Digital marketing content can help face-to-face meetings go a lot smoother. As a business leader, it can make it easier to set up the meeting, so you have a chance of having a face-to-face conversation, which will (hopefully) lead to a deal.
In this post, I’ll dive into the value of in-person meetings, the gap COVID-19 exposed in some small companies’ strategy and discuss how content helps when you meet with potential clients.
The best form of communication
A commonly held belief is that the best form of communication is face-to-face (in-person). This is true for one simple reason: It’s the way humans were meant to communicate.
Our brains are hard-wired for face-to-face communication. The body signals, facial expressions, and subtle nuances of meeting with someone in-person all work to provide the optimal communication experience.
While we know there are many benefits to meeting virtually, it’s very difficult to read the room when you’re not in the room. And especially for very weighty conversations, it can be difficult to pick up on the communicative signals people are putting out.
What COVID taught us about digital marketing content
COVID-19 taught us that face-to-face, in-person meetings aren’t always possible. As a result, it exposed what many small business owners know to be true—people should be able to start a relationship with your brand online.
Some brands had content on their site that hadn’t changed in years. They had no content on their company’s Facebook page, and they had outdated LinkedIn profiles.
Their reasoning was that they didn’t need much of a web presence. Why would they, if all their sales came from face-to-face meetings?
But then no one could meet face-to-face. And that lasted for months.
This exacerbated what had been going on for years—people were going online to start a relationship with brands.
So, to kickstart those relationships, businesses need to have content. And plenty of it.
Content helps initiate face-to-face meetings
Why is content helpful? In this section, I’ll answer this question using two scenarios.
Scenario 1
You find two sites for two different brands who each claim to solve a problem you have.
You go to one brand’s site and they clearly state what problem they solve, how to work with them, and what success will look like when you use their product or service. It also has blog content with useful tips for solving problems related to the one you have. In short, this site provides value.
You go to the other brand’s site and find nothing but the history of the company.
Who are you more likely to buy from? I’m guessing it’s the first brand.
People are more likely to buy from brands who add value to their lives for free.
If your content explains how your product or service can help them, they’ll likely be more inclined to meet with you. Side note: This is when a lead capturing tool can come in handy.
But what if you don’t have access to a lead capturing tool to see who has been visiting your site? Let’s take a look at another scenario.
Scenario 2
You recently met a potential customer at a networking event and gave them your business card.
Now suppose that person visits your site.
If they find content that does all the stuff mentioned in the previous scenario (i.e., provides value), they may be more willing to meet with you when you follow up with them.
Digital content doesn’t replace face-to-face meetings
Will a great blog post cause potential customers to email you asking if they can become your customer? Probably not. Your sales are still likely to come from face-to-face meetings.
The purpose of content is to help give you an edge over your competition when you eventually get to sit down with a potential customer, face-to-face.
Because if a potential customer knows how you can add value to them even before they meet with you, you’ll have a much easier time closing the sale.
Here’s the key takeaway: Digital content doesn’t replace face-to-face meetings—it assists them.