Reciprocity is a powerful tool.
It’s one of the strongest tools of persuasion that one can use.
I give you something and you then feel obliged to give me something back.
But think about how most online marketing works.
You go to a landing page that offers you something amazing, but to get it, you need to hand over your email address.
That doesn’t seem weird because we’re so used to doing it, but that doesn’t make it a good thing.
I have something for you. It’s amazing and it will help you greatly. But first you gotta give me something.
That’s a strange way to start a relationship.
Of course, most creators don’t feel that way.
Why?
Because every day they send out a social media post that they believe has amazing value.
They open up their fortune cookie and drop a knowledge bomb on the world.
And so does 127 other creators.
Today effective social media marketing strategy consists of:
- Post something valuable
- Then post a call to action
Creators are forming transactional relationships with their audience.
You give me something and I might give you something back that you need.
And we’re okay with it because everyone else does it and finds success.
Or it seems that way on the surface.
For every 10 excited creators you see today, you might hear from 1 of them a month from now.
The best marketers are farmers, not hunters. Plant, tend, plow, fertilize, weed, repeat.
Seth Godin