Give Them A Reason

Have you ever been ghosted?

For any of you lost on the term “ghosted,” you’re not alone. My teenage nieces and nephews clued me in a few years ago that being ghosted means that someone stops communicating with you, went dark on you, radio silent, vanished, eaten by an alligator. Additional note for those curious: The term originated in the early 2000s and was only recently (in 2015) added to the Collins English Dictionary.

I’ve been ghosted in business countless times and thankfully with experience, and a healthy dose of maturity, I don’t take it personally anymore.

Let’s be honest though: The slightest sting of rejection hurts just a little, doesn’t it? From not getting the job or new deal to not getting the call back. We’ve all been there. While we cannot always control it, I do believe we can influence it. If not the first time, then the second time when we’re given an opportunity to learn from it, we pivot with a new approach and we grow through having the courage to take action.

So, you must begin with an important business question: Who do you want to attract?

If you want to attract more prospective clients, you have to answer that simple question. Who are they?

Business owners, leaders, sales professionals, young professionals, technical and analytical professionals, executives...The list goes on.

When you determine who you want to attract, you must answer this next question: What are they challenged with professionally and personally?

Note: The personal obstacles are as important as the professional; if there’s one thing we’ve learned from the global pandemic, now more than ever before, it is that those two worlds collide every single day. Period.

Time management, leading well, work-life harmony, scouting top talent, staying relevant, effective prospecting, improving mindset and overall well-being...This list goes on too.

I was inspired to write this article for you after reading this post, “Why Your Marketing Must Be Centered on Content Going Forward.” I want to help you attract more of the right people through the content you promote on your LinkedIn profile and your company page.

To attract your target audience, you must give them a reason to follow you.

The content you produce should make your ideal reader’s life better. The content you post should be relevant (to them, to the times and to your offerings). It should be consumable and actionable (even if action means contemplating an idea you shared).

Your content should be a mix of authored by you and curated by third parties.

Your content should be a healthy blend:

• Feel-good value that is inspirational and thought-provoking (add a personal touch with your experience)

• Quickly consumable (think tips and how-tos)

• Educational and informative (keep it simple, smarty for your non-expert readers)

• Promotional (yes, it’s okay to tell your network once in a while what you do/offer)

Sometimes the content we share on our McMillion Consulting company page that gets the most engagement (defined as comments, shares and reactions), is not written by us. We thoughtfully curate content that speaks to the audience we want to attract. We put our target audience first. Always.  

If you’re wondering why you don’t have any company page followers, it’s likely because you’re not giving them a reason to follow you.

Every month (not just December) is an important month to reflect on what you and your team have done that works and doesn’t work to attract your ideal audience.

My challenge to you is this: Assess the content you are posting on your page and on your individual LinkedIn accounts. Work through these questions as you self-audit:

• Is it speaking to my target audience?

• Is it addressing their professional and personal challenges?

• Is it a mix of content written by me/our team and third parties?

• Is it a healthy blend of consumable, thought-provoking, educational and promotional?

If you choose not to make content marketing a priority internally, then you need to consider outsourcing it...And even then, be prepared to still have a hand in it. No one knows your expertise and voice better than you. Do not be afraid to get started. People cannot receive your value if you do not give them a way to receive it.

Give them a reason...

...to respond back to you.

...to connect with you.

...to follow you.

You are worth it. You just need other people to know it.

Stay in touch with access to more content (and even snag some of it to share!) by following McMillion Consulting on LinkedIn.