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Have you ever been told that when it comes to creating free content you should share the what with your target audience but never the how? It’s time to bust that myth and reveal why the more valuable content you share, the more leads you’ll generate.
You can stop guarding your “secret sauce” in a vault protected by retina scanners and encrypted passwords. It turns out that the more information you give, the more you get in return. In fact, giving away valuable content generates leads more effectively than creating content that barely scratches the surface.
Most business owners and marketing directors know that content marketing is a valuable way to generate leads. At the same time, they struggle to know just how much information they should give away. After all, if they share all the industry secrets, won’t that leave them without a job?
Nope. Here are 7 reasons why you can share your secrets and still generate leads.
In the age of the Internet, consumers can figure out how to do pretty much anything.
Want to change the oil in your car? There is a YouTube tutorial for that. Interested in a DIY home renovation? There are entire websites dedicated to that. Feeling financially savvy? There are online programs to help you do your taxes or manage your investments.
As harsh as this sounds, your secret sauce probably isn’t that secret. Potential clients can figure out how to do what you do.
Will they be able to do it as well as you do? Definitely not. Do they have the time and energy to figure it out? Probably not. That is the real reason why they hire you. Not because they can’t figure out how to do it on their own but because they don’t want to.
You’re not the keeper of the secret sauce. You’re the implementer.
Content marketing is a pretty fast-paced game. HubSpot recommends creating a blog post every few days, weekly nurture emails, and posting on your social media channels multiple times a day.
As a small business owner or marketing director, you probably don’t even have the time to create content at that pace. I guarantee you that your target audience doesn’t have time to consume everything you create either. No matter how interested they are in your company and the high-quality content you create, they aren’t going to see everything.
I once heard a fellow marketer describe content marketing as watching a moving train. Even if you share every industry secret there is, your potential client isn’t going to see them all, much less retain them. They are just watching you zoom by, gathering a few nuggets of knowledge along the way.
Content marketing is more like casting out fishing a line, hoping to get a bite. Successful content marketing campaigns put out the best bait to attract the best fish (i.e. high-quality leads). The better your content (your bait), the better your results.
When people come across your useful content that successfully answers all their questions, instead of just skimming the surface, they are going to share it with other people who have the same problem.
When search engines realize that your content does a better job of explaining a topic than anyone else’s, it will rise to the top of organic search results.
When your social media content is more helpful than anyone else’s, it will get shared.
In a sea of mediocre content, created by people afraid of giving away too much, quality gets noticed. The more you give, the more eyes you get on your content and your business.
If your content is connected to a compelling lead generator, website visitors who are high-quality leads will download your lead generator and enter into your sales funnel. You can then use email marketing to turn those qualified leads into customers.
What your target audience really wants is a solution to their pain points. Before prospective customers put their hard-earned money on the line to solve said problem, they want to be certain of two things:
By sharing valuable information, you are answering those two questions.
The information you share proves you know what you are doing. Your willingness to give away that valuable information for free builds trust. Your knowledge of your prospective client’s pain points shows that you understand their struggle and are the best choice to provide a get-it-right-the-first-time solution.
The principle of reciprocity is a powerful psychological trigger — when someone does something nice for us, we naturally feel the urge to do something nice in return.
Have you ever taken a “free” online training only to feel incredibly compelled to buy the product or service they pitch to you at the end? Even if you went into the training certain you didn’t need what they had to offer, their generosity in sharing all their insider tips and secrets with you gave you an unexpected desire to buy their product or service. That was the principle of reciprocity at work.
The more value we are given, the more likely we are to want to give back by following the call to action and taking the next step toward working with the company or buying the product. We perceive the free content as a gift and feel an innate desire to return the favor.
Use the principle of reciprocity to your advantage. Freely give effective lead generation content and you will soon be getting qualified leads in return.
When you consistently share valuable information, it not only attracts leads but also establishes your reputation in your industry. You become known as an industry leader and a go-to resource for reliable information.
Your reputation will help you generate leads organically. Potential customers naturally gravitate towards businesses that are seen as experts in their field.
Consumers also put a lot of trust in the experiences and opinions of others. If someone recommends a business or service, we are much more likely, 92% more likely according to one study, to place our trust, and hard-earned money, in that company.
When you strive to be the best in your field you’ll become known as the go-to company. People will start recommending your business to others, bringing new clients to you.
Giving away free, valuable content isn’t just for attracting new leads. It’s also a valuable tool for keeping existing customers around or getting previous customers to come back and buy again.
You can repurpose the valuable content you create into nurture emails for your existing customer base. By showing up in your current client’s inboxes regularly, you keep your business on their radar.
This strengthens the trust they have in your company, making them more likely to work with you again. And that is a really good thing considering acquiring a new customer costs 5 times more than keeping an existing one.
Even better, the next time someone they know needs help with the problem you solve, they will think of you and recommend your company to someone else.
What kind of a business do you want to be? A generous business that potential customers flock to? Or a stingy business that is always chasing down work?
The more you are willing to give to potential clients, the more clients you will have. You can’t do too much for your customers but you can definitely do too little.
When you go above and beyond for your clients you become known as a trustworthy business people want to work with. When you do the bare minimum, your income stays pretty bare and minimum.
If you need help creating a content marketing strategy that sets you apart from your competitors, schedule a call with Guide MKTG today. We will craft the best marketing plan for your business and then become the marketing team you need to put your new content marketing strategy into action.
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