One of the easiest ways to grow your business and bring in new clients or customers is by sharing value. No matter what industry or niche you are in, you have valuable information that can help others. In this short post, we will review the benefits of sharing value, why you are wrong if you think you can’t do it, and how to get started right now.
Benefits of sharing for a business
- How many times have you been looking to purchase something or use a service and you cannot remember who among your contacts provides this? By sharing, you remind your network that you exist, that you do what you do, kind of like a business card.
- Sharing value helps establish you as a SME, a subject matter expert. If someone in your network wasn’t sure if you were the right address for whatever product or service you offer, when they hear you give away valuable information related to your industry, this can help establish the trust necessary for them to give you a try.
- Sharing value can start a conversation, which can lead to a recommendation, lead, or sale.
- Sharing and interacting helps you establish relationships with your contacts. And where do you go first when you need a product or a service? Often times, the first stop is someone you have a relationship with, the store owner who is friendly with you, the relative who provides the service you need. Start developing relationships with your potential customers.
To summarize;
- Remind your contacts that you exist and that you do what you do
- Establish yourself as the Subject Matter Expert in your niche
- Start conversations which can lead to sales
- Establish relationships with your potential customers
But I can’t make valuable content? Here a few reasons that hold some people back from sharing value
- I don’t have anything valuable to share
- I’m not a professional content person
- I don’t know how to edit video
- It takes too long
So let’s address these, one by one:
- EVERYONE has valuable information to share. No matter your niche, you know things others don’t. It can be as simple as some insider info about your niche that most people just don’t know but will find interesting, a product recommendation, a recommendation for a free software tool you use to help you, a commonly asked question by potential customers or leads. You DO HAVE valuable info to share.
- You do not need to be a professional content person to share value. Sharing value is something that most people do as a matter of course during normal social activity. The content does not have to be professionally written or produced to have the positive benefits mentioned above.
- You don’t know how to edit video? Well, the good news is that it isn’t necessary. If you will be making a video post, put your cellphone camera on a mini tripod or use your laptop camera and get recording. The thing about valuable information is that it doesn’t matter how professional your video setup is, as long as the info is valuable.
- To share a quick tip or some helpful information can take as little as 60 seconds of typing a status update. If you want to put a little more time into it, take a few notes, organize your thoughts, and then record or type. Either way, you should be able to get something out onto your LinkedIn and Facebook in under an hour.
So how do you get started sharing value?
- Open a word or Google doc, and make a list of one or two or three valuable tips that you can share.
- Commit to sharing something of value at least twice a week.
- Put in in your calendar so it is off your head, and the time is blocked out.
To wrap all of that up:
- There are some amazing benefits that can result from regular sharing of value through your social media.
- You do have valuable information and you can do it easily.
- Share your first golden nugget today, and block out time in your calendar going forward.