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The children’s magazine in my daughter’s hands was open to a page depicting a gorgeous 5 layer cake designed to look like a dreamy princess castle. Pink, of course.
In my never-ending quest to win the Mommy of the Year award, I….. offered to make it for her birthday party.
Today was the big day. And so this morning I found myself with the kitchen counter covered in flour and icing, trying valiantly to make the cake look at least somewhat like the magazine cake.
Sadly, mine was an inferior version. True, it had the same basic shape, the same pink color, the same candy decor.
But mine had not-so-straight layers. (Make that half an inch slant from one end of the cake to the other). There was some lumpy, bumpy icing. And the wafers that were meant to look like doors and windows just looked like… wafers.
(It did taste yummy, though.)
But guess what? My daughter was beyond thrilled. And she wants me to make another homemade creation next year.
Why'd she love that cake even though it wasn't half as pretty as a store bought one?
Because of our relationship and what the cake signified about that relationship.
The cake loudly proclaimed “I'm willing to busy myself in the kitchen for hours to make you the cake you dream of.”
So even though it was far from perfect, my daughter is sticking with me and my cakes.
Can you guess where I’m going with this?
The marketing world is rapidly changing. Old and time honored practices are getting upended by AI. SEO? Not a thing of the past, yet, but increasingly LESS important than it used to be.
- Only 30% of Google searches end with a click.
- Google's above the fold is almost entirely paid ads.
- AI Overviews mean Google is simply using YOUR content to sell their own ads, instead of bringing customers to you.
The solution to all of this?
Building relationships and micro communities. Creating meaningful connections that go beyond sales and draw the customer in for the long term.
So they look for you, instead of you needing to chase after them.
What's the best way to build that relationship? Through direct communication platforms like email or WhatsApp status. Those are both platforms where:
- the customer has to actively opt in or add you as a contact, which means they’re committed to you.
- you aren't subject to fickle algorithms or costly ad spending
Here are two simple ways you can start building that relationship on email or WhatsApp
1 - share intimate, behind the scenes details. You don't have to get at all personal if that's not up your alley. For example, if you sell food products, tell them about the new packaging machine you just bought and how it works.
2 - encourage replies, and respond to those replies. Communication builds feelings of warmth.
What’s one insider detail you can share with your email or WhatsApp followers today?
Gotta go scrub the icing off the floor.