Content marketing is difficult for many small businesses. There are many reasons people give for not posting content widely or consistently. That takes too long. I am not a good writer. I do not know how.
But every time I hear someone explain why they can’t (or don’t want to) do something that would clearly benefit them and their business, I know something else is at stake … fear.
Yes, many people fear marketing. Maybe they don’t see it that way. But excuses are always a shield to protect us from fear.
And it’s OK. I admit it. Marketing is scary.
There is good reason for the fears many people feel around marketing. For small business owners, content marketing means exposing yourself. It means putting your thoughts in writing and posting them on the internet. It means standing in front of a camera or video camera to put your image and voice on your website and marketing materials. It means creating something from your heart to give to thousands of people.
Exposing your thoughts, your image, and your heart to the world unleashes fears in everyone. The fear of criticism. The fear of failure. The fear of rejection. The fear of the unknown. Perhaps even fear of success or too much attention.
Fear wants us to make excuses. Or reduce our content to the size of a tweet and end the day. Or go for a smart ad and pay big bucks to hide it in the middle of a newspaper or magazine.
Fear is normal. But that does not mean that it is correct. In fact it’s not!
The truth is, consistently posting good content is the best way for small businesses to attract more customers and build exposure. And the more content you publish, the more effective it will be.
So how do you overcome fear? With courage. Courage is not the absence of fear, but the willingness to act despite fear. If you wait for the fear to go away, you will never act. The trick is to feel the fear and do it anyway.
We all have the ability to be brave. In fact, courage is essential for entrepreneurs. It takes courage to start a business. It takes courage to work with your first client. And yes, it takes courage to blog, send an ezine, or create a subscription gift.
So if you find yourself making excuses as to why you haven’t consistently been marketing content, just know that marketing takes courage. And then do it.