Are you a follower of the flywheel framework of inbound marketing? If so, you probably spend some significant time thinking about Promoters—how to get them, and most importantly, how to keep them.
Promoters are the brand advocates who stand up to tell the world about your brand and solution.
When they were mere Customers (just kidding, the Customer is plenty mighty!), you went above and beyond to Delight them with experiences they could never get from the competition. After promotion, they’re your champions, your tireless recruiters, and your biggest fans!
It takes careful, hard work to convert Customers into Promoters. After all, you’re hoping that this Customer will be so over-the-moon about their experience that they won’t want to stop talking about it.
We’re talking about life-changing value that makes their day-to-day easier or better. That’s what it takes to score a Promoter.
That life-changing value comes in the form of carefully planned content that rewards those who stick around with:
Your content strategy is perhaps the most important part of maintaining Promoter relationships. Most of the value you provide them is in the form of various types of content—but it’s important to know the right content for this flywheel stage. Now, you’re no longer Attracting or Engaging; the stakes are even higher as you aim to Delight.
The flywheel is a marketing framework that HubSpot developed in response to its desire to deliver better customer experiences.
In fact, the flywheel model is completely aligned around building exceptional experiences for customers. It’s based on the real-world flywheel, a device that stores kinetic energy as long as it continues spinning. When it loses momentum or hits friction, the energy is lost, and the wheel stops moving.
Promoters are the kinetic energy that fuels the flywheel.
You generate that energy by creating Delight—the enthusiasm and momentum that Promoters use to Attract Strangers when they talk about your brand.
It’s also Delight that you use to convert Customers to Promoters and keep Promoters chatting about your brand.
Delight happens when you present Customers or Promoters with experiences that truly go above and beyond.
Those experiences begin with the right content strategy. You see, all the experiences you provide your Promoters begin with the perfect content delivered at the right time.
Here’s a 6-step strategy you can use to create content that delights every time.
Frictionless experiences start with recognizing what brings Promoters value. The types of content that Delight Promoters include:
Interactive experiences are inherently personalized, and that’s part of what generates Delight.
Over 40% of consumers prefer interactive content because of the control it gives them over what to view and when to view it!
Those experiences can include:
Promoters want to know that they’re receiving value made just for them. Their time is valuable, so don’t waste it on generic content that gives the same answers they’ve seen 100 times already.
When you’re generating content ideas, every word should revolve around:
Promoters love exclusivity. It creates a sense that they’re a part of your brand family, or that they know something that no one else does.
Exclusive content is any kind of gated content that can include:
Your Promoters want to know that you appreciate them as a critical part of growing your brand family. That’s why they respond so well to loyalty incentives, even ones as simple as a “thank you” email now and then.
Promoters love loyalty content that includes:
How will you know that you’re truly hitting the mark for your Promoters without hearing them out?
While you’re tirelessly sending out email campaigns and strategizing gated content, take the time to ask for your Promoters’ opinions and thoughts.
Do they feel valued and important to your brand? Do they feel like it’s a two-way relationship with mutual benefit? If they don’t, what can you do to change it?
Last but definitely not least, great storytelling is a Promoter’s biggest desire. They want to know that you have walked their path, and the only way you can assure them is by telling their story in your own words.
Any strategy to retain Promoters must have authentic storytelling as the most important tenet. There’s a tale behind every business problem, every “I wish I could ask the experts,” and every success story that Promoters find with your solution.
Storytelling in content marketing is a skill. If you’re not up to snuff on it, we don’t recommend that you buy a Coursera course and try to learn right this second. (That takes time, and Promoters appreciate it when you work fast.)
Instead, leave it to the experts. The storytellers at ContentBacon know what makes Promoters tick, and we’ll create a strategic content plan that keeps the flywheel turning as long as there are Strangers in the world to Attract!
Contact us today to schedule a free discovery call and learn how we can retain Promoters with authentic storytelling!