Quick Tips: Start By Adding Value

This morning we read a great blog post from HubSpot titled “Is Your Online Marketing Strategy All Tweet and No Meat“  We couldn’t agree more with their central thesis, that the real value in digital marketing comes from content not contact. In other words, social media is very hot right now—everyone’s jumping onto Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and a million other platforms—but the real value of all these contact channels still lies in whether you’re delivering content.

A great case-in-point are our long time friends and clients over at LeadWithClarity.com.  They believe so strongly in adding value that they’ve been sending completely free tips, advice, and leadership development stories to their newsletter list since 2004.  They have recently re-launched their site and are creating more and more channels for two-way and multi-way interaction, a change that has been incredibly well received by their long-time fans in no small part because they understand the value they get out of their digital interactions with this brand.

Don’t think of this as “giving away the farm for free.”  In the world of Google and Wikipedia, chances are that they’ll get the information, it’s just a question of whom they are getting it from.  All of this should be for the purpose of positioning yourself as a front-of-mind expert, ass someone who they trust for information on your subject-area. If you become that trusted source for everyday information, who are they going to turn to when they have a bigger problem that they can’t solve?

Tip: So we would argue that the case shouldn’t be “don’t forget to add value” but rather “start by adding value” in your marketing.  When you communicate with customers, and especially with potential customers, ask yourself: “what have I done for them lately?”  If you’re asking for something from them, you better already be providing them with some serious value in return.

Bonus Tip: Providing value isn’t as hard as it may seem, in fact, you’re probably already doing it.  The opportunity you have in this ultra-connected age is to get every ounce of value out of actions you’re already doing.  Are you hosting seminars or workshops for your customers, and potential customers?  Why not also broadcast these online, or certainly make highlights available after the fact?  Are you going to attend a popular conference that you’re customers are also interested in?  Why not promote the fact that you’ll be updating your Twitter account with useful tips you learn along the way?  And then summarize your leanings for them after the fact?

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