Taking Content Marketing Offline in 2020

2020 is all about building your community. This consists of taking control of your community AND taking your content marketing offline. How do you do it? Personalization!

Text Marketing

To stay updated on our latest sales and promos text IN to 12345. How many times have we signed up for text messaging marketing from our favorite brands? How many of us get quotes from our favorite apps? Popular marketing experts like Gary Vee are already using text message marketing, but in 2020 I expect it becomes more significant. Your phone is always within reach. How convenient is to click on a link, in a text, and order your favorite pair of jeans – as opposed to having to surf the web? Platforms like simpletexting.com make it easy for your clients to opt-in to your SMS marketing. Even better, you’ll have a real phone number and not something generic. This adds a touch of personalization. Use your SMS messages to create calls-to-action. For example, send a link to your latest blog post or sales funnel. Video messaging platforms like bonjoro.com allow you to send personalized video messages.

Some tips for optimizing and using text and video messages to convert are:

• Offer opt-in incentives for new SMS campaign subscribers
• Always offer valuable content
• Measure the results
• Follow the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA)
  

As with all marketing, SMS marketing will only work if you build the know-like-trust factor and then convert! Plan to be consistent!

Events

Promoting your product, brand, or service through in-person interactions is event marketing. Small (or large) events such as meet and greets or workshops are great marketing methods to add personalization to your marketing campaign. Putting an actual face and voice to the person behind the camera and brand is a great way to build a loyal following. Showing your clients you’re accessible adds a touch of humility.

Keep in mind that you don’t have to host events to market yourself properly. Being an exhibitor, vendor, or speaker at an event is a great way to get your name out there. The key to being successful is only appearing at events that will host your target client or customer. Be sure that you’ll be allowed to market your products or services. There are different types of event marketing you can take part in:

• Conferences
• Trade shows
• Seminars
  

If you plan to host your own events, try these:

• Live launch parties
• VIP events
• Meet and greets
  

A secret to use a multichannel approach to live events? Have these events recorded so that you can use the content and take it online:

• Add the content to your site
• Post it on your YouTube channel
• Have the audio transcribed into a blog post or an e-book
  

To maximize the impact of event marketing strategies: set the right goals and utilize relevant key performance indicators (KPIs). Measuring event success is essential. It’s just as important as the event itself. The purpose of event marketing is to foster relationships with customers and prospects. Monitoring their engagement during the event helps gauge the success of the relationship building. Pay attention to:

1. Attendee engagement – Were your attendees engaged? Did they leave your event hours before it was over? Understanding attendee engagement is a clear indicator of whether the event content was relevant and valuable to attendees.
2. Social media mentions – It’s entirely possible that their social following is comprised of others who could be your potential clients. Social media is a way to measure this. Ask your attendees to use a personalized hashtag for any pictures they take at the event. How many times has your page been viewed? How many new followers did you gain? How many new likes and comments?
3. Check-ins – Record the number of check-ins during the day of the event and compare it to the total registrations. If there is a large discrepancy between these numbers, consider doing some research. This could be an indicator of what demographic should be your strongest target.
4. Clients acquired – You or your team should track the number of qualified leads from the event. Keep track of the clients that actually converted. This will help you calculate the return on investment (ROI) and help you strategize for future events. Understanding which tactics worked and which didn’t is an essential insight for event marketing.
   

Consider live streaming your events to capture more leads and audiences. Adding events to your 2020 content marketing plan is a smart move.

Chatbots

According to Gartner, Artificial Intelligence (AI) will be a mainstream customer experience investment in the next couple of years. 47% of organizations will use chatbots for customer care. More industries are using chatbots to automate their business processes. Bots are implemented to deliver customer service and improve customer experience. Some of their everyday uses are customer service, lead generation, and customer engagement.

According to Outgrow, 80% of businesses are expected to have some sort of chatbot automation by 2020. Invesp states that chatbots can save up to 30% in customer support costs. 69% of consumers note that messaging is the most convenient way to stay connected to businesses. Many customers expect companies to be open 24/7. With the integration of chatbots on your website and social media pages, your customers will have that VIP experience without you having to type a word. Chatbots offer businesses the opportunity to have customer service inquiries of all types answered anytime, any day, and from anywhere. A personalized response to customer concerns goes a long way in building brand loyalty.

Chatbots are more immediate than email and can offer your customers personalized experiences. Brands such as Amazon and Spotify, give you recommendations based on your activity. This is great for upselling and retargeting.

80/20 Rule

The 80/20 rule is a marketing basic. It’s simple – offer 80% value and 20% marketing to your clients. People don’t like to be sold to all the time. Proving to your audience that you are valuable goes a long way in earning their trust. Although lots of social media experts say the 80/20 rule doesn’t apply as much anymore, the key is ensuring you’re evoking emotions through your copywriting and adding calls-to-action that aren’t salesy. Your goal with your copy is to evoke enough emotions that your reader keeps reading the next word.

What’s new for NPHub and PW Enterprises in 2020?

Offering one service is a dangerous place to be in business. As you grow, address vulnerabilities. NPHub will be launching courses on business acumen, which could potentially earn CEU credits and give nurse practitioners training on best business practices. The NPHub team will bring in expert NPs and healthcare entrepreneurs and help them convey their messages on video. Krish Chopra, co-founder of NPHub, will also release a book: Jumpstart Your Private Practice: Marketing Strategies for NPs.

PW Enterprises is rebranding. Understanding that solopreneurs, specifically nurses, need strategies and sales messages that connect and convert, I’ll exclusively offer copywriting services. I’ll use my words, literally, to change the lives and businesses of solopreneurs with sales messages that convert readers to clients.

2020 is “The Year of the Nurse!” Let’s use this spotlight and take our businesses to the next level.

Portia Wofford is a nurse, copywriter, content strategist, and nurse consultant. Chosen as a brand ambassador or collaborative partner for various organizations, Wofford strives to empower nurses by offering them resources for development – while helping healthcare organizations and entrepreneurs create engaging content that connects and converts. Follow her on Instagram and Twitter for her latest.