No one’s talking about this, and that's sad.
The marketing world is fixated on the attract stage—how to snag new clients, build out sales funnels, and up our lead game. It’s all about grabbing fresh prospects and driving new sales. But no one’s addressing the delight stage of the funnel.
This is where you focus on your existing clients, the ones who are already on board. This stage isn’t just a feel-good add-on; it’s a strategic move. By nurturing your current clients with educational, entertaining, or aspirational content, you can:
Boost retention
Increase their spend
Enhance their satisfaction
Encourage referrals
Delighting current clients reduces your reliance on constant sales outreach and fosters a happier, more loyal client base.
While new client acquisition steals the spotlight, investing in delighting your current clients can be just as—if not more—profitable. Think about it: your clients are already sold on your skills and expertise. They don’t need more selling; they need validation and reassurance.
Today, I’ll shift the spotlight to the delight stage of the funnel and explore how content marketing can transform client relationships. I’ll tell you exactly how I personally use content to reinforce clients’ decisions, build trust, and create lasting emotional connections. Plus, I’ll showcase how my clients use content marketing to build vibrant communities and turn satisfied customers into passionate advocates.
Ready to rethink your content marketing?
Why should you delight existing clients with content marketing?
Everyone seems obsessed with the "attract" stage—new leads, more sales. But who's caring for the clients already on board? Delighting them with content marketing isn't just a feel-good strategy; it's smart business.
Retention trumps acquisition in value, reaffirming clients' choices and boosting upsells without the constant hunt for new customers.
How I personally delight clients with content marketing
I dedicate a portion of my energy to affirmation. Instead of focusing on attracting new clients, I shift gears to enhance how my current clients feel about their decision to work with me. For instance, showcasing successes, even if not directly mentioning a client by name, can resonate broadly.
Every time I publish their successes and create content that reinforces their decision to work with us, I build trust and emotional connection. Case studies, client milestones, and highlighting the end results—these aren’t just marketing to new clients; they’re powerful tools for emotional engagement. By celebrating their achievements and focusing on the end results, I tap into emotions that are more powerful than data for upselling and retaining.
Another way to view my content marketing to delight, is that it's not for new clients. Many of my existing clients follow me on social media, read my blog, check my Substack, and I want to confirm at every turn that they hired a pro who's likeable and informed. Therefore my thought-leadership-style content is always created for my existing clients. New viewers are a mere bonus.
How my clients delight with content marketing
My clients go a step further. They share behind-the-scenes insights, celebrate customer achievements, and engage with their audience in meaningful ways. They don't just market; they build communities; they reward, they delight. It's not just about selling a product or service—it's about creating an experience that turns customers into brand advocates. I'll dive into some clients' techniques anonymously to give you some inspiration:
Client 1
Current users join a beta-testing community. Yes, those users help my client stress test their new features, but they also get costly features and upgrades entirely for free, with a captive customer service base directly from the engineering team. This community is fed by the content team who share tips and tricks within marketing formats, i.e. designed to enchant and entertain.
Client 2
When someone joins this client's roster, they begin earning badges for using features and taking user trainings (created by content marketing). Now, this sounds childish, right? You'd be surprised! Plenty of their customers brag about their badges and learnings on social media.
Client 3
This company does something highly personalised. Their CEO reaches out first with an automated email. Then, every email after that comes directly from that CEO, including a bi-weekly touch point to check how the client is doing. Each email has a piece of content marketing attached that correlates specifically to their needs and stages in their maturity with the product. This often means creating content just for that customer, but these pieces are invariably upcycled. While this is possible because they're a high-value service company, many larger companies could implement this given just a couple of hours per week from leadership.
At a time when everyone is eager to promise increased sales, leads, and contracts through their marketing strategies, the conversation often overlooks the delight phase of the funnel. So here's my question to you: Is focusing on existing clients somehow outdated?
Not in my book. I firmly believe that retention offers far better value than the relentless pursuit of new clients. Reinforcing their decision and exploring upsell opportunities is not only more cost-effective but also strategically sound. And content marketing? It’s the key to making that happen.
Keeping your current clients thrilled can be just as powerful—if not more so—than attracting new ones.
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