“Always add value” is a good and common advice for content creators. But is there such a thing as too much of a good thing?
Value comes first.
Value is key.
Always add value.
Yes, value is the number one thing you should be thinking about when creating content for your website and social media.
Adding value to your audience through blogs, podcasts and videos is a powerful way to forge a bond between you and a future client long before even asking them to buy anything.
But sometimes the importance of value is misunderstood. Many content creators end up showering their audience with so much free value and over delivering to a point it risks hurting their business.
When you recognize and learn to avoid these most common pitfalls of over delivering free value, you’ll save time and energy and see your business results improve, too.
Does your content creation drain your energy?
Is creating free content taking up a huge chunk of your time every week? Are you wondering how others in your industry manage to keep up a publishing rhythm that seems to exhaust you?
Feeling constantly overwhelmed or stressed about content creation is the first sign of over delivering free value.
Content creation is a lead generation strategy, which means that it should bring in new clients at a speed that is aligned with the effort you put in content creation and that is sustainable for your business.
If you feel that the time that content creation takes up in your calendar is not in sync with results or you can’t keep up with this rhythm in a sustainable way, have a look at your content strategy. Could you let go of some channels, repurpose your content more efficiently or maybe get help?
Is your content so good your clients don’t need your services anymore?
Another undesired consequence of sharing too much for free is the fact that it might hurt your sales.
Your free content should be like an amuse bouche, a free appetizer the kitchen sends out before the actual food that people selected from the menu, ordered and will pay for.
If your amuse bouches are too big, people don’t want to pay for a selection of charcuterie anymore because they know they’ll get their tummies full anyway, for less money.
Your amuse bouche content should definitely give your followers new insights and actionable tips they can implement in their business and life, but it shouldn’t solve all their problems. That’s what your paid products and services are created for.
What is your content leading towards?
The third mistake many content creators commit is creating free content without a proper sales strategy in place.
Since content marketing is one of your lead generation strategies, it should always lead towards a sell. Not necessarily right away but at some point of your funnel.
If your business is in very early stages and you’re only growing your audience, the sales might not come in right away. Still, you should have clarity on your goals and what success looks like for your content.
When is giving away free content okay, then?
Free content is the backbone of your content marketing strategy. It’s still okay and important to share free golden nuggets along the way.
Be realistic with your time management, keep an eye on your strategic goals and make free content part of your client journey and you’re on your way!
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