Dialogue Marketing
(February 23, 2008)


We're all familiar with the adage applied in academic circles, Publish or Perish, right? Academia is all about passing on information to the audience (student). Today's knowledge driven service businesses are pretty much in the same situation - they need to pass on their expert knowledge to their clients. So todays business promotion needs to include a heavy dose of publishing.

Now most businesses don't make money by spending 20 - 30% of their time publishing brochures and newsletters. They need to spend their time conveying their expertise directly to paying clients. However, how do they convince new clients to come on board or even upsell their current clients if they don't let these folks know that they have more to offer?

A dialogue, that's how.

When attending a networking event a "knowledged-based" service provided does her best to show that she knows what she's talking about. She opens up the discussion enough to let the people that she's meeting realize that there is so much more to her topic of expertise than they ever knew. With the right pitch and a receptive ear, she'll get a new client or two.

The basic premise can also be applied to only marketing. Opening up a dialogue or conversation with potentional clients and demonstrating to them that you know what your talking about, that there is in fact so much more to the issue than they were even aware of is the way to go. But yes, when it comes to the internet it means that you'll have to put some effort into the publishing part. Yes, write the articles and engage in conversations with others out there who are concerned with the issue in which you're an expert.

Just posting pages of dry white papers and articles on your topic is just not going to cut it; you'll be lost like a white sheet of paper in a snow drift. You have to come at this sort of publishing with a willingness to express your personality in the same manner as you would in a room full of people. Just as your brand shows in your marketing material, your personality - or brand - needs to show through in a more human manner on the web. You need to be engaging and open, demonstrate a desire to get into a more in-depth conversation. Ask a question, write in a manner that will incite the reader (user) to give you feedback... yes, even if it's not exactly what you want to hear.

Say something and ask others how they feel about it. Ask them if they have issues you help with.Let them know that someone is there, listening and willing to respond with the best answer for them...a personal answer to them. A real dialogue can easily lead to you discovering a need that you can address as well.

This is my argument for blogging. What do you think? We know what she thinks.

 

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