Tighter Relationships

What People Actually Want to Avoid (It’s Not Marketing and Selling)

A repost from copyblogger.com, original content by Stephanie Flaxman.

Have you ever stopped paying attention to content when a publisher stepped up their marketing game?

I know I have.

I’ll turn off a YouTube video faster than I can eat a vegan cinnamon roll once I learn it’s sponsored by a product I will never buy. And if there are consistent videos for products I don’t want to hear about, I might even stop watching the channel.

Liking the free content on a platform is no guarantee that you’re going to like what the publisher sells.

That’s okay; no one is to blame here. The content creator didn’t make a mistake and the audience member has every right to lose interest.

But there is an eye-opening lesson for anyone afraid of marketing or selling more aggressively.

“Fewer People. Tighter Relationships.”

“We don’t write much about creating content to generate massive anonymous traffic. We write about creating content to support a business with an engaged audience. Fewer people, tighter relationships.” – Sonia Simone, Chief Content Officer: Copyblogger

I think unsubscribes are the best.

Someone who unsubscribes from your content is simply not interested in what you offer. People avoid information that is irrelevant to them; they don’t leave because you’re marketing to them.

It’s great to hear about something that fits your wants or needs. That’s marketing. Whether it’s through content or word of mouth.

If a sponsored YouTube video is about a product that might help me, I’ll definitely keep watching.

But a product that fits my needs might make someone else stop watching or unsubscribe.

That’s why I wrote above that no one’s to blame. However, content creators can always work on building more focused audiences of interested prospects.

Of course every subscriber isn’t going to buy from you, but if a large portion of your “prospects” enjoy content you create that has nothing to do with what you sell … when it comes time to sell, you’ll be disappointed with your results.

Please Interested Prospects

If you build a list of interested prospects, you can ditch your fear of selling for good.

You hook people who are good matches for your products or services.

Even if someone isn’t ready to buy yet, you have the opportunity to educate them about what they need to know to do business with you.

Serve those people, rather than creating content for “everyone,” and forget about those who don’t stick around.

People who don’t like your content don’t stop you from succeeding; they were never a part of your success in the first place.

“Serve those people… forget about those who don’t stick around.”