Establishing a consumer base filled with people who follow and associate with your brand is essential for any company. But what sets the most successful businesses apart is their ability to keep those consumers interested over time, following your brand and ultimately turning them into paying customers.
Retaining a following isn’t easy, and there are many things to consider if you are to do so effectively. Here are just a few things to keep in mind:
An Experience They’ll Remember
Nowadays, the consumer’s expectation of the experience your company will take them on is higher than ever before. No one likes to feel ignored, so maintaining contact with your followers, whether they have become a customer or not, will make sure they remain engaged.
Convincing social proof is one of the biggest factors in influencing consumers to buy your product or service. That means you need to deliver an experience that your followers and customers will want to share positively with others. If you don't, you'll go unheard - or worse, your reputation could be damaged with the details of negative customer experiences.
Offer Consumers Valuable Content
Who doesn’t love getting something for nothing? Well, we know who definitely does — consumers!
They are always on the lookout for valuable information and insight, and when they find it in the shape of free content, it’s not something they forget in a hurry. In fact, when consumers find a company that provides valuable content free of charge, they will return time and time again to find out what else they have to offer.
Regularly delivering valuable content to consumers, most of whom are not existing customers, is how you establish a consumer following and earn your audience.
So, what does valuable content look like? Well, the specific theme of your content will differ depending on the industry you are in. However, the overall aim is no different whether you are an emergency plumber or an accountancy firm: your content needs to be valuable to your consumer following.
You can ensure consumers find value in your work by filling your content with:
- Insights into the industry.
- Advice on common problems.
- Free resources or templates.
- Partial examples of your work.
- Answers to frequently asked questions.
When it comes to defining the specifics of your content, it is beneficial to have a comprehensive understanding of consumers; and most importantly what their problems and challenges are. By helping to resolve their problems — whether through advice, instructions, or resources — your content immediately holds undeniable value.
Consistency Is Key
Without consistency, your content marketing efforts will fail to retain your consumer following. In fact, a lack of consistency has the potential to do the exact opposite, convincing consumers that you are unreliable
The meaning of consistency in your content marketing is two-fold: being consistent in the quality of your content, and being consistent in the publishing of your content.
Every post your company publishes should meet the same high standards as the one preceding it: faultless grammar and spelling, a recognisable and reliable tone of voice, and real consumer value.
When it comes to consistency in publishing, you should establish a sustainable schedule for the release of your content. Whether you choose to publish every two days, every week, every fortnight, or every month, consumers must know exactly when your company is releasing new content.
Achieving consistency across the board is challenging, but doesn’t have to be as painful as you might imagine. The most effective means of ensuring consistency is creating and following an editorial calendar.
Your editorial calendar will be filled with ideas for the topic of your content and also dictate when the content needs to be drafted and released. With this long-term plan in mind, you have enough notice to create quality content without the pressure of looming deadlines, as well as a schedule that leaves no excuses for missing publication dates.
Possessing a loyal consumer following is a great source of power for a business. It is a readymade source of leads that can be carefully nurtured and moved through the sales funnel. Though they may not be customers now, when they need your product or service, yours is the first company they will turn to. Your followers will also often act as advocates for your brand, recommending you to others, which results in the natural growth of your following.
At Prize Content, we know just how important a consumer following can be to a business, and how quality, useful content is key to maintaining and building that following. We excel in determining the best way for our clients to retain a following by understanding consumers’ challenges before producing content that they find useful and valuable.
If you’d like to discuss how Prize can help you retain your consumer following, we’d love to help, so contact our team today.
