Quick Tip — How “Helping” Beats “Selling”:

3 Tips from Content Marketing World’s Keynote Speech

By Kathryn Gillett

When you want to increase response or sales, “helping” works better than “selling.” That may sound

contradictory, but — based on research shared by Jay Baer during his keynote presentation at this

year’s Content Marketing World — it’s true. What follows are highlights of that presentation.

After years of experience, when I

sign up for a conference, I set my expectations pretty

low. I figure if I learn one helpful thing in each session,

I’ll be thrilled. So, 6 sessions, 6 new things….that’d be a

great day.

Well, at this year’s Content Marketing World, I learned

way more than that in the first hour! Keynote speaker,

Jay Baer(1), shared research that shows how focusing on

the audience and developing trusting relationships is the

key to increasing sales. What really excited me was how

the research he shared supports what we’ve been

exploring in these monthly Quick Tips.

Here are three highlights from Baer’s keynote speech:

Quick Takeaways:

1. Always be asking yourself: “How can we create something our prospects and customers would pay for — and give it to them for free?”

2. Make sure your information is easy to understand, meaningful, and memorable.

3. Trust is the prism through which all business success must pass.

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Quick Tip — How “Helping” Beats “Selling”

1.

?” (See a related Quick

Tip: “Get results FAST with Trust-

Building Content.”)

An example of this

happened to me

recently. I opted in to

receive emails from an

organization I was

interested in doing

business with. One day,

they sent me a link to a

free Forrester report

that was worth real

money to me. It was a complete surprise,

and, not being a Forrester subscriber, it

was a valuable freebie for me.

Your freebie doesn’t have to relate

directly to your solution. Just create

something that’s useful to your audience;

something they’d pay a

couple bucks for. But give it

to them for free. Baer told a

story of how an athletic-gear

company built a mobile app

that helped coaches check

the weather forecast

anywhere in the world.

Coaches loved this free app because it

helped them plan better. Sales of the

company’s athletic gear reflected the

increased goodwill.

It makes sense: people will use your

freebie and have a positive emotional

connection to you whenever they do.

Then, when they’re ready to buy, they’ll

think of you. (See the Quick Tip that

explores the science behind why every buy

is an emotional buy.)

The next step, Baer emphasized, is

critical: market your freebie. Social

media can be great for this. But remember

to promote your freebie, not your

company. (See a related Quick Tip: “Less

Promotion + More Trust = Higher Response

and Sales.”)

This is not something to do just once — or

once a year. This needs to be a strategic

question you’re always asking: “What’s

another way we can create something

our prospects and customers would pay

for — and give it to them for free?”

2.

(See a related Quick

Tip: “The Evolution of Techno-

Speak and the Shift to Authentic

Connections.”)

The research Baer shared

showed that before people buy,

they need more information than ever

before. Maybe that’s because people are

risk-averse; they want to make sure they

make the right decision. But it also may

be simply because there is so much more

information out there. One way to stand

Create freebies

your audience

would pay for.

Then market the

freebies — not

your company.

Before people buy,

they need more

information than

ever before.

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Quick Tip — How “Helping” Beats “Selling”

out, Baer says, is to present your

information in ways that help them make

the decision.

This reminded me of the shift in

perspective we discussed in the Quick

Tip, “Why the Product Isn’t the Hero.” Yes,

it’s your sales pipeline, but it’s your

audience’s decision journey. And your

content needs to help them move forward

in that “adventure.” (Also check out a

related Quick Tip: “The

Secret of Heroic

Persuasion.”)

Baer’s point supports

other ideas we’ve

explored in the past.

You know how you can

remember tiny details

from a book you read

years ago? The same

neuro-mechanics

causes your audience

to remember content

that’s laced with

stories, metaphors, and symbols. For

similar reasons, we’ve also discussed the

importance of avoiding techno-speak, of

creating authentic human connections —

and the need to place your audience (not

your solution) in the role of the Hero. All

of these are essential for sharing your

information in ways that are meaningful

and memorable.

3.

(See the

Quick Tip about the myth-busting

formula: Less Promotion + More Trust

= Higher Response and Sales.)

This concept is more important than you

may think. The research Baer shared

showed that in business-to-business,

70% of the buying decision is made

before the prospect talks to a sales

person. That means

that in lead gen, our

leads are the tip of

the iceberg! The

majority of our

prospects are under

the waterline!

This is huge! Our

audience is going to our

websites, checking us

out, getting a sense of

whether or not they

trust us to help them

solve their

problem…and we don’t even know they’re

there. That’s why the content on our sites

needs to be thought through with a new

strategy: our content must do more

than impart information; it must

create a lasting connection with our

audience. (See a related Quick Tip: “The

Myth of B2B Communications.”)

Yes, you offer free stuff that prospects can

receive by filling out a form. But everyone

knows that giving you their contact

Because 70% of our prospects are

under the waterline, our content

must do more than impart

information. It must create a trusting

connection with our audience.

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Quick Tip — How “Helping” Beats “Selling”

information is going to plug them into

your sales process. Have you ever NOT

filled out a “contact us” form? Of course

you have. Most people — including your

prospects — are the same.

That “strategy” just doesn’t

work anymore. What to do?

Offer valuable information

for free, no questions asked,

and let the resulting goodwill

do its magic. (See a related

Quick Tip: “How Selling

Doesn’t Cultivate Sales.”)

Baer suggests something else

that will help your audience make the

best decision for themselves:

Transparency. (See a related Quick Tip:

“Get Results FAST with Trust-Building

Content.”) For example, give them a

meaningful comparison chart that shows

them what their real options are. “If you

need A, B, and C, then give us a call. But if

you need X, Y, or Z, then we’re not the right

solution for you.” Admitting your

shortcomings creates trust —

and trust helps remove the

doubts of your prospects. That’s

a good thing because doubts

cause friction. And friction

reduces sales.

While you’re building goodwill

and trust with a more targeted

audience, you’re filtering out

leads that aren’t a good fit. (Your

sales team will thank you for it.) And,

trust is very “sticky” over time. When

your “lost” prospect’s needs change, the

trust will pay off. They’re that much more

likely to come back to you.

If not, why not? The one big

takeaway from Baer’s speech

was this: Don’t just create

content that shares information. Create

meaningful and trust-building connections

that your audience values.

1. Jay Baer is a marketing consultant and author of the

bestselling book, “Youtility.”

About the author: Kathryn Gillett, creator of The Hero Method, and author of the forthcoming book,

“Facts vs. Feelings: The Surprising Truth about ‘Irrational’ Content,” is committed to creating messaging

and content that helps…and sells. Learn more about The HERO Method at www.TheHeroMethod.com

or contact the author at Kathryn@TheHeroMethod.com. Don’t miss another Quick Tip! Click here to

sign up to receive the latest Quick Tips as they’re released.

HubSpot

(known for digital marketing analysis) gave

Kathryn special recognition for “thought

provoking content and new research for the

sophisticated marketer.”

Content must do

more than impart

information; it

must create a

lasting connection

with our audience.