In Business, ‘Chatty’ Is a Good Thing How to Cash In on Conversational Marketing Way back in 1890, the psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud did something unprecedented: He offered one of his patients a seat on a couch. It was a funny-looking piece of furniture draped in colorful rugs and cushions. But it ended up making history. Freud put the couch to work for a brand-new technique called “talk therapy.” The idea was that patients would come into his office, recline on the couch, and talk through their problems. Sometimes they cried and sometimes they screamed! But they always got their worries and fears across. In fact, it was so effective at improving well-being that we still use it today — not only in therapy, but also in marketing. The sales version of talk therapy is “conversational marketing,” and it involves literally talking a lead through the buying journey until they convert to a client. This sounds pretty simple — after all, isn’t talking what salespeople already do? But a few things set conversational marketing apart from regular old sales calls. What makes conversational marketing different? As the software company Giosg puts it, “Conversational marketing is a customer-centric and dialogue-driven approach to marketing” that’s “based on one-to-one interactions in real time across multiple channels.” In other words, your team needs to do more than send a few emails. To truly engage in conversational marketing, you have to include features like round-the-clock chatbots and messaging apps for instant communication with your team during the buying process. The more customized and personal these conversations are, the better.
Is Your Content Ridiculously Good? If Not, Then Read ‘Everybody Writes’
T oday, your writing matters way more than ever — not less. It’s true that clickbait headlines, Twitter tweets, and TikTok captions seem to minimize the value of high-quality writing. But for Ann Handley, the author of “Everybody Writes: Your Go-To Guide to Creating Ridiculously Good Content,” if you have a website, you’re a publisher. If you’re on social media, you’re in marketing. That means you’re often relying on your own words to carry out your marketing messages — in other words, you’re a writer, and that’s worth taking seriously. Because Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, and Twitter dominate our cultural and social circles, writing isn’t just a formal occasion anymore. It’s a part of everyday life. We write to express who we are to our friends, family, peers, and employees — and that’s exactly why writing is so crucial to an excellent, memorable brand. As Handley puts it, “Our online words are our emissaries; they tell our customers who we are.” Handley’s advice isn’t just good. It’s useful and actionable, leaping from the page into your daily writing habits. Ask any content writer on LinkedIn and beyond — “Everybody Writes” is an industry- wide favorite. In her eyes, “Writing can make us look smart or it can make us look stupid. It can make us seem fun, or warm, or competent, or trustworthy. But it can also make us seem humdrum or discombobulated or flat-out boring.” It doesn’t matter if you’re writing for an email campaign or an Amazon product description. How do you avoid seeming boring? How do you ensure your “fun” doesn’t interrupt what’s useful and helpful for your customers? Handley’s book is full of tips directed at those burning questions, for beginner and veteran writers alike. For example, one of her big tips in the book includes developing empathy for your customers: spend time with them, understand
March Madness Competitions Boost Client Relationships, Staff Morale It’s possible you’ve read somewhere that March Madness may contribute to a drop in productivity in the office. But, let’s face it: Productivity is on the decline every day. Dumping extra energy into trying to ban office pools and the mention of March Madness all together may not be the best way to approach it. With effective management and employee accountability, work can still get done while allowing employees to have some fun here and there. Embracing March Madness can actually boost morale and expand upon relationships both among your staff and with your clients. Here’s how. Happy Employees, Happy Customers When your employees have a positive mindset, your clients are more likely to feel that energy. Have you ever been to a Chick-fil-A? Their service is impeccable, and that’s because they’re doing it right — they invest in their employees to keep them happy. Adding some fun and flair to the work environment every now and then offers a fulfilling
their environment, ask a lot of questions, share their stories, and use “we” or “you.” Make your customers part of your life, and they might make you part of theirs. Writing is one of the most crucial skills you can improve in 2022. If you’re ready to take the next step toward marketing success, we highly recommend reading Ann Handley’s “Everybody Writes: Your Go-To Guide to Creating Ridiculously Good Content.”
experience for your team to thrive. Increased Camaraderie
March Madness tournaments offer a chance for employees to engage with each other, and when people interact on common interests, better relationships are built across the board. Plus, it also offers management a topic or two to discuss with their employees to get to know them better. Prevent Burnout Especially over the past few years, stress at home and in the workplace is high! A well-deserved break from the hustle and bustle of the day-to-day office madness in exchange for some March Madness fun can’t hurt! A break from the pressure can help to ease the burden of those long task lists on everyone’s desk. We all need a way to connect, and the staff bonding that results from some March Madness fun is second to none. Instead of worrying about productivity this year, embrace fun and watch the benefits unfold before you.
But why would you go to all of the effort? Through conversation, your team can gather information on your leads’ needs and pain points — just like Freud did from patients on his couch. You can also collect feedback on your products, services, and processes. This nuanced understanding will help you serve your leads better, converting them to clients more quickly and
moving them easily from point to point in your sales funnel. (The speed gets unreal when you introduce 24/7 chatbots into the mix!) Conversational marketing can also improve the quality of your leads. Conversation is a two-way street, so the more you learn about your
“I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” – Philippians 4:13 ESV
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