The Power of Education in Your Marketing

As business owners it is easy for us to assume clients “know” basic things about our industry. But more often than not just because we “know” and it’s second nature to us, we fail to provide the key information that a client needs to buy from us or use our services. This is where educating your market comes into play. Not only is educating your market critical to outlining services and products, it’s imperative we inform customers about our industries so they can be empowered to choose us and work with us. In this online and tech savvy world customers have more “choose me!” coming at them than ever before, and educating your market is an amazing way to stand out from the common crowd. Educating your market not only places you as an expert in your field, it empowers your customers, and creates better working relationships.

Here are five key benefits for educating your market:

Improved sales and better clients: Thoroughly educating customers about your products opens up new ways to promote your offerings and new opportunities as more and more people come forward to try out your wares. As customers learn more about you and what you do, they know what they are looking for, what you can do for them, and what to expect.

Trust and loyalty: The more the customer gets to know about you, your industry and your products, the more likely they are to trust you and remain loyal to you. This works for both new and existing clients alike. Educating your market establishes your reputation as an expert in the field who not only offers exceptional service, items and advice, but the information base consumers rely on to make a choice in your marketplace. Educating the market builds trust. Retain customers: When clients feel unsure or aren’t provided with the means to understand the advantages of your deliverables, the chance of them shifting to another provider is greater. Thus, in order to retain potential customers, education and information is key to ensuring they remain engaged with your brand.

Promoting your brand: The more you educate, the more you are seen and become first in a potential or existing client’s mind. Even assisting clients understand the terminology behind your industry helps you to be seen, while advice on using your products offers them the opportunity to imagine these items within their world. In short, education helps you promote your brand. Education should be part of your marketing through customer service, marketing, sales and all that you do.

8 Ways You Can Educate Your Market:

Answer Questions

Every industry and business has a series of customer questions that frequently pop up, and they are a great source of fodder for marketing and education. Consider the questions that your customer frequently asks or the painpoints they have and set about solving them though your marketing material. From “how-to” guides to common industry terminology explained, answering the questions your consumer may have allows you to become the go-to place where they access information about your industry and business.

Blogging

Blogging is about establishing a conversation with your consumer and letting them into your business world through a less formal type of marketing. Whether you post the blogs to your own website or guest post on someone else’s, it’s a great tool to address questions in your industry, explain how things work and subtly highlight your products and services. Education (not sales) should be front of mind when you set about creating interesting blogs. The best blogs offer tips, industry insight, solve problems and allow your customer to understand the workings of your industry and business in a way which benefits them.

Facebook Live

Facebook Live is one of the big-ticket trends of marketing at the moment, and again it’s a great tool to empower your consumers with knowledge, while forging a personal connection. Importantly, Facebook Live doesn’t have to be formal, lengthy, or time-consuming. It can be as simple as answering a common question, taking a tour through your business premises, introducing consumers to a new staff member or showing customers how your product works or is made.

Videos

Like Facebook Live, videos are a great visual means of showing how your product works or answering questions relating to your industry. More professional than a quick piece to camera that is the format of Facebook Live, they allow you to incorporate graphics, images and voice over or text to tell the story of your products or offer tips and insight into who your business is or how it operates. For example, you can use video to:

• Educate your customers about who you are by visually showcasing your facility
• Show them how something works via a product walk-through
• Show them how something is made with a video of the production process
• Show them how something benefits them through a tips video

Guest Speaking

Guest speaking is often a marketing tool that people fail to consider, but again it’s a great way to educate people about what you do or how your industry works. Whether it’s the local chamber of commerce or a major industry conference, guest speaking allows you to connect with a captive audience directly and provide educational information that’s of benefit to them. Common guest speaking themes include:

• Tips and tricks on how to do something that your business is expert at
• An insider’s perspective on industry change

Sharing Your Knowledge with the Media

Every business has a wealth of knowledge within it that can be useful to the media in the right circumstances. The art of tapping this power is about keeping a watchful eye on themes emerging in the news. When it comes to the media, it’s about considering what sort of information might be of use to THEIR audience. Sometimes that might be helpful tips, other times it’s your professional industry insight or often it’s considering how change or innovation relevant to your sector might affect a media organisation’s followers.

Networking

Networking is an invaluable tool that we often underestimate when it comes to educating the public about what we do. Whether it’s social media networking or face-to-face networking, making contact with your peers for an informal chat allows an introduction, puts a face to a name and also provides an opportunity for you to highlight what your business does and where your expertise lies. The upshot is this creates the word of mouth effect, where the people you network with then educate others about your business on your behalf.

Webinars

A webinar, or seminar conducted over the internet, is all about education, with topics often revolving around themes that emerge in your business. Webinars are the perfect place to highlight solutions to your customer’s problem by educating them on the latest technology, the latest methods and the latest industry change. Importantly, webinars often allow for the opportunity to tap the talent of other experts in your sector. So your webinar might include an interview or Q&A with someone who can offer a professional insight. This gives your audience invaluable tools and a new perspective that they can take away.