Content marketing is all about using free information – blogs, newsletters, e-books, white papers, reports, and other content – to build your reputation, establish yourself as a trusted authority, and (eventually) help you sell more stuff.
But with so much free information available online, “free” has become a lot less exciting.
So-called “free” information has real costs. If you take the time to read a free e-book, you’ve just used up a chunk of time you could have spent doing something else. Sign up for too many free newsletters and your e-mail inbox starts to feel like a reading list you’ll never get through.
It takes time and energy it takes to consume “free” information, and those things have value. If you want to convince people to give you some of their time and energy, it’s not enough to publish a free thing and throw it up on your website.
You’re going to have to sell it.
“Now wait a minute,” you say. “This is getting ridiculous. Not only am I supposed to give away my valuable knowledge for free – now I have to spend time and money selling something I’m not charging for?”
Yup.
But it’s not as crazy as it sounds. First, I’m not suggesting that you spend millions of dollars on a marketing campaign. The most important thing is just to help people understand why your content is valuable. Second, if your free content is doing its job, getting people to read it will eventually pay dividends.
Instead of feeling outraged that people aren’t lining up at your virtual door to download your free report, tell them why their investment of time will be worth it. Provide a testimonial (or several) from people who’ve read your report and found it useful.
Most importantly, make sure you’re telling the truth. If your content is worthless or nothing but a thinly-disguised advertisement, even “free” is too expensive.
photo credit: Paul Keleher
Traci Feit Love is a freelance writer, editor & consultant for businesses that want to increase sales with smart, impressive content. To learn more about working with Traci, contact her.
{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
Hey Traci,
it does seem like a bit of a paradox that giving away lots of free stuff can make you money, but it all starts to come together if you read a lot of blogs that do exactly that.
I’m an avid reader of Copyblogger and Remarkable Communication. I read everything that they send me every time. I retweet it, I learn lots and lots.
I’m not in a position right now to spend any money on what i’m doing, but, I recommend their sites to everyone, I share their content and I trust their authority.
For a skeptical person like me, that’s all the proof I need that it works.
Hi Dave,
I agree, it’s kind of counterintuitive. But with so many companies trying to sell us stuff (especially online), the ones that stand out are the ones that earn our trust and respect. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
Nice article Traci,
I appreciate where you’re coming from after creating a free wedding course to help brides plan their weddings. The course is a series of emails with hints and tips on all aspects of weddings and of course wedding photography, as that’s my business.
However take up has been very low even though brides anywhere in the world can take advantage of the information. I definitely need to sell it better.
Pat
PatB Wedding Photography
Hi Pat,
Thanks for sharing your experiences. I think it’s great that you’re offering a free e-course for brides – congrats for taking an important step in the right direction! I do have a few suggestions for you (feel free to take them or leave them):
1. Consider focusing a little more closely on your niche. Who is your “perfect” customer? Where does she live? How much will she be spending on her wedding? How much has she budgeted for wedding photography? What are her 3 biggest concerns about her wedding photos? What does she need in order to feel comfortable hiring you? The more you can get inside the head of your target customer, the better able you’ll be to generate content that’s interesting and relevant to your customers.
2. Think about where you might be able to interact with potential customers and offer them advice about wedding photography (along with a link back to your site). What websites are your perfect customers visiting frequently? Are there opportunities to guest post? Are there forums or groups you can join where your target customers are already talking about wedding planning and looking for help?
3. Another idea might be to create a “how-to” guide: “how to find the perfect wedding photographer” or something like that. Since you seem to be positioning yourself as a “high value” option rather than a “low cost” option, you may need to educate your market a little bit to help them understand what differentiates you from the “low cost” providers.
Hope this helps a little. Good luck!
Traci,
I have been all over the web in recent weeks, looking at freelancer’s web sites. I wanted to say that yours is one of the very best I’ve found so far. Many of them, purportedly belonging to successful freelancers, are terribly inadequate; poor aesthetics and amateurish content.
So this is just a note of appreciation from another freelancer who is working on improving the look and feel of his web site.
Best,
Brian
Thanks, Brian. I agree with you that many freelancers are doing themselves a disservice with their websites. I think it’s incredibly important to present a polished, professional image online – especially for those freelancers hoping to earn higher-than-average rates. Good luck with your site and your business; it looks like you’re off to a fantastic start.