By Rex Hammock, CEO

“What is the most powerful form of marketing?”

It’s these three simple words: “Help, not hype.”

We’ve written about it before, but it never fails to amaze us. When disaster strikes, people want to help in any way they can.

It’s not just something we believe is happening. It’s something that can be easily measured using Google Trends.

For example, Alyssa Flowers of The Washington Post used analytics from Google Trends to show that when disaster strikes, people immediately turn to Google search and other internet tools seeking how they can help.

Searches for “how can I help” spiked in late March and early April of 2020, surpassing the number of searches after Hurricane Harvey flooded Houston.

How Can I Help?

Source: Google Trends

Help goes beyond selling a product or service. Help is about people connecting with others.

Help is the post-purchase fulfillment of the buyer’s goal or aspiration. It’s marketing that’s never forgotten.

On the other hand, hype can seem to be about chest-pounding and, right now, that falls more flat than ever.

Help creates powerful results. We’ve seen tangible benefits from clients conducting webinars that help clients right now.

One company has held two webinars this month that have helped them move well beyond their expected lead generation targets for this point in the year.

The need for help (and maybe the undivided attention) lends itself to that format.

How can you help?

Featured Image: Getty Images

About Hammock Healthcare Idea Email | This post is part of Hammock’s award-winning Idea Email series. Idea Emails are sent every other week and share one insightful marketing idea. Idea Email comes in two flavors: Original and Healthcare. To subscribe to the original Idea Email (general marketing ideas), click here . To subscribe to the Healthcare Idea Email (healthcare marketing ideas), click here.