Why Giving Away is the Only Way
Thoughts on content marketing.
The ask is super super super important. Those who don’t ask, don’t receive.
However it’s a big mistake to ask without giving something of value at the same time.
Give give give give and GIVE some more.
And then you may receive.
Smart content marketing is about giving the audience something to chew on, while at the same time offering products and services that they can relate to.
I’m a fan of how Joe Pulizzi defines it:
“Content marketing is a marketing technique of creating and distributing relevant and valuable content to attract, acquire, and engage a clearly defined and understood target audience - with the objective of driving profitable customer action.”
Make giving a part of your marketing strategy. Create a blog, video series, newsletter, whitepaper, or other piece of free content. Do it without question and have it become second nature.
My friend Mare Odomo (an artist who you should most definitely follow on Tumblr) offers up a bulk of his illustrations online without asking for anything in return. His fans love his comics so much that they gladly pay for physical copies.
Laura Roeder (a constant source of inspiration) offers up a weekly newsletter with marketing advice aimed at small business owners. Her loyal followers say thanks by purchasing her info products. Her free advice is so valuable that others will gladly invest for more.
Free doesn’t mean cheap or of low quality. Give away valuable material and earn revenue by letting the content speak for itself. Don’t expect the community to bite without first creating trust and customer loyalty through free content.
Want to increase sales?
Give more frequently or increase the quality of the offering.
Stand behind your products/services by offering some of it (maybe a lot of it) up for grabs. Sell a book with a kick ass blog. Sell expertise by walking the talk and offering up undeniable proof in the form of a tangible deliverable.
When in doubt just keep giving.
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