They don't just sell, they engage

80% of marketers focus less on direct selling and more on engagements and developing long-term relationships with audiences. - Smart Insights

Playdough is not as fun when you are alone (I've tried). When someone is by your side, they help to fuel your creativity and challenge your social needs. Interaction often helps you become more creative and motivated in the process. Content marketing allows a brand to reach customers, engage more, learn more about them and build mutual trust.

A person can have the greatest content (or toys) in the world, but if we don't engage our chances of making a lasting impression with them are reduced. Your customers will benefit from your inspiration and engagement. When customers feel that you are happy to help them they feel validated and inspired about your services.

Make sure you post great, relevant content, but also engage your audience in conversation. Don't talk to them, speak with them, listen to their needs and react to those needs. If you listen, customers will reveal exactly what motivates them to buy and keep buying, and that intel is priceless.

Stop selling and start engaging. This point made in the 2014 Trust barometer from the Edleman institute says it quite well: "the new normal is consensus found between information conveyed top-down from authoritative institutions, matched with the more personal peer-to-peer horizontal flow of knowledge."

With so many media outlets and ads covering every inch of square digitl space - consumers are inundated with direct sales communication. Consumers will be more likely to react to a business that is speaking with them rather than just to them.