Facts are facts: Your products and services enable people to pursue life, liberty, and happiness. But what are you doing to help people see the value of what you offer?

One of the toughest—but most necessary—things to do is educate your audience. The more people know how your products and services make their life easier, safer, better, and cost-effective, the more likely they are to buy from you.

That begs the question of “how can I do that better?”

Media campaigns may be necessary, but targeted approaches to current clients are often cheaper and more effective. After all, these people already buy from you—and therefore trust you—so they’re more likely to buy other things from you or perhaps suggest you to their friends.

Example: My wife and I recently switched to eating more whole foods; those without six-syllable chemical additives (especially high-fructose corn syrup!). One of our choices is an all natural yogurt. That’s nice, but to the point, the particular brand we now buy devotes a fair amount of labeling space to educating its customers. Right on the container you’ll find suggestions for substituting yogurt in place of sour cream or mayonnaise in various recipes.

I don’t hang with the Emeril Lagasse crowd, so I’ve never heard of such a thing, but after doing as the label suggests, we didn’t notice much taste difference. As a result of the company educating us, now we enjoy tasty dishes with a substantial reduction in both calories and fat content—and no six-syllable food additives. Another result? We now buy more of that brand of all natural yogurt.

Another way to educate current clients is to include information with product orders. Ever order something online and get a promotional flyer in your package? It’s smart marketing, because if someone is already buying from you, they probably trust you enough to buy other things from you, too.

So stop and think: What can you do different to educate your current (and potential) clients about your products or services?

Also: Feel free to share comments on other techniques your company has used to educate its customers.

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Filed in Business, Selling, Advertising, Workplace