Value is a word with a lot of meanings. Most of the time I use it in the context of ‘valuable’ content or delivering value to people in a content, engagement and social media marketing context.
But of course it also has other meanings. The first meaning, as I just described it, has to do with perceived value in relationships and ultimately is about respect, which is something completely different from value as in $.
Value is like conversations: it’s two-ways. In social media marketing you need commitment and the will to really communicate. And that includes sharing.
Again, the value for your business is in the end the cold and harsh reality of the bottom-line.
It’s cash, ROI, the incremental revenue for every extra buck you spend. However, that value can only be achieved if you share other forms of value with people like content.
As I wrote in an earlier post, content becomes a story and when ‘valuable’ leads to word-of-mouth.
Word-of-mouth is probably the best way to attract new customers and increase your ROI. Word-of-mouth can only be achieved through sharing, offering value, telling great stories, connecting and listening to the stories other tell.
That’s why businesses have to stop only focusing on the valuable and share-worthy content (which can come under many forms) they offer but also have to emphasize and highlight the content and value people around them generate (what we, as marketers, call “the community”).
Because, in the end, your community and your loyal customers are the best sales team you will ever have.
Value them and they will value you.
In both meanings of the word.
What do you think?
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