Welcome to the era of generous marketing

When was the last time you spend more than three seconds on a cold call from an insurance company? Pitches without context don’t work anymore. Nobody has time for them. In fact, nobody speaks that much on the phone anymore, not even to their closest friends!

What they do though is to look for answers and solutions on Google and social media networks. This is where the generosity of a brand’s content marketing strategy plays a role. Is your strategy generous enough to give people what they need? Answers, ideas, entertainment – that’s what makes people like brands now.

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Why generosity words

Generosity ensures that your target audience thinks of you as a useful resource and thereby trusts you more. It positions your message strongly and enables conversation without any forgettable hard-sell technique. It also makes you memorable. The next time a conversation about your industry comes up, your prospects will remember you more than a competitor who focused on hard-sell instead of generosity

So now the question is, how do you do it right?

It’s about them, not you

Most brands start off by creating content about themselves. A good content marketing strategy answers only one question – what do your target customers want? Give them that.

Giving is not limited to ‘useful’ resources. It can be a feel-good video that breaks the monotony of daily commutes. It can be inspirational stories of people your customers aspire to be. It could be a podcast they can use to plan their next trip, or a webinar that makes them better at their job.

Once your customers believe that you have their interests at heart, they will gravitate towards you and your message.

Don’t spoon feed

New age customers like to do their own research, find their own answers, and solve their own problems. Help them find answers and resolve pain points even if it doesn’t have a lot to do with your product or service.

A nudge in the right direction can earn you a loyal customer. And that effort is always worth your while.

Behaviours, especially those of brands, are revealed at the speed of light among digital natives. According to Eddie Yoon in HBR, “If Twitter is the TMZ for corporate behavior — good and bad — might generosity be the only viable choice in a digitally connected world?”

That is food for thought for brands that want to thrive in the new era of instant gratification and quick judgments.