Pull Marketing Blog

Are You Failing To Add Value In Your Content? Then Inbound Marketing Isn’t For You!

  

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Whenever I look at the most successful clients we get to work with, there’s always one common thread that ties them together – they are committed to and live by the principle of “Add Value First, Customers Will Follow. “

But I’ll admit that it can be difficult to wrap your brain around the concept, especially if it seems a little too touchy feely or New Age-y to you. To make inbound marketing work for you, it’s imperative that you focus less on the goals that you have for your marketing (although they’re important!) and more on the needs of your prospective clients and customers.

 If your content isn’t meeting those needs, getting them to take the next action and become a lead will be an uphill battle.

Inbound marketing isn’t just about SEO, lead generation, and lead nurturing. It’s about looking at your business in a completely new way and seeing yourself as a solver of problems, not just a business person wanting to increase your cash flow.

Not sure how to add value in your content? These 3 tips should help!

Invite Your Audience To Ask Questions

One of the reasons I encourage blogging for inbound marketing is that it gives you an opportunity to form a relationship with your readers. While they may not always leave blog comments, they are always there in the background reading and getting familiar with your voice.

As your readers start to get familiar with you, create opportunities for them to ask you questions. Host a uStream.tv show or just put up a video asking for their most pressing questions. You may not always get questions but you always need to be asking for them.

Get Tuned Into What’s Happening

The power of social media isn’t just finding more people who are interesting in hearing your message. The hidden power is the ability to listen in on conversations in real time. Think about it. Just a few years ago, you would have to spend time at in person networking groups or conferences in order to find out the needs of your target audience.

Now, all you have to do is use some social media monitoring tools like Trackur to track down conversations relevant to your business. Find out the most pressing problems and use the solutions you come up with to create your next lead generating whitepaper.  

Don’t Worry About Giving Away Too Much

Many times when I read blog posts, I have a feeling that the writer is holding back for fear of giving away too many secrets. They’re afraid that if they give away too much information, they will have solved all their prospects’ problems and will lose money.

Time and time again, this has been proven wrong. The hidden secret here is that no matter how much you give away, people are always going to think their situation is different. Share too much and share often. Then, you’ll create more opportunities for your prospects to strike up a dialogue with you. You’ll be adding value and making your readers and prospects see that you’re the one they should be doing business with and not your competitors.

Those who stand out in Inbound Marketing are the ones who genuinely care about their field of business and feel compelled to give away valuable free information.

What’s the hardest part about adding value in your business? Is it the fear that you’re going to give away too much or that you just don’t know what your prospects need? Let us know in the comments!