Picture the evening: You’re out for the first time. Your date seems a little reserved. You pass over a few questions to warm things up. Nothing. You try every topic imaginable — sports, politics, celebrity gossip. It’s like pulling teeth.
This is just one of the traits businesses emulate in their marketing. We call this the Silent Type of marketer. Unlike the All About Me Type, this marketer wears leads down by being too reserved, acting cagey or by disappearing for long periods of time.
Let’s dive deeper and explore how marketers can avoid becoming like the Silent Type.
1. You don’t talk enough
Some dates jabber on and on. But the Silent Type let’s the conversation linger in laborious quiet. This type might ask for a date, then let you do all the talking.
Marketers make the same mistake: initiate contact, get the lead to opt-in, then leave them to find information on their own. Be conversational. Ask questions of the buyer. Get to know them.
Don’t brag like the All About Me type, but offer education. Demonstrate your expertise with wise eBooks and blogs. Ask leads to join your social communities so you can pose questions. If they devour your content, hand over the analyst reports on your industry so they have third-party opinions. No need to be intrusive, but make sure your interest in their business is expressed.
2. You seem a little cagey
Been on this date before? It goes well enough until you ask a seemingly innocuous question (“Where did you grow up?” or “What do you do for a living?”) and get a hesitant non-answer. By the end of the evening, you’re pretty sure your date is either in witness protection or hunts down people in witness protection.
Businesses can be cagey too. The antidote: transparency. Don’t avoid the hard questions. In fact, embrace them.
Gather your content team together, get in front of the whiteboard, and catalogue the toughest questions a buyer could ask. Build content around these questions with simple, straightforward answers and give leads unfettered access. Buyers only want a relationship with people they trust.
3. You disappear for long stretches of time
The date goes well. You both laugh, flirt, and swap stories. Your date agrees there’s a definite connection and to call you. Days go by. No word.
It’s an infuriating scenario in life and in marketing. A lead downloads an eBook or whitepaper. The company sends out a thank you email and…that’s it. Maybe a few months later they follow up by sending a video or infographic to all those “dormant” leads. The company reengages then dark again. So the lead seeks a little love elsewhere.
There’s no easy fix. For one, you need to ensure your lead nurturing is current and active; your data clean. If a lead engages with any specific piece of content, you should always suggest the most logical and relevant next step. If a lead isn’t quick to digest that next piece of content, follow up with another suggestion. Don’t be pesky, but do be persistent.