Just a couple of days ago James Weddle talked about the Five Things You Can Do to Grow Your Business. As James pointed out, all of these tools are FREE. That’s awesome, but what really got me fired up was that some of these free online marketing tools are easy to use and some are not!

But, before I get ahead of myself, here’s the summary of that article:

• Socialize (i.e., set up accounts on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn)
• Start a blog and start writing
• Write articles for other people
• Exploit apps, tools, and plugins
• Use ShareOnce (i.e, join your group or set it up)

When you combine “free” and “easy” there’s a lot to be excited about. In essence, even if you have no budget, you can still grow your business. That means increasing your number of prospects and leads. It means meeting more people and forming more relationships. It means making more money, helping more people, and delivering more value. Bam!

However, before you get too excited, there is one HUGE PROBLEM. This is something that virtually everyone ignores. I’m going to explain that problem in a minute. First, I want to tell you a secret…

The “secret” is that these tools are fueled by content. Putting it another way, if you want to market your business or organization with a blog you need content. If you want to use articles, you have to write them. Furthermore, if you want serious results you need fantastic content.You have to invest.

So, the truth is that most content isn’t really free. In other words, if you want great content you have to write your own blog entries or articles. Or, you have to hire writers. So, “free” isn’t really “free” when you pull back the covers.

I’ll put it yet another way. The huge problem is that creating great content takes time and money, even when the tools are free. It’s for this reason that I care very much about usability. Like you, I really need easy-to-use tools so I can maximize my time investment with these free online marketing tools. I know that I’m going to write a lot and I want the experience to be simple and pleasant.

With all of that in mind, here’s some very good news: We’ve literally spent hundreds of hours making ShareOnce easy to use. We’ve spent thousands of dollars “getting it right” by sitting down with real people, watching them actually use ShareOnce. We’re doing serious, scientific research! The crew here recognizes that usability is the “secret sauce” that makes web sites and web tools easier to use. So, that’s why we’ve invested so much of our time and money to give you an awesome user experience.

Quite frankly, I don’t know how much Facebook and LinkedIn have invested in usability. Based on my personal experience, I sometimes wonder what they are thinking. I certainly have issues using those sites and if you’re like me, you’ve been challenged too.

But I digress… my main points can be summarized this way:

1. Many excellent online marketing tools are “free”
2. But, these tools are powered by content and your time
3. So, these tools must be easy for you to use; don’t settle

Don’t get sucked into the idea that your online marketing tools are 100% free until you consider your plan for creating content. Likewise, never forget that your tools need to be easy to use so you maximize your time investment. Your time is your most valuble asset, even more important than money.