If 2020 taught us anything about business, it’s that our old marketing methods have failed us. But the real winners in this situation will be businesses that quickly embrace strategies long used by digital and online entrepreneurs.
In a world where many people have suddenly been forced to work from home, seasoned digital entrepreneurs have already mastered the online space and WFH (“work from home”) life which puts them lightyears ahead in some key areas.
One of those key areas is fostering true communication.
At the risk of stating the obvious, communication is a 2-way street, otherwise it’s just advertising.
But you’d be surprised how many businesses shout their message into the void… and wonder why they’re not getting more engagement.
If you want to grow your business in this new environment, you need to craft your marketing so that true 2-way communication becomes the norm––not just a side effect of the occasional customer reply to an email.
How to Ensure 2-Way Communication to Insulate Your Business from Economic Downturns
It all starts with strategically choosing your Core Topic.
A Core Topic sparks 2-way conversations with your best customers.
It’s also the secret to creating a self-sustaining community that increases the lifetime value of each customer.
So, picking the right Core Topic is essential.
To help you pick the right Core Topic for your community, I created the PLACE Method brainstorming tool. The tool will help you quickly get a bunch of ideas, narrow them down, and decide which one will ultimately work best for you.
Why PLACE? It stands for…
- Problem
- Love
- Ask
- Creation
- Energy
Let’s break it down…
- Problem. This one is self-explanatory. Everyone has problems and they’re all looking for answers to them!
- Love. This is a list of things that people love doing for work. They almost can’t believe they could make money from it.
- Ask. If you’ve got an email list, ask your subscribers what kind of community they wish existed.
- Creation. Have you created products, content, or services? Which topics get the most attention?
- Energy. To engage in a 2-way conversation, you need to have energy! Look for topics that you (and your community) can talk about endlessly… and still feel inspired by.
If you want inspiration, here’s a list of 51 Core Topics to get you started. Pick a topic and stick with it long enough to see if it works for you and your followers.
Next week, we’ll discuss how you can assess the level of interest in your chosen Core Topic.
