Dating is about building relationships. After you’ve been introduced and start to make the initial connection comes the part of building a relationship where you start to understand and establish trust with the other person. 

Digital marketing follows the same pattern as building personal relationships. In previous blogs, we covered Step 1: The Introduction Phase and Step 2: Making Connections in our five-step digital marketing process. 

Step three is what I call the dating phase.

What is the Dating phase of digital marketing? Just as you do when building a relationship with an individual, step three is where you get to know and build trust with your potential clients. You’ve already made the initial introduction and you’ve provided a lead magnet, and now, in stage three, you work hard to nurture that relationship that will eventually move onto the next phase. 

Why is it essential to your digital marketing plan? In the dating phase, your potential clients really get to know who you are and you also get to know them. You offer insights and communication to let them know that you are the expert and that you can be trusted. Likewise, you seek feedback and information from them to ensure your messaging captures their attention and builds that trust. Those potential clients that you successfully build trust within the dating phase will move to the next phase where they buy from you. Therefore, building that trust and getting to know your target market is an integral part of developing a relationship that will move into a loyal business partnership. 

How do you implement step three of digital marketing? Implementing the dating phase is dependent on your business and your target market. 

Use these tips to build trust and get to know your target market: 

    • Figure out where your target market likes to consume information: This can be on social media, via a podcast, Facebook Lives, or through email sequences. The most important thing is that you’re putting content out there where your target market will see it. If you’re creating great podcasts, it won’t matter if your target market doesn’t listen to podcasts. Therefore, it’s essential to figure out how your target market consumes information and be sure to use that as your avenue for content and communication. Once you’ve figured this out, you have the ability to connect at a deeper level than you thought possible. 
  • Be consistent: This is super important. Not only in the amount of information you give, but with your message itself. You do not want to confuse your ideal clients. And, if you’re giving inconsistent messages, they will have no choice but to be confused. Which in the world of dating, can put a major halt on the forward momentum of the relationship. Instead, clear, consistent messaging communicates who you are, what you do, and how you can help your ideal clients making it much more likely they will see your value and want to engage further. 
  • Seek Out Feedback: There’s no better way to figure out if your message is clear and connecting than to ask your ideal clients. Again, if you don’t connect, they will not move to the next step with you. Therefore, asking them specifically what is working and what isn’t will provide you valuable information to help you refine your messaging and content to really make those connections. 

If you have questions about the dating phase, I would love to discuss them with you. Contact me today to set up a time to get step one successful in your digital marketing plan. 

Excited to learn more and level up your digital marketing game?  Check out our other blogs here​​.

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