Ten years ago, it was enough to simply ask people if you could add them to a newsletter or to try out a product. That was before we were bombarded with marketing from all angles. That was before our attention became personally prized and guarded. We don’t freely give our attention away, and we only have so much of it. The marketing gimmicks which were designed to interrupt us have become annoying spam that gets pushed out of our peripheral view today.
The reality is that interaction is much more effective than interruption. If your strategy is solely to interrupt otherwise busy and inattentive people, then such selling will only create resistance. Buyers are able to tune you out. However, they are still buying. It is just with your competition who does the hard work. They would prefer to interact and experience an engaging and cohesive process with whomever understands that marketing is the total experience, not just the interruption which old school advertisers have become so adept at.
The lazy organization will not do the hard work which is required to connect and interact. An interaction strategy meets people on a more human level and can create a pipeline of opportunities.
Substance Not Gimmicks
We have been celebrating the algorithm changes that Google has put in place multiple times in the last year. Google is telling the world that SEO tricks, gimmicks and information that is designed for machines, not humans, will be ignored. It has created upheaval for companies that gamed the system. Their party is over.
The focus today is on substance from truly valuable and meaningful content that helps people. This is rewarded, and the continued adjustments around this value is playing out. A recent article at Copyblogger is a microcosm of what is happening across the internet. They tell the story of how a high ranking page which provided extreme value got bumped temporarily in search rankings. Over time, their competition faded from their inadvertent keyword planting. Substance prevailed over gimmicks and now makes their position robust.
Content that positions, educates and brings thought leadership creates interaction with buyers that are looking for help. It gives people what they want. It builds a connection and a bridge with strangers. The frontier is changing and has been settled by sensible frameworks for the smart marketer who is willing to work hard to build value, trust and real estate with the world.
Instead of flitting and tiring out the gimmicks, how about building something that will last and make an impact?
What could your interaction process look like to engage new prospects?
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