There Is Such a Thing As Too Much Free Content

So much has been said about free online content for businesses, how essential it is to gain credibility and build trust and connection.

All true.

We buy from those we know, like, and trust, so it’s a good avenue to share what you know with people who care about what you know, as a way to set the stage for sales.

There is such a thing as too much free content, however. That happens when you’re spending so much of your time creating free content that it starts to interfere with your business. That’s the point I’ve come to in mine.

Like you and everyone who chooses to have impact through a business, I have to reassess my business from time to time: to look through the basics, such as the business model, offerings, marketing, and sales. It’s easy to get in a groove and just continue in that groove or make minor tweaks, instead of periodically taking the time to step back, examine what’s effective in terms of your impact, and scale back on what is not serving that purpose.

Here’s what I discovered when I did my own reassessment:

Looking through the lens of impact with its three aspects, collective care, income, and legacy, I reaffirmed that impact is where it’s best for me to pour my energy and all my care. It’s how I deliver the most value, and support you in creating your impact through these three areas, which I love to do. Even though I KNOW this (!), it’s been good to review what I’m doing and why in my business.

So, I’m taking a turn in how I generate free content. I’ve decided to focus more on the Work Alchemy podcast. I love doing it, it has significant impact based on what I’m repeatedly hearing from listeners, and it has revenue-generating potential through sponsorships as well as sales.

It’s very freeing to come to this decision about my marketing strategy. I’ve recognized that how I’ve been investing my resources, all for great reasons, now no longer serves my impact as well as it once did. This new focus ticks all of the boxes and then some. This decision feels powerful, and it frees up not only time, but energy and space for creativity.

There are of course other things to take into consideration, and I’ve done that too. How much do you love what you do and therefore gives you energy? What value is it providing that perhaps doesn’t directly result in revenue but serves your impact? What can be delegated? That of course also requires income, as you have to pay someone to delegate to!

To create room for this new focus, and to scale back on time spent on even more free content as opposed to income-generating work, you’ll see fewer blog posts, and more guest articles, as I reach out to expand my paying audience. You’ll see that I’ll continue to ramp up being a guest on other podcasts, for the same reason. My existing library at WorkAlchemy.com with all that free content will also continue to be available to you.

Hearing about what’s happening in my own business, you can take what I’ve learned and apply it to your business. Your impact matters to me. My renewed focus on collective care, income, and legacy gets the best results for you as well, so if you want to make one or more of the aspects of impact, collective care, income, and legacy, more of a priority in your business, start by doing the Business Impact Assessment.

See what I just did there?