BOSHspeaks-Content that Transforms-4 Ways to Morph
Morphing is more commonly known as that special effect used in film making and animation that changes (or morphs) one image into another with a seamless transition.
In message marketing online, morphing is a goal. You can help people transform through various stages to become a customer, client, fan or advocate when you cleverly craft your messages to intersect with technology.
Morphing is necessary in order to build your business and can begin at your website, blog or social networking site.
Transformation success is more attainable when you know your visitors.
Align your content strategy and messages to help guide and manage this process.
Contact to Customer
Not everyone you come in contact with will become a customer.
A contact is someone you may have met through an introduction, either in person or online. You won’t necessarily see the potential in everyone, as a customer, but in order to determine if they do have potential, you must identify your ideal customer and recognize if there is a fit with your service or product.
A customer is an individual, or perhaps another business, that purchases goods or services from you. The customer is the most important person in any business. We depend on them for our success and, let’s face it, without any customers you don’t have a viable enterprise.
A customer will recognize that you are able to solve a particular problem for them, provide a solution or give them a desired result. If a contact has the potential to become a customer, they should be nurtured and convinced via your sales process.
Learn how to define your customer first, before marketing.
Prospect to Client
An existing customer—someone who has already purchased your service or product—is no longer classified as a prospect (n), however, they may very well help to prospect (v), more leads for you.
The terms ‘lead’ and ‘prospect’ are often incorrectly used interchangeably. A lead is someone who may have indicated interest. A prospect is anyone that you—the seller of the service or product—define as likely to purchase. The prospect, typically, has not yet demonstrated any interest in purchasing a particular service or product.
An ideal prospect is someone you see as having the potential to become a paying client. (Read more at Marketing Profs…)
Conversely, client is another term used for customer, usually to indicate an on-going relationship. Once the transition takes place—from prospect to client—the relationship evolves over time as your value is recognized.
Your content strategy should target your messages uniquely for each prospect versus client.
Follower to Fan
A follower is an adherent or devotee of a particular person, cause or activity—one who moves or travels behind—following. But this does not necessarily mean that they are a fan.
Don’t be fooled by the number of followers on any given social channel.
Followers may include those who lurk, including stalkers or perhaps an ex-lover—not necessarily one who receives your message with your goal in mind. They may very well have determined their own reasons for wanting to follow you.
A fan, on the other hand, is a person who has an interest or liking towards something or somebody.
A variety of quality content with powerful messaging can transform a follower to a fan, either in an instant or over a period of time.
A good content strategy provides consistency and opportunity to your followers and will help them throughout the transition, to become faithful fans. I’m sure you’ve heard the phrase, “quality versus quantity” which definitely applies here.
Audience to Advocate
Those who read, watch or listen to you define your audience.
When you begin to craft your message, you are likely going to first determine a topic of interest. Once you have your topic, you need to consider who will be receiving your message.
Define your target audience first.
If you can do this—really learn and know everything that you can about your audience, then you are more likely to craft your message to match their needs. When they recognize that you can meet their needs, a conversion can begin. Your words and wisdom will then help to transform them in to an advocate.
An advocate will support and defend your position, product or brand. And in business today, brand advocates have real and true value.
More than ever before, you need more advocates, not more followers.
Social media channels provide the opportunity for your advocates to speak to each other, share ideas and provide feedback, while helping to build your online presence.
The more advocates you have, the more conversations online, resulting in better penetration of your message.
Knowing your target helps you to develop content that transforms. You must then, further define a purpose and craft each of your messages to achieve your desired result.
What result do you want from your content?
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