Part 2 of a series on Robert Bly's book, The Content Marketing Handbook

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sV5uTXIwwZs

Transcription

The number two function of content marketing.

Hi, I'm Brian Pombo. Welcome back to Brian J. Pombo Live.

Today we're here outdoors and the sun's gone down. But we still have enough to have a little talk here tonight put on a little bit of a show.

This is the book Content Marketing Handbook by Robert Bly.

I'm going through the nine different functions of content marketing that he outlines here and his first chapter of the book. And it's really good stuff.

The second one I'm going to go through today with you real quick, he says, so these are, what these are, is these are the reasons why content marketing works, so to speak.

The second one is that it makes the prospect beholden. And so if you're thinking of a prospect, a prospective customer, prospective client, what have you. This really comes from it, he points to Robert Cialdini, he's influenced book Influence The Psychology of Persuasion.

If you've never read that, it's considered a classic nowadays, in terms of pointing out a handful, and putting a whole lot of background to it, but point out a handful of reasons why people buy, it doesn't have every reason, but it has a couple of very strong reasons.

And one of them is this, it's been kind of put out there as the law of reciprocity, that you get a reciprocal behavior, if you give, you can get as long as what you're giving is valued enough by the person that is receiving it.

And so you see all these people online, especially you see it a lot online, you see, you know, free book offers, you know, even for physical books, where you just pay shipping and handling, the free reports, free training, free this, free that.

The whole idea is that you get something of value, and you feel the need to reciprocate, you feel the need to go the next step and either purchase something of a higher value, or to take whatever the next suggested step is.

That's a huge piece of content marketing, especially if, if you're talking that the piece of content marketing didn't cost very much or cost hardly, or is completely free, and doesn't have to be free.

But that is one of the most common things that you see used out there. And he says that there's a good quote that he has in here from one of his newsletter subscribers, he says, this is from Richie.

He said, This is just a short note to say, I really enjoy your emails, I can tell when they are commercials, but I don't mind them. Because you generally give me worthwhile information.

I believe that is why you're successful.

When I receive useful information and free emails, I'm more likely to purchase additional information.

And that's just a person putting into words what a lot of us go through even subconsciously.

Now, the funny thing about the law of reciprocation and Ben settle has brought this up before and other people have brought it up is that it's not a guarantee, it's not an absolute, you know, just because you're giving something of value doesn't mean it's going to be seen as valuable by the person receiving it.

It doesn't mean that they're going to reciprocate it, a lot of it depends on who it is that you're speaking to who it is you're given to, and whether they actually value it and whether they're actually going to use it.