The setup, then the sale!

Why providing value will get you to the finish line

I had an interesting conversation recently. The topic allowed me the opportunity to explain my views on “growing a business”. How I think providing value upfront, over and over, will inevitably pay off for a business tremendously. The conversation flowed openly, and my counterparts were pretty receptive of my thoughts. I suggested they need to forget about Return On Investment (ROI). That they need to just make great content that people can use, and ask for the sale down the road. I described that those ‘first’ acts of providing value are vital and that you can make most of them for free, using social media.

The next question they had was a great one:

“Should we ever spend money on those initial pieces of content that have no measurable ROI”?

Should you or your business spend money to say something without a call to action – like, not “buy our beer”, but instead an infographic showing the different beers you offer and where they come from. Should you ever pay to promote just a good piece of content. Should you spend $5, $50 or even $500 on promoting it? Is this type of content marketing worth it? Is building up equity and then asking for the sale later worth it?

Umm, yup!

BUT… As I explained to them, I think it depends on a number of factors. Mainly, how much money you have?

If you just started a new venture, you probably can’t afford much. Five years into your business, you should be able afford something. So, it really depends on where your business is. If you have a limited budget, you’re likely going to want to spend it for your strong pitch: “Hey, buy our beer”. Simple – Straight to the point. Tell people what you’d like them to do. But, I stress, don’t stop providing value. Just collect on the benefits that come from providing value to your audiences for FREE via social media.

Content that doesn’t have a direct Call-To-Action or a measurable ROI has a huge purpose.

Now, if you have an actual marketing budget, If this is the case, there is massive value in getting your content in front of more eye balls. And the best way to accomplish this is through paid promotion. Relevant businesses are spending a bunch of cash on content to build up awareness. Content that doesn’t have an ROI plays a big role. You spend money not only on making it, but also on getting yourself out there – because you have to think of yourself as a marketer/brand manager, not just a salesperson. There’s no point in having a business if people don’t know you exist. Make sense?

So if you can afford it, I say – do it. You won’t be disappointed. Allocate some portion, 5% to 40% of your budget, on just providing value. If you’re a huge business, with deep pockets, then I’d even say split it 50/50 – half on giving value and the other half on asking for the sale. They’re both equally important.

The setup, then the sale!