The Great Giveaway: How much is too much to give away for free online?

At the heart of all content marketing is… well… content.

No surprises there then.

But although the statement is just stating the obvious, it also hits the nail on the head in terms of answering the question in the title of this blog:

How much is too much to give away for free online?

The short answer is you can never give too much away for free online.

The longer answer needs a bit more explaining, so let’s begin.

Your content should be free

You give away your content for free online because that’s how content marketing works.

Your content provides information, guidance and advice for your audience. From helpful tips and ‘How to…’ guides to ebooks or training, you should give it all away for free.

Why?

Well, firstly, it’s all been said and done before.

If it’s all been done before, what’s the point?

We’ll get that to that in a minute. But first, consider this.

Here’s a typical Google search a business owner might try:

'How to market your business'

Type that into the search bar and it gets 5,160,000,000 results in 0.73 seconds.

Let’s try another:

'How to write a business blog'

This gets 655,000,000 results in 0.55 seconds.

You see, pretty much anything and everything is already out there. Just Google it to find out!

And in the post-Brexit apocalypse when there are food shortages and we’re all forced to eat insects to survive?

Don’t worry…

'Food recipes using insects'

169,000,000 results in 0.56 seconds!

You can’t give away too much

So, you simply can’t give away too much. The chances are that your content is already out there in some shape or form anyway.

Of course, that doesn’t mean that it’s okay just to copy or plagiarise. It’s just a reality check, that's all. As with music or film, the likelihood of creating something that is wholly original gets harder as time goes on.

The chances of your business being totally unique or genuinely disruptive in the market you are operating in are also fairly slim.

But that doesn’t mean that we should all just pack up, give up and go home. The trick is to offer a new twist or particular take on something – and to package your content in such a way that you become relevant – and then essential – to your audience.

Don’t give away your product – Sell it!

Of course, you don’t give away everything. You don’t give away your products or services for nothing. That would be ridiculous!

If you manufacture furniture, you don’t give away your sofas or dining tables for free.

However, what you should be doing is giving away as much as you can ‘about and around’ your furniture: interior design tips, how to decorate, or general advice and information about the home.

It’s the quality of the content you create and the quality of the guidance and help you give that makes you valuable and vital to your audience.

Yes, it’s probably true that your audience might be able to find out what they want to know somewhere else. But it’s up to you to put it in front of them – in a way that engages them.

The question is: How can I give away more?

So, the question to ask yourself is not: Am I giving away too much for free?

It should be: Can I give away more?

The more that you give, the more visible your brand becomes. Not only that, the more chance there is of you being regarded as a thought leader, an expert and a business that can be trusted.

When you achieve that, people will keep coming back for more.

For more help about to how answer the questions your customers are asking and how to solve the problems they face, get in touch to discuss a creative content marketing strategy that meets your needs.