Giving away free information helps small businesses boom

The newest kid on the marketing block is creating a win win for small businesses and their customers by tapping into people’s desire to get something for free.

Content marketing specialist Michelle Peterson Clark said content marketing cuts through the salesy nature of traditional marketing strategies.

“It isaprocess of giving away information. Every hour, interesting and engaging free content is shared by businesses through email and social media.” she said.

“Using content marketing actually attracts more clients to you because people see the free information as helpful.”

While some businesses worry giving away their best information will mean there is nothing left for customers to buy, experience is showing the opposite with increased sales and customer loyalty.

Mrs Peterson Clark said for the strategy to work, business owners need to develop a deliberate approach to sharing content with subscribers if they want to keep up.

“Big corporates are investing big time in content marketing,” she said. “This year, marketing budgets are being boosted to grow this marketing strategy.”

Mrs Peterson Clark said the Association for Data-driven Marketing and Advertising (ADMA)’s Content Marketing in Australia 2014 report found more big businesses are investing in content marketing.

“Marketing professionals are embracing it. This year 69 per cent of respondents plan to increase spending on content marketing,” she said.

“The amount of content being produced is on the increase too. More than 80 per cent said they are producing more content than a year ago.”

What does this mean for small business?

Mrs Peterson Clark said until recently only large ad agencies provided content marketing services.

“Now small business can learn to do it themselves. It is an important tool to have in their marketing arsenal,” she said.

“The world is changing – people do not want to be sold at all the time. They want to be valued by business they are dealing with. Small businesses can do that better than larger companies because of the blood, sweat and tears invested in their products and services.”

Content marketing gets valuable exposure and cements relationships, something other marketing techniques can’t do.

“By creating useful regular content shared through a blog, video, social media, article, reports or e-book, people are more inclined to recommend that business and become a loyal customer,” Mrs Peterson Clark said.

“It is an effective tool for generating relationships, building trust and sales.

“Giving away free information feels counter intuitive but people want to hear and see the great messages small business has to share.

“There is a saying ‘people do business with people they like’.  What better way to get people to like you than provide information that solves a problem or helps them out!”

 

 

 

 

 

 

Words That Work One Day Workshop Series being held on the East Coast of Australia

Sydney - Friday February 28th - Y Hotel Hyde Park

Melbourne - Friday March 7th - Quest on Doncaster 

Brisbane - Friday March 14th - The Jindalee Hotel

Full details available @ www.facebok.com/ContentMarketingQueen

 

Michelle Peterson Clark is a forty something mother of three and entrepreneur. After three university degrees and more than 10 years in state and local government, Michelle has been running her own business for over 10 years.

 

All that writing has led to her passion of writing for clients and assisting small business with their content marketing media strategies. A member of the Professional Writers’ Alliance and trained by the American Writers & Artists Inc (AWAI), Michelle travels the world teaching and training in the growing area of Content Marketing.

 

Her ultimate dream is to move to England for a year and do a Post Graduate Degree at Oxford University “live” whilst living there with her husband and youngest son. They leave on July 1, 2017.