Why your business should go beyond merely selling

Selling, selling, selling isn’t always the end all be all of any business. Your aggressive tactics of self-promotion yesterday might not work today and tomorrow. And let’s face it, blatant self-promotion can be a major turn off for some people. Consumers are smart and their tastes change from time to time.

As a business, you also need to think about what value you can provide to your target customers to keep loyal ones and let new ones emerge. There’s more to a business than selling. It’s also about building your brand and providing value to your target customers.

Here’s what you need to keep in mind.

Visual influencers are on the rise

The way consumers absorb and seek information is also changing. The norm used to be mostly text-heavy content and information. Why rely on plain old text and annoying promotional messages when you can make your content more exciting with attention-grabbing formats like images, infographics, videos, webinars, podcasts, interactive pages?

Today, businesses, brands, and bloggers are also relying on visual content to reach their target audience. Hence, the rise of the visual influencers. The increase of photo sharing slash social networking sites like Instagram and messaging apps like Snapchat and WhatsApp recently joined the playing field, competing for the top spot as the main channel for consumers to share personable moments. Photo pin boarding and sharing site, Pinterest is also a close contender.

Consumers are becoming smarter and more practical

According to the 2013 Digital Marketing Report by Technorati, 81 percent of consumers are influenced by their friends posts on social media when deciding to make a purchase. Also, 31 percent of Internet purchases are influenced by blogs. Consumers want to be practical more than ever, and they want to be sure. That’s why a significant portion do their own research prior to purchasing products or services online. Their research typically leads them to a respectable blog and e-commerce reviews, which have fast become trusted sources for product information and recommendations. These sources do not just rely on text to influence readers, they also utilize visuals like photos, step-by-step illustrations, videos, audio and even tutorials to get their point across.

Re-emergence of content as king

For brands and businesses to remain successful with consumers, they have to continuously produce engaging content that keeps them connected with their customers. What keeps consumers coming back for more is a compelling story. These can be genuine first-person accounts related to a specific product or service that people can relate with. It’s also important to note that consumers generally tend to favor accounts and information that come from reliable, independent third-party sources, over those that come directly from the brands themselves.

Positivity and targeting customer needs

It’s not just about your business or brand anymore, it’s also about your customers. Instead of spamming them with self-promotional posts, get to know what they want, and give them that. Every content you put out must impact a positive sentiment in them or matches their interests and wants.

SOCIAL INFLUENCERS INFOGRAPHIC

Infographic source: MBA in Marketing Degree Guide