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People preach about how retention is vital for a brand.

Then they talk about email flows and SMS campaigns to get more sales.

THIS IS NOT RETENTION.

You are just pushing people to a sale.

So I have issues with people being called retention marketers, and they are just the people getting purchase number 2 and on.

Retention should be about building an emotional connection with the customer after the first purchase.

The best retention play is NOT email but, in fact, content creation.

Today, we dive into how to unlock true customer loyalty through content.

1. Long-form builds bonds

With the rise of content, viewers have started to build parasocial relationships with the people they see on their phones, tv, and computer.

The more they watch, the deeper the emotional connection viewers have to the character.

You might feel more connected to the host of your favorite podcast than a quick video you saw.

If you spend 45 minutes a week with the podcast host but only 13 seconds with that random stranger on TikTok, who do you think you will feel closer to?

This is also true with email.

If you had a "friend" that just cared about themselves and never gave to you, you probably wouldn't want to be their friend.

If you just keep nudging people about buying with no substance, a customer will not want to build a relationship with you and the brand.

You need to create content that gives to the customer.

Long-form podcasts or videos can be a great way to give to a customer

Most brands are not doing this at all.

Most brands want to see the direct ROI that can be tracked by attribution from each video posted on organic, so they don't create at all.

BUT THAT IS NOT HOW YOU SHOULD LOOK AT IT.

Did I get married without dating my wife?

No.

So why would people want to be lifelong fans without dating?

Every long-form video is a date with the customer.

Some dates will be grander; others will be simple.

But the more dates you go on, the less you talk about surface things and become a partner in each other's life.

Only some dates will have a direct ROI, but showing up to dates builds trust and a deeper emotional connection.

Emotions are felt physically, which goes deeper than language.

Language is a conscious act, while emotions are subconscious and more profound than we know.

If you want retention, you need to tap into the subconscious.

2. Distribution

Say what you want about Barstool Sports, but gosh darn, they understand long-form content distribution better than anyone.

They have a ton of short clips from each podcast episode that they post everywhere.

You might like the clip and watch more.

Then you can follow the show for more clips.

The final step is actually to start listening to the show.

Barstool Sports has hundreds of shows, from sports betting to social media drama.

They do this system for every show, and it works.

Their fans of the shows are diehards.

So if you want to talk to your CFO about the value of building a show and why you need to invest money into creating content, you need a distribution plan.

3. Ideas for your show

In theory, this long-form stuff seems excellent, but we need to help build the show.

Interview series

You could do a podcast interviewing people in your industry.

If you are in a more scientific space or your brand is built around more better-for-you type customers who are passionate about the problem you are trying to solve, this could be great.

HVMN is a supplement that gets you into Ketosis.

They have a fantastic podcast bringing in the world's top health experts.

Because the podcast is not too niche, this is a good retention play and a great acquisition channel.

Tutorials / Recipes / GRWM / Styling

Your product might be a product that has lots of use cases, or people want to see how the product is used.

For clothes, you could teach people how to style your clothes and talk about trends.

For food, you could create recipes with your products as ingredients.

For personal care, you could show your routine, skincare tutorials, tutorials on the latest beauty trend, or debunk viral beauty trends.

Because this is long-form versus short-form, you can bring more personality to the videos and have tangents as you talk that can build a personality that connects with viewers.

Nobody does this better than Beardbrand and its youtube channel.

With almost 2 million subscribers, they have built a profitable business and run no FB or TikTok ads, just organic (they do run google ads last time I chatted with Eric).

These videos have helped people like me learn how to grow and upkeep a mustache and many other styles.

Again, these videos are great for retaining customers but can also acquire new customers.

Vlogs

This takes a specific creator to pull off but it can be a cool way to bring lifestyle to your brand.

Moment has built an incredible brand based on this idea via YouTube.

I have watched Niles, Caleb, Taylor, and more recently Josh vlog about camera gear for years.

Some videos are more serious product reviews, and others are just funny vlogs where they adventure, take photos, and drink coffee.

We are still very early on this format, but I anticipate brands will have in-house creators to build content like this.

You could be the first... I would love to help you do this.

4. Customers aren't dumb; marketers are.

Marketers treat customers like they have no idea what is going on.

No - customers are more intelligent than us.

They aren't caught up in the BS of tactics.

They only care about something if it brings value to them.

Customers see through these "non-sales" emails that are actually only sales.

Us marketers make conscious decisions about marketing most of the time and try to be very analytical. Still, the rest of the world isn't as analytical about their decision-making when buying products.

They didn't buy the product because this email looked good or because the video was shot on an iPhone or camera.

People buy because the product can help them.

People stay around because they have a bond with the company.

You can build that bond with incredible content.

So, instead of sending an extra email out, hit record and build something greater.

Create content that has high signal and distribution.

Oh - I just remembered.

Your paid media will find a GREATER efficiency because you don't have cold audiences, and you have a bank of content to build superfans.

Keep creating!

Matthew Gattozzi

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