Why You Need Educational Content
A lot of creative business owners struggle with marketing because it doesn't feel good.
It feels like you're trying to trick people into buying from you. It feels like you're just being salesy and greedy, pushing your products on people.
But what if I told you that marketing is really just TEACHING?
Teaching comes from a place of sharing and service, not greed and sleaze.
Let's dive into this perspective, and how marketing your biz can actually feel good.
Marketing is more than announcing a new product
At its core, marketing is making other people aware of the product or service you offer.
BUT, you can't just post a picture of your product on Instagram, tell people it's available for sale, and expect anyone to buy it.
In addition to your announcement being seen by people who actually have a problem that your product/service can solve, those people also need to:
Be aware that they have that problem or need
Know that solutions for that problem exist
Trust you to deliver on your promise to solve their problem
And it takes EDUCATION to help people reach a point where all three of those bullet points are true.
Let's break them down:
Problem (Un)Awareness
There are some people who are in the stage where they don't know they have a problem—they just don't even realize there's something they're missing.
For instance, the other day I was working with someone in the Procreate app on the iPad. I made some edits to a drawing, tapping the screen with 2 fingers to undo, and recoloring layers with other gesture shortcuts.
The person I was with stopped me in shock and asked how I was doing those things, explaining that they always did those things by tapping into the menus or manually recreating pieces of the drawing.
Essentially, I showed them that there's a quicker, easier way to work in this app, educating them that they have a need. The kinds of tips I shared would be great educational content for someone who teaches courses in Procreate and needs to educate their audience similarly!
As another example, have you ever seen or heard someone comment on a product saying they "never knew they needed this in their life until now?"
That's the business doing a great job of creating content to educate "problem unaware" buyers. They're teaching them that something exists that can make their life better in some way!
Solution Awareness
Some people know that they don't like the way things are—they know they have a need—but they don't know what options are out there for them to make things better.
This is where you'll need to educate people about your solution by talking about it in places your target audience hangs out.
The person I showed the shortcuts in Procreate to is now ready to see content about courses on using Procreate more efficiently—if they saw a post about a Procreate course before now, they may have skipped right over it because they already thought they were doing things the most efficient way.
They've now been taught that there's a better way to do something, so they're ready to hear about solutions that can get them to that better state.
Similarly, a local store who wants to bring in more customers needs to know that your business creating greeting cards that fit their aesthetic exists, and that you sell wholesale.
If you don't teach them (through your content) about your cards and their availability, that store won't be able to fulfill its needs.
By talking about your products and services, you're doing a service to your target audience.
You're helping them find a solution that they're already looking for. You're making it easier for them to fix a problem or fulfill a need that they have.
When you look at marketing and content from this perspective of service and education, it doesn't feel quite so sleazy, does it?
Trust
You also need to educate your customers on the fact that they can trust you.
As humans, we need reassurance before we blindly hand over our hard earned money. We need to feel safe.
You can do this through testimonials, case studies, reviews, and other social proof that will show new customers that you deliver on your promises.
Again, this education helps get your new customer closer to fulfilling their need or solving their problem.
It's not tricking them into something they don't want to do—it's teaching them what they need to know in order to make their life better.
All marketing content is educational
From this perspective, all of the content you post is "educational."
Educational doesn't just mean a video tutorial or a step by step walkthrough of something—whether you're selling courses, furniture, artwork, or design services, you need to be educating your audience to help them find the solution that will best fulfill their needs.
Note: In my 1:1 coaching program, The Content Strategy Glow Up, I help creative biz owners create an educational content strategy that's a perfect match for their lifestyle, business, and moral compass. If you’re ready to go from feeling icky and salesy to promoting your amazing creative work with confidence and getting inquiries and sales from your ideal customers, the Content Strategy Glow Up is for you :)