I was in the doctor's office last week for a routine checkup. As I entered, the nurse escorted me to the patient room where I waited for the doctor. On the desk in the office sat a computer monitor that was streaming what looked to be a PowerPoint show.
There were about 10 rotating messages targeted to me, the patient. One talked about checkups for colon cancer, another about weight issues, and another one was about moles (fun!). I learned a lot and paid attention. The one slide on adult shots motivated me to ask the doctor a question, which resulted in me actually buying an additional shot...one that I would not have bought without the computer show.
The health care industry always been a trend setter when it comes to educating customers and prospects. They are in the business of healing and education. Most hospitals either have their own newsletter/magazine, or carry the WebMD magazine. Now they are doing it again by using a computer (which has to be there for the doctors/nurses) and leveraging it to educate customers (and upsell).
Here's the point: You are also in the business of education. It is your responsibility to educate your customers and prospects about not only your products, but about the industry and key issues that surround your product. By doing so on a consistent basis, with relevant and valuable content, you will sell more to these people.
And here's your task: Find the places where your customers and prospects are, and take advantage of these locations by delivering timely and relevant information. This could be:
- On your invoices (tip or white paper download information).
- At your register/counter (placards, signage, additional tips, magazines, newsletters, monitors).
- On your website. We talk about this all the time, but most marketers still only use their website to showcase the company and its products. Carve out a portion of your site to educate and inform your customers about things important to them. Do this right, and they will come to rely on you for this kind of information.
- At trade shows (pass out industry reports, white papers, etc.).
- On sales appointments (magazine, tip sheet, industry report, economic report, microsite to send prospects to, etc.).
These are just a few. The point is to think of all ways in which customers come in contact with you and leverage those opportunities to help educate and engage them. Most companies lose educational opportunities through many different touch points. Make sure that you aren't one of those companies by making a list of those touch points and deliver content marketing to them along the way.
To subscribe to more quality content like this post get the RSS feed to this blog!
Comments