I am so tired of hearing people say that they want to create a Facebook page or launch a business blog or produce an ebook because they’re free. Let me make this perfectly clear:
Social media, digital marketing, content marketing (put whatever label on it you’d like) is not free.
Sure, access to many of the platforms is free. And you can probably do a fair amount of the work yourself — but there’s nothing free about creating good content.
Here’s what rock solid content marketing costs:
Time: Without a doubt, this is the biggest expense. To generate quality content on a regular basis, you will have to invest a significant amount of your or your staff’s time.
Attention: There’s nothing smart about a content strategy that says “just toss a bunch of stuff out there on auto pilot and walk away.” Social media and other forms of content marketing require give and take. You have to be very present.
Expertise: You need to be willing to give away what you know. This isn’t bait and switch or tease and taunt. This is about generously sharing the knowledge, insights, and tricks of the trade that got you where you are today.
Heart: To really connect and create a community — you actually have to care. You have to care about your products and services, the people you serve, the people you’re going to attract with your content and their worries, needs, and questions.
Dedication: The first 10 blog posts are easy. The 1,000th one — not so much. Content marketing is an over the long haul strategy. You need to know that you’re signing up for the marathon, not a sprint. And even on the days when you don’t want to create something — you do (See “Heart” section just previous.).
Money: Yes…money. Unless you are the rare organization that has in-house talent who can design ebooks, build websites, record and edit podcasts, write great blog content, create infographics etc. etc. — you are going to end up hiring some of it out. Hire well.
So there you have it. It hardly looks free, does it? Don’t be fooled by all the hucksters waving the “get it for free” banners. It’s work. But it’s work that is worthy of you and your organization. It’s work that will connect you with passionate customers and people who have the potential to love the work you do.
Content marketing can truly be the best of your organization. It can bring you incredible business opportunities. It can connect you with like minded people. It can expand your business in ways you can’t imagine today.
But, there’s nothing free about it.
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Drew McLellan Drew McLellan is Top Dog at McLellan Marketing Group and the author of AdAge‘s Top 150 blog, Drew’s Marketing Minute. The Wall Street Journal called it ”one of the ten blogs all entrepreneurs should read.” Drew wrote 99.3 Random Acts of Marketing and is co-creator/editor of the ground-breaking Age of Conversation book series. He is also a Marketing Profs Daily Fix blogger and can be followed at @drewmclellan on Twitter. |
