Giving your expertise away for free is good for business. Now, I’m not suggesting you give away all of your trade secrets, but sharing your golden nuggets will boost your brand identity and ultimately your client base! Take a look at these 4 reasons to give it away…
- Freely sharing your knowledge is a great way to establish yourself as a leader in your industry by showcasing your expertise and your generosity with it. Education-based marketing (EBM) is a prime opportunity to deliver quality education and teach someone something that solves a real world problem–a problem currently keeping them up at night. What better way to establish yourself as a leader than to willingly share your area of expertise? When you provide your potential clients with great information, you are establishing yourself as an experienced, smart, and resourceful person—and an authority in your field.
- Another benefit of EBM is that it creates more informed customers—who will make more informed decisions. It’s a time saver, too. If you’ve wasted far too many hours answering basic questions over and over, create a website that develops more informed customers who already know the answers to frequently asked questions. When your prospective customers are informed, the sales cycle is shortened because they already know your philosophies and are more certain they need you.
- EMB is also a wonderful opportunity to represent your client-focused approach. Instead of trying to get your audience to buy something, first, understand that they have needs. Their first need, when faced with a business challenge, is accurate, clear information. Fill that need and they will likely trust you to help them further. When I first started my business 20 years ago I was afraid to ‘give away’ my expertise. Now I know that my generosity in education is one way to establish my serve-first approach.
- EMB is also organic search engine friendly. When people search for experts, they type in questions. They are looking for answers before they even become aware they need to hire you. Filling your site with information means organically (vs. PPC paid-per-click) attracting search engine users and ultimately new clientele. When your business shows up in the organic search you are perceived as having a higher degree of authority, authenticity and credibility than your competitors. Studies repeatedly prove that internet users trust natural search results over sponsored links. Customers are becoming increasingly aware of the use of PPC as a marketing tool and will often opt to click organic SEO results vs. advertisements.
Is it time for you to begin giving it away for FREE? When I began to, there was a sudden increase in the flow of business. If you are feeling resistant to giving it away… tap into your purpose and drive and your spirit of generosity will follow.