Building a relationship with customers is the same as dating and marriage.

You go on first dates, and the things you talk about on the date give the other person a high-level view of who you are and if they might want to get to know you more.

But eventually, you have to stop doing first dates and asking surface-level questions. If you want to progress in your relationship, you need to give that person something more.

You need to have experiences to build trust with that other person.

Many people like to talk about ads and the content for those ads.

People are talking about first dates and how to have better first dates or pickup lines.

But not many people are talking about how to have a good marriage or partnership, and in this example, I mean, not many people are talking about creating content to help RETAIN customers.

When you want to build a lasting brand, you usually don't need new customers as much as to RETAIN the customers you have already acquired.

The sad part is that so many brands are missing out on the power of brand building through content creation because all of their resources are ad creative.

The other issue is that brands that are doing more content, are highly dependent on one channel.

Here is your weekly reminder about how TikTok was almost banned in the US.

TikTok was almost banned in the US.Since TikTok is not a US company, don’t be surprised if this doesn’t circle back.Build your TikTok, but don’t forget to build your BRAND that should transcend an app or algorithm— Matthew Gattozzi 📷 Photos and Videos for Brands (@MatthewGattozzi)
4:03 PM • Apr 5, 2022

Once someone buys your product, they need something more than just high-level product values if they want to buy again and again.

They need an emotional connection to the brand.

You can create that bond with customers through content.

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1. Youtube with long-form videos

Youtube is the second largest search engine owned by Google, the number one search engine.

Long-form videos allow you to go more in-depth about your products or subject matter from your industry.

Let's say you are in skincare; you can have videos explaining common questions about skin. You could bring in experts to discuss certain topics.

If you are in food, you can have a cooking show using recipes with your product or pair well with your product.

The goal is to make the videos educational and fun for the viewer because this will allow the viewer to build a relationship with you as a brand.

If you need inspiration, just go to Moment's youtube.I have been watching them for years because I genuinely love the creators on camera and get excellent filmmaking and photography tips.

They have the BEST Youtube strategy of any brand I have seen.

2. Podcast

While other brands are focused on 3-seconds, you are building out a weekly 30-minute podcast full of value that will build a bond with customers that will LAST.

You can also do a video podcast, post it on Youtube for search (leveraging my first point), and then have clips to post on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok.I have always been a fan of Perfect Keto's educational content and podcast. They have a deep connection with their customers because they put out great podcasts and other educational pieces.

Triple Whale has two podcasts, with a third one in the works. I know this because my team is the one producing the show, and we create the clips from the main video for Twitter and TikTok.Yes, they are a software company, but this strategy and the principles are the same, and they work.

Every day, on Twitter, I see a clip from the podcast or people just tweeting about the show without fail.

3. Members-only content

Patreon allows creators to build a membership and ultimately a business around their expertise.

To incentivize people to sign up, the creator can give their patrons exclusive content that wouldn't be seen on public content like the creator's Youtube channel.

I don't think you need to necessarily charge for exclusive content since you already sell a product, but can buying a product give you a ticket into an exclusive community with content that isn't seen for free?

Maybe you do Q+A's with the founder or create behind the scenes content of product developments.

You could bring in speakers or guests for a weekly show only for customers.

You can host this content if you have a Facebook group or another community space.

I am not in the group, but Obvi, has over 50,000 members in their Facebook group. According to their CMO, 20% of daily revenue comes from this community alone. 

Step 1) Running a giveaway in our communityThis immediately incentivizes users to join our Facebook Group.Our FB Community accounts for 20% of daily revenue due to the organic reach it has with our customer base.We do anything and everything to get everyone in here.— Ash (@ashvinmelwani)
7:39 PM • Mar 9, 2022

Think about how powerful your brand could be if you built a community with unique exclusive content... not just discounts.

4. A newsletter that isn't a discount code

I can't speak at an expert level on writing for a brand and emails, but I would be remiss if I didn't mention a newsletter for a brand.

I don't know many brands that take writing seriously.

You are signed up to this newsletter and probably others, wouldn't you read one from a brand if they made it valuable or informational like this newsletter versus the email just being a shopping ad?

What if you made emails valuable and educational, not just sales-driven.

Have an expert write about something related to your brand once a week.

I feel like this newsletter you are reading is written proof that you can do something like this for your brand.