One of the biggest impacts social media has had on how businesses market themselves is not about low cost routes to market or the ability to ‘engage’ (I hate that word) with your audience, I believe it is the shift is emphasis from pushing out controlled sales messages to sharing knowledge and expertise.

But for many business owners this does not sit comfortably.

I have had conversations with business owners who do not want to publish case studies in case there competitors see them (not that most of us don’t have a very good idea of who our competitors are working with anyway). I also come across the argument about the giving away of knowledge for free, especially for service companies where their knowledge is usually attached with a fee or charge.

So what is the happy medium? What are the arguments for being more open with the sharing of your knowledge be it through blogs, forums or free guides or white papers?

#1   For businesses where their products or services are complex then providing more in depth examples of what you can do or more information about the subject can help bring it to life.

#2   If you have a business, which on the surface, looks like you offer the same service as your competitors it can be a way of differentiating yourself. This is particularly apt for professional services such as accountants or solicitors who can provide real added value by demystifying certain aspects of what they do (OK this knowledge isn’t billable but is a marketing investment)

#3   It helps you to build relationships which in turn places you in a strong position to do business at a later date. When people are interacting with you through reading your emails, newsletters or blogs they have an affinity with you and a relationship is formed.

#4   It is important to become the ‘go to person’. Someone who is known for having a giving nature and people will come to you for help or advice. Again a great way of building rapport, trust and ultimately winning business.

#5   It helps you to stand out as an influencer in your industry or sector. How much would you pay for traditional advertising that would raise your profile to such an extent? This is especially important for individuals or small businesses that can project a profile that is far outpunching their weight but in a way that is backed up by the quality of the knowledge and expertise they are sharing.

#6   It helps your message be ‘sticky’. With the huge amount of choice available to consumers and marketing ‘noise’ it is no longer enough to shot out your message and hope people take notice. To cope with the competing marketing messages consumers are having to be increasingly selective and, by providing some added value to them, you will hopefully be on that shortlist and gain their attention.

#7   It is easy and cheap through the social media platforms. You don’t need to incur print costs for brochures or white papers. You can publish your thoughts instantly on blogs. You can find and make connections with target people through twitter and Linked In and you can share, share, share your thoughts out to a wide network of people almost in an instant.

So the next time you think about what can you blog or tweet about, or how can you add fresh content to your website, have a think about what knowledge you have that could be useful for your customers and prospects and think of it not as throwing away your knowledge for nothing, but rather as bait to bring in the big juicy customers you really want.

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