Think content marketing is all hype? Read on for my real-life story…..
Let me set the stage………It was late on a Friday afternoon, and I was wrapping up what had turned out to be a less-than-stellar week. I was just ready to be done. Ever have those weeks?
Then I got THE CALL. A guy had read my book and wanted to do business with me.
One of my CSR’s walked back to my desk with the phone in her hand and said, “Here’s the phone call you’ve been waiting for. It’s a guy who said he read your book and anyone with that much knowledge he had to talk to.” (visit my dedicated page for more details on my book- Insuring Your First Home: Your Must-Have Guide to Make Home Buying Painless).
I. Was. Floored. Speechless even. And for me, that’s saying A LOT. Once I regained my voice, I picked up the phone, introduced myself and he proceeded to tell me this story:
“I’m getting ready to buy my first home and doing as much research as I can. I was on Amazon.com looking for reading material and when I was searching, your book popped right up. I looked at the title, read the description, and said, This is exactly what I’m looking for. I had looked at another book, but yours just looked like a better book. That, and yours is available in Kindle and I wanted it right at that moment. I didn’t want to wait.”
This is the stuff content marketers dream about.
They WANT to have these conversations with customers. They PAY to have these conversations with customers. Hell, they’d probably give up their first-born child for the opportunity. And here I had the opportunity staring me in the face.
So I asked him his thoughts on the book.
He replied, “It was very conversational and authentic. I actually understood what you were saying. I decided this was the kind of insurance person I wanted to do business with and then naturally wondered where you were located. As luck would have it, you’re also in Ohio. I’ve already looked through your website and have also read several articles on your blog. I’ve got three vehicles, and would also need a personal umbrella.”
Hot damn.
I wrote the book not expecting to get rich, but rather to help people (and make a little extra spending money). But I’d be LYING if I said this didn’t feel freaking AMAZING. To get some pretty kick-ass business as a result- yeah, I’ll take that 🙂
Important content marketing takeaways:
- I never had to sell myself. He had already done his homework. What an awesome feeling.
- The content you produce does matter. The more helpful, valuable information that can be attached to your name, the better.
- The more of yourself you put into your content, the more your audience will appreciate it. He said he felt like he knew me already just from the tone of the book. And we had a great conversation when he called- very easy and fluid. None of that awkward, first-date nonsense 😉
- The trust factor established as a result of my book and related content? HUGE. GINORMOUS even. And if you’re going to have a great relationship with your clients, trust is priority #1.
But the most important takeaway?
The story is 110% real. I read A LOT (blogs, magazine articles, etc.) and quite honestly, I get tired of the motivational posts that simply spout cliches and catchphrases without any real-life examples. “All filler, no meat” is one of my favorite sayings for these….. I could write any piece of garbage that says, “Your potential is within reach” or “The only thing stopping you is you.” BARF.
But if you’re just a regular person looking for inspiration to go out and take that next step, maybe this post will do it. I’m of the opinion that when movie stars, rock stars, etc. do something amazing, we all think, “Well I”m not famous. I can’t do that.” But when we see non-famous folks achieve something amazing, well that hits closer to home. We begin to think, “Maybe I could do that.” or even “Why not try?”
And that, my friends, is the stuff dreams are truly made of.