14x the engagement, zero credit in your report

Good Morning {{first_name}}!

It’s Fri(yay) - and that means it’s time for your Revenue Play - usually, an issue where I share some real stories from my marketing email success.

But Fridays are getting a new name.

The Revenue Play is now 🌟 The Retention Play 🌟

Why? With paid acquisition costs climbing the way they have been, I'm watching budget after budget shift toward keeping and growing existing customers, and I want Fridays to support that shift.

Let’s dive in.

Retention starts with relationships. Relationships turn into trust. And trust turns into problems being solved - and trusting that the right people are providing the right results.

We see that shift in founder profiles, such as LinkedIn profiles, compared to company pages.

Employee and founder posts are pulling up to 14x the engagement of company pages, and company page reach has cratered. No one really cares what a company has to say - they care about what people have to say.

Here's the catch: the buyers reading those posts don't click on tracked links immediately. It can happen, but they read for weeks, then type your URL in or reply to an email. In your analytics, that shows up as "direct" or not at all.

They could also read one post, follow on another social platform, and check out your website multiple times before submitting on a form. If cookied are blocked, it will show up as “Direct”, ignoring all other touchpoints.

So, what does this have to do with retention?

It goes back to acquisition. Direct traffic climbing while every channel line looks flat is a symptom. The problem is that attribution can't see trust-driven journeys, so the content doing the heaviest lifting gets the least credit.

And here’s the retention play - that same trust dynamic is what keeps existing customers close. But you have no idea what assets created the trust that could keep retention strong.

Whatever assets brought enough credibility and trust to convert the client also play a role in how they show up in keeping the client. So, when traffic is funnelled under “Direct Traffic,” we become unaware of what is helping us build trust.

Cut the budget based on the report, and you cut the thing that was working.

Channel reports are helpful to give you insights into where leads and customers are coming from. But a full funnel helps show you how and why they come through.

Understanding what assets convert gives you insights into what is important to the clients. And you can leverage this in your retention strategy.

Was it a specific asset about solving a problem that caused them to convert? What about that asset can be leveraged into ongoing education and nurturing? Does this topic evolve and need updating or refreshing?

Leverage this in email marketing, account management planning, and more to build the relationship.

What started as ownership turned into obligation.

Now you’re in every meeting, decision, and channel… not because you want to be, but because things stall without you.

It’s not a capacity issue. It’s a structure issue.

The Freedom Framework shows you how to rebuild work flows, so you can step back without things breaking down.

BELAY U.S.-based Assistants help make that real by bringing ownership to execution, so your business doesn’t rely on you to function.

Download The Freedom Framework for Free

Depending on where the client is in the funnel or what services they have, the approach should usually differ. However, I’m going to challenge you here.

Next time you email a client, make sure it’s coming from a person. Not a mass email with marketing details.

Plain text, no template, and keep it super simple. Just one question - short and sweet, don’t waste their time.

The same trust that outperforms your company page 14 times over works on the customers you already have. Log every reply in the CRM.

We, as human beings, are more likely to reply to a person than a mass email.

TL;DR

Full funnel reporting and segmentation based on what converted in the funnel is one step in leveraging your marketing in your retention planning.

Have questions? Email me at [email protected] and let’s talk!