We are defining the customer’s Mindset—as they set out on their buying journey—as the combination of their desires, concerns, and questions. Given the current pandemic mentality, you can assume their concerns are different and possibly more intense than they were pre-COVID 19. People are also spending more time online including social media and shopping.
Given these realities, now is the perfect time to re-evaluate your current social media and influencer marketing efforts.
What is your Customer’s Mindset? The best way to find out what their desires, questions, and concerns are during the buying process is to interview them after they make a purchase. We describe that process in detail in our Guide to Mindset-Driven Marketing. Of course, you can also be listening to the social chatter relating to your product or service. But a focused interview can give you the exact information you need, and quickly.
One of the most interesting aspects of Mindset-Driven Marketing is how much information a potential customer is willing to absorb, as long as you are in sync with their Mindset. Because they are mentally looking for a solution to a problem, they want to learn as much as they can about the various solutions—as long as you make that easy.
It’s important to note that their Mindsets are very specific. Vague, general marketing blah-blah just doesn’t work anymore. One could argue that it never did, but it’s less effective than ever now, thanks to the internet making it possible for customers to discuss their options and opinions with each other. Perfect strangers can learn from each other via reviews and discussion groups.
How does all this affect social media? Whatever you post has to sync with their very specific Mindset.
Forget pitching. It’s pretty straightforward: “Don’t preach. Teach.” People don’t want to hear about why your product is the best. They want you to post items that scratch their Mindset itch. Our current favorite example, Vital Farms, is an egg producer that understands the main concern of many of today’s egg buyers: How happy are their egg-laying hens? If you go to https://twitter.com/vitalfarms and take a look at their feed, you’ll see how they just keep reinforcing this Mindset.
Vital Farms also figured out that consumers are more concerned than ever about what you stand for, what you contribute to society, and how you help others. Use this to fuel your messaging. What have you done to make sure your product or service contributes to the greater good? How are customers benefiting? What questions do your customers have as they’re buying and how can you answer them? What other helpful or even entertaining information can you share? The result will be something Google calls “EAT” – Expertise, Authority, Trust.
The world needs kind, genuine people. There is so much negativity out there right now. Positive people with genuine hearts, no agenda, and no selfish ambitions are the ones who counter the negative tide. The same principles apply to social media and influencer marketing. Stay true to who you are, be authentic, and care first about others rather than yourself. This genuine mentality will reflect well with your customer base and speak highly of your values, creating an oasis of comfort in the midst of chaos. Customers like to know they will be taken care of.
The Rise of the Influencer. Podcasts have increased in popularity over the last year since people have been staying at home. More listeners are tuning in to shows, which means it’s a great time to take advantage of the increased audience sizes. Many podcast hosts are happy to receive guest nominations to be on their show as long as you bring forward a list of relevant topics that would resonate well with their audience.
Pay attention to your customer’s Mindset. Understand where they are when they start looking. What do they care about most? What would make them think, “That’s exactly what I’m looking for. This is the company I want to buy from.” Social is yet another channel where you can make your position clear—and make it obvious that you are in tune with their Mindset.