building connection or are you just broadcasting?
The very definition of connection is ‘a relationship between two things, people or groups’.
So it’s a 2 way thing. For challenger brands this is a big deal and potentially a concept missing from the brand storytelling that could really distinguish your presence.
The Gap…
I’ve seen this situation a lot. Especially when it comes to social media. There’s this gap that appears. A disconnection. Between the business and the very people it serves. Very fixable.
Looking from the outside at a lot of business social channels, my perception is that it’s treated as a bit of a tick-box exercise without real consideration of budget, resource and strategy.
There is also likely a gap between a business simply being visible and actually being connected to its audience. So essentially what your communications look like now and what they could look like with a bit of strategic magic. So let’s talk about it…
The Challenge…
Is any of your marketing activity, for example social media, often treated as a tick-box exercise?
Is authentically connecting with the audience a priority?
Do your campaigns create connection, engagement and ultimately commercial opportunity?
Building Brand Energy…
A good place to start is to build brand energy and include your people as part of your marketing.
Use the energy, personality, knowledge and people already inside the business to make the brand feel more alive.
Relevancy is key…
But it can’t just be about what the business wants to say.
It has to be relevant to the audience.
What will they find interesting? What will be useful? What will make them stop, think, feel something or want to join the conversation?
That’s where the connection happens.
No more hiding behind the brand. Actually show up. Be proud of your culture. Be proud of your people.
I’ll be honest here and say I’ve also seen the opposite where this doesn’t happen. A faceless presence where none of this happens. I can tell you which business I’d prefer to deal with.
Some ideas…
Leverage the personal brands of people in your business
Build strong founder-led content strategies
Create content that moves people through a journey… from personal content, experiences, thought leadership, strategy breakdowns, objection handling and mindset reframing
Use reviews, testimonials and case studies with a clear signal to convert
Show the team, the culture and what actually happens behind the scenes
Show the founder. Show the team. Show the expertise. Show the process. Show the personality. Show the opinions. Show what happens behind the scenes.
Because if you want real engagement and connection, you’ve got to show up as a business that actually cares about these things.
Have opinions. Be vulnerable. Tell stories. Speak to your audience and gauge their opinion. Have conversations. Give people something worth talking about. Build relationships. Create visibility. Create commercial opportunities.
Some questions…
What do our people know?
What do they believe?
What are they seeing?
What conversations should they be part of?
Who should be having those conversations?
Building Connection
Next, think about how to turn that into communications that actually build relationships. Each channel has a purpose. LinkedIn might build relationships and authority. The website might convert interest. Email might nurture. PR might create credibility. Events might create deeper relationships. They all need to work together strategically.
There’s probably far more marketing gold sitting inside your business than you realise.
Where to start…
Build relationships. Create visibility. Create commercial opportunities.
Strategic Takeaway…
What’s already happening inside your business that could be meaningful to your audience?
So now I’ll end this where I started with something to think about…
Are you building connection or are you just broadcasting?
Here to help if this is something you want to build into your strategy…