“What we’ve come to realise as a society is that the tenets of capitalism, that ‘more equals better’, is not going to be better for us as people or for our planet.”
Mary Portas: retail is entering a brand-new era
Mary Portas is referring to a new attitude to retail commerce as the “Kindness Economy”, and I am 100% there for this.
The time of “if we build it, they will come” is over. And – actually – I’m delighted.
Companies are now fighting tooth and nail for that most precious of commodities – our attention. Because we are less prone to mindless spending than ever before, brands are having to actively engage with us before they can get into our wallets.
The focus is now on building relationships with customers and clients. We want to know that you understand us, that you share our values, and that you actually listen when we speak to you.
No more “wham, bam, thanks for the memories and your money, ma’am”.
No, giving our money to brands is no longer the financial equivalent of a one night stand. We want to be wooed, man! I’m talking champagne, carriage rides through the park, sky writing… The works.
Our time, our attention, our money – these are all highly valuable to us, and we want to know that when we choose to share any of these things with you, you appreciate it and you cherish it as you should.
Because we deserve nothing less. We are guac, you guys!
So, how do you go about winning our hearts?
Firstly, you can actually talk to us.
If someone has taken the time to comment on your blog, or your LinkedIn post, or your YouTube video, they’ve made the first move. They want to talk to you. Don’t ghost them! Don’t treat them like just another thing on your to do list. You need to respond to their comment in some way, even if it’s just giving it a like.
Secondly, ask for their opinion.
There are more ways for you to do this than there are ways to say “click here to visit my website”.
Some calls to conversation you can use:
- Comment with a ❤️ if you agree, or 😡 if you hate the idea!
- Know someone who should see this? Tag your 3 besties now!
- Not sure what you need? Tell me your biggest challenge below and I’ll DM you with a few thought starters. 💌
None of the above ask your followers to read your blog, or to check out your latest podcast, or to subscribe to your email list. Which leads nicely on to point three:
Don’t assume that your followers are there to cater to your needs.
Gone are the days when you could just post anything, along with the link and the caption “check this out!”
Because, frankly – why should we? You haven’t done anything more than to bark a command at your followers.
You haven’t given us a reason to engage with you!
But, if you’d said:
We’ve written something just for you! If you have big love for the environment and want to do more to heal our planet, here are 5 things that you can start doing today. Keep us posted with your progress – we’d love to hear how you’re getting on in the comments!
🌍❤️🙏
<add your link to above blog/article here>
That is wildly different to demanding that followers read your blog “because you said so”.
Any of the above will help you to tap into the Kindness Economy – treat your followers like they’re human beings (spoiler alert – they are!) rather than points used to beat an algorithm, or floating dollar signs.
We all want to be loved for more than our wallets, don’t we?
If you’d like some help on how to approach conversational marketing, or how to totally boss your social media, contact me for your free initial consultation on lauraanne@get-social.media