How to Grow Retention with Content and Ads

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Everyone loves to talk about acquiring customers, but few talk about retention.

And usually, when people talk about retention, they talk about email and SMS.

But email and SMS are not retention.

Retention is about building a relationship with the customer to get them to purchase more than once.

Email and SMS are a modality to do this, but they are not the only way to build retention.

I actually think you can do this with content organically and paid.

Yes, acquire customers for retention through ads.

I was inspired by a conversation I had this week with another founder, so I want to share the secrets here.

1. Build Retention At The Beginning

Too many growth and paid media people talk about getting the sale RIGHT AWAY.

Sometimes ads are created to get the most sales in the short term, but they don't build a connection with the consumer.

Ads are the first chance to tell your company's story and get people to connect to you beyond just buying a product.

The founder I was talking to this week is a jewelry designer (stunning work).

A lot of her ads sold the product and style.

But fashion swings in terms of what is in style.

These ads were good because they got her sales, but people weren't returning.

To get people to come back, consumers need to buy into the founder's design philosophy, so they build the trust of being a tastemaker.

I suggested creating ads that shared their design philosophy and spoke more to the camera to walk through their collection.

After the ad - the consumer journey was directed to a collections page.

I suggested having the consumer go to a landing page to give more info on the brand, their story, and their design before going for the sale.

These extra steps of "resistance" are actually going to help the consumer build an emotional connection with the company.

That is the definition of brand.

Mejuri's latest TV campaign video is about the founder and her design philosophy.

Immediately my wife was hooked.

We might buy stuff this upcoming week at their store, but the connection was built on a commercial.

2. The Power of Organic Content

Have you ever been to a party or hung out with friends, and there is that one super serious person?

You think, "Bruh, we are just trying to chill and not talk about politics."

Context of the setting is everything when you communicate with people.

When someone is on social media, they are hanging out.

They are on TikTok to be entertained.

So if you are serious all the time, you won't get many invites back to the party.

But what if you chilled with consumers on organic?

What if you chatted with them and showed them behind the scenes of the business?

You could highlight employees and build storylines to keep consumers connected with your brand.

I understand this can only work for some brands, but for most brands below 20 people and founder-focused, this could work REALLY well.

I am not saying go and switch all of your ads now because there are a lot of efforts after the sale to get someone to buy again, but think about retention as you acquire versus just after the purchase.

You are setting up the customer experience from day 1, not after they purchase.

Yes, email and SMS are helpful, but how the consumer finds you first can play a significant role in retaining them as a customer.

Do you want help with your ads? Reply with your brand or product, and I will send a quick loom video to tell you what I think.

Keep creating!

Matthew Gattozzi

I create a lot of content daily over on Twitter, so if you don't follow me already, I would love to see you over there!

Work with Goodo Studios

My team and I create hassle-free creatives for consumer brands. If you are thinking about getting content, let’s set up a chat.

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