As a business owner, you’ve seen it countless times before.

A new fad comes around and everyone talks about how it will change everything. You are more calculating, you don’t like rushing into things, and you have your priorities set. The smart move is often to wait and see how things play out.

But part of being a great owner is taking advantage of a great opportunity when you see it. If an intelligent content marketing strategy is one of those things for you, you have to ask yourself “What’s keeping you from starting?”

Here are five of the most common (and legitimate) reasons that most business owners avoid starting a content marketing strategy. For each of them, you’ll see a quick workaround you can use without having to hire a marketing consultant.

1. I don’t have the time

You are busy. You don’t have time to eat your lunch let alone think about doing a blog or a podcast. Of course marketing is important, but so is accounting, managing people, setting vision, etc. There just isn’t enough you to go around.

Why it’s legitimate: As the owner, your company benefits the most when you have an effective media brand, so it makes sense not to outsource it. If the creative media work has your style and personality, then you have a way to scale your personal touch in reaching more people. Therefore it makes sense why you should be at the front.

Workaround: First, you make time for important stuff all the time. You seem to find a way to get your logo redesigned, meet with your key employees, close your books, and check your Twitter feed. If it is really important for you to be the one doing the work, you will make time for it. 

Stop thinking of yourself as the actor, and think about being the executive producer. It’s your movie and will give the message you want it to, but you get to decide what you do and don’t do. You can be like Clint Eastwood and do it all, or you can bring in someone else to do be the director, writer, actor, etc.

 

2. I don’t have anything to say

When you think about hosting a show or a starting a magazine, you can think of one or two good ideas, but then the creativity pipe runs dry.

Why it’s legitimate: Thank you very much for not filling the world with mediocre content. There is way too much of it out there and your abstention is very much appreciated. Most company blogs have less than six months of posts before they wither up.

Workaround: You know a ton more than you realize. If you were to sit down with someone who has no experience in your industry, they could give you a list of 100 things they would want to know more about, 100 ways you could provide value into their life. Remember that the rest of us are basically morons when it comes to your topic.

If you don’t like producing content, then curate it. Send out a newsletter with the best articles you’ve read this week. Host an event where your favorite speakers get together and talk. Create the place where people like you go for good information.

 

3. I am not a good writer

Let’s be honest. You didn’t get into business because of your English literature experience. The skillset needed to be a great journalist and a great entrepreneur is quite different.

Why it’s legitimate: No matter how brilliant you are, if you don’t write well or have horrible grammar, your message is not going to get across. People only have time to read great, useful content and your skills as a writer might be holding you back.

Workaround: There is more to content creation than just writing. Maybe you can speak well (do a podcast), design (create infographics), draw (make cartoons), or any number of things. Choose a media format you are more comfortable in that reflects your style and skill.

If you really want to do it yourself, try learning a new skill. Take a writing/drawing/designing class online or at your local community college. Don’t assume you have to use a standard blog post formula (4 Ways to …). Use poetry, or an ongoing narrative with relatable characters.

 

4. I don’t know what I’m doing online

The digital world is scary. The media world is scary. The digital media world is downright frightening. It seems crowded and stuffed with professionals and gurus at every turn. It can be intimidating to try to break into them and do the work you want to do.

Why it’s legitimate: If you don’t know some of the basic rules of publishing and distributing online, you really might be wasting your time.

Why it’s lame: As you would expect, content marketers take their approach seriously and produce a lot of fantastic content about creating great materials, and a lot of it is free.

Read a book like Youtility. Listen to a podcast like This Old Marketing. Subscribe to a blog like Copyblogger (or this one). Over time, you will learn what you need to know.

 

5. I don’t know what to do with it once I create it

One of the greatest challenges in a great content marketing approach is knowing how to distribute the content you create.

Why it’s legitimate: While we all wish that simply producing great content should be enough, you have to do some work to attract people to you. Otherwise, your content is a waste of time.

Workaround: Distribution sounds complex, but it all comes back to where your audience is. If you do basic computer repair, posting on Stack Overflow (web community for professional programmers) is probably not the best option. Instead, think about some offline ways to distribute content since your ideal audience might be very technically challenged.

 

You are smart enough to come up with five or ten more reasons to not start an intelligent content marketing strategy. That’s the easy part. The question is, are you brave enough to start one today?