Many online marketing gurus will tell you to give your audience as much free value as possible. This could be in the form of a regular newsletter, an extensive blog, or an e-Book with all of the hot tips and tricks for SEO success.
But, how much value is too much value?
When giving away so much information, do you run the risk of losing your clients? Do you give prospects all of the information they need to go it alone? Or is there a genuine advantage to being open handed with your secrets?
In this article, we’re going to challenge this common misconception so you can decide which approach is best for you. Here’s what you need to know…
You don’t have to give away everything
First of all, it’s important to know that you really do not need to give away everything.
You can offer your audience general information they will find insightful, without sharing all of your methods.
Be selective and generous at the same time.
Knowing how to do something is very different to being able
Another important thing to remember is that there is a big difference between knowing how to do something and actually being able to do it.
Even as full-time marketers we often struggle to keep up with our workload. SEO is just one small part of the much larger digital marketing strategies that we implement for our clients.
The ideal outcome is that when you give away some of your SEO secrets and educate your clients and prospects regarding the ins and outs of SEO, they will realise just how much work is involved!
Odds are, they won’t have time for it, nor the resources to delegate such tasks in house with any real success – thus reaffirming your immense value.
Establish your authority and they will come
It’s simple consumer psychology. People are far more likely to buy from brands that they can trust – and what better a way to establish that trust by being transparent?
When you have tonnes of high-quality content that educates and inspires, you’re not running the risk of losing business, but attracting more.
We fear what we don’t understand
One of the biggest turn offs for business owners who are considering SEO as a viable marketing method for their business is their lack of understanding.
As you well know, there are countless con artists out there claiming to be SEO consultants when in actuality, they’re just looking to manipulate people out of their hard-earned cash.
This, coupled with any ambiguity on your side, will only frighten some of the less familiar prospects off.
However, if you make a genuine effort to educate them as best you can, it will help them to see the true long-term value of a well-optimised SEO campaign.
Final thoughts
Any SEO agency is competing with countless thousands of other online marketers for business. Why not switch things up and try an approach to client-acquisition that many agencies are too afraid to test?
- You can keep your most valuable secrets
- Knowing how doesn’t mean being able
- Sharing knowledge builds authority
- We fear what we don’t understand – so help them understand.
