Does content marketing actually work? If so, how long will it take? These are probably the two most common questions that I get from prospective clients. The short answers are 1) yes, and 2) longer than you think.
However, a better question to ask is, “how important is it to my business to have an audience?”
Every business needs customers, but not every business needs an audience. But if you are willing to do the work of building an audience through organic growth, you are creating perhaps your most valuable business asset.
Why? Two reasons:
- Building an audience is difficult, and it’s where many small businesses and startups fall down. Building the product will seem easy compared to building an audience.
- Once you’ve earned the attention—and then the trust—of an audience, you can do something with it. You can convert it into capital, ultimately.
Content marketing is going to take time. It will require consistency, persistence, and patience. You won’t find any short cuts, because you can’t force people trust you, and you can’t force a relationship to go faster.
It’s worth it to me, which is why I live my own strategy. But only you can decide whether it will be worth it for your own business. In this week’s episode, I get into some of the considerations around your audience as an asset.