Source: “Avoiding the 5 Pitfalls of Free Content”
John Jantsch of Duct Tape Marketing wrote an interesting article last Friday, bemoaning the over-use of free content as the central tool of inbound marketing. In the article, he lists five reasons why “free is hurting us all” as both content makers and content consumers. The article caught my attention – not necessarily because it’s wrong – but because it raises some worthwhile critiques that all inbound marketers should be aware of to ensure we get the most from our content.
According to John, the five problems with free content are:
- No accountability
- Eroded Value
- Lowered Expectations
- Blocked Revenue
- Community Buster
As inbound marketers, it is important to be aware of the potential pitfalls of giving away free content and the strategies we can use to effectively leverage it.
1. Create Accountability
John claims that free content is more likely to attract casual sign-ups from people who never end up actually attending your webinar or viewing your content. As a marketer, create incentives for your leads to stick around. You could advertise that you’ll be sharing a coupon code at the end of the webinar or offering a sneak preview of a new feature. Having a teaser – and advertising it – is a great way to ensure your leads view your piece of content and become more qualified.
2. Build a Reputation for Quality
John asks a question that your prospects might also ask themselves: “How good can something that’s free really be?” It is important to make sure that you’re not just making content for content’s sake – your prospects want to know,“What’s in it for me if I sign up for this?”
One way to convince newcomers of your content’s quality is by using numbers. Advertising that "over 20,000 people have signed up for this webinar” or that “817,000 marketers are receiving our content” is a great way to signal your content’s quality using social proof.
View the full article on HubSpot’s Inbound Internet Marketing Blog
“Avoiding the 5 Pitfalls of Free Content”
Tags: Content, Free, Hubspot, Social Media, Tips and Tricks
