This is a repost for the upcoming Social Marketing series this week!
Ryan Travis here. I hope everyone is doing well.
I’m excited to let you in on some Insider Secrets about Social Marketing.
We’re all about helping you get a leg up on marketing strategies here at the Max Pro Blog. And nothing is hotter right now that Social Marketing.
Introducing…
Social Marketing Secrets... A 3 part series that will help you begin to use Social Marketing with your business to drive traffic and increase awareness and sales.
Expect 3 posts over the next week or so on these Social Marketing topics:
1- Intro to Social Marketing
2- The Where’s and How’s in Social Marketing
3- Strategies to Implement for Your Business
Look forward to this series, and be ready to leave feedback and comments. Ask questions. Get involved. After all, this blog is about you and for you. Plus we may bounce ideas off each other that will help all of us!
Expect Part 1 of Social Marketing Secrets in the next couple of days!
Today we’re going to talk about blog posting. We’ve talked before about how Max Pro co-creator Mike Antoni is a huge believer in blogging. We have a great blogging package that we sell by the way if you’re interested. But anyways, Mike believes that blogging is necessary for the success of your online business. He says it as a great way to build a loyal customer base and to drive traffic to your site.
But what we haven’t talked about before is the necessity of blog commenting. Commenting on other people’s blogs can be a great way to advertise your business opportunity and generate traffic for your site.
Here are some basic steps that you can follow to get you started:
1.) Establish a list of keywords to work from.
- You’re going to want to choose keywords that are home business oriented. Like work from home, build your own online business, etc…
2.) Plug your keywords into Google to generate a list of blogs for you to visit.
3.) Set a goal to visit at least 5 blogs a day
4.) Once at the blog read the posts and get a general feel for the blog. Make sure your biz opp would be welcome there.
5.) Create a signature that includes your website link in it and a brief blurb about your opportunity
6.) Thoughtfully respond to a blog post with an insightful comment. Don’t hard sell. Let your blog signature do the selling for you.
Keep at it and in no time you’ll have a variety of back links established that will generate traffic for you and your website!
Let’s talk a little bit about blogging. Max Pro system co-creator Mike Antoni is a die hard believer in blogging. He thinks it’s not only a fantastic way to drive traffic to your site but it’s also a great way to build up your list.
To drive traffic to your site you want to blog frequently. Blogs are updated and ranked more easily in Google then a regular website. So the more you update the better your ranking. You also want to make your blog posts as keyword rich as possible. This will also increase your ranking.
So remember to have a good set of keywords that your targeting before you start blogging.
In order to build a list off your blog what you want to do is offer a free giveaway that a potential customer would opt-in to receive. This can be something simple like a free report. Once the customer has opted in now you have the opportunity to relationship build with them which will increase your sales potential.
One further note; remember to choose a keyword rich URL for better Google rankings.
Blogging should always be fun! If it becomes a tedious, tiring, boring or frustrating passtime, put it aside and evaluate what is happening. I have being hobby blogging for a little over two years and business blogging for a little more than a year. I love the interactive process!
Making the blog interactive serves two major purposes. First, friendships are established that are meaningful and great for self-actualization. Your self-worth is enhanced as you share with a faithful audience. Second, an interactive blog is great for determining what design revisions are needed as well as what content directions you may need to pursue.
A good technique for making your blog more interactive is to share how you got started and ask your mailing list to share their story also. This is fun and many people will love telling their story.
Did you know that bloggers can sell their products by email marketing with newsletters? This trend in marketing is growing rapidly. The cost of doing a direct mail piece by postal service runs over a dollar, while email marketing can cost pennies. A one or two percent response rate is considered good on direct mail programs, whereas newsletter response levels run between five and ten percent. According to Doubleclick’s Email consumer Study, over 78% of online shoppers have purchased because of permission-based emails and nearly 60% of email recipients have made purchases in retail shops as a result of a merchant email. If you want increased sales, greater lead generation, stronger brand awareness and improved customer relationships, consider using a newsletter email marketing campaign.
About a year ago I learned a technique that is great for generating traffic on my blog and, at the same time, can be used to increase the value of items being sold. It is simple and easy to do. Does your item being sold have a story to tell or does it have historic significance? Let me share a few examples of this technique that has been profitable for me.
As a metal detector and coin collecting hobbyist, I have found both coins and relic items that are historically significant, and thus are worth more money. An 1880 railroad lock normally worth $80.00 sold for $250 on my blog when I researched and shared its historical significance to the growth and development of the Tampa Bay area. A 1916 NEA sterling silver pin brought a premium price of $25.00 although it was missing the pin closure mechanism. The silver value was less than $3.00 but that was the first year that there was a national NEA conference and collectors wanted one because of its historical significance. I have dug up over 153,000 coins in my 40 years of metal detecting and find that I can sell silver or gold coins of the 1800’s and 1900’s for more than there silver or numismatic value, if they are “significant” dates. This significance can be a year of importance like a birth-date, or the year of a major event in history. I have sold many coins of 1861, 1883, 1892, 1900, 1909, 1916, 1932, 1943, 1945, 1950, 1957, 1962, and 1964.
Salability is even greater if an item has a story to tell. An 1861 Indian head cent found on Deserter’s or Hangman’s Hill in Tarpon Springs, FL has a powerful story to tell. Escapees from Fort Brooke in Tampa during the Civil War were captured and hung and this penny was found under the tree from which they were hung. An 1861 mint state half dollar found at a stagecoach watering hole, in what is now Palm Harbor Florida, has another story to tell. People will pay premium prices for items with a story to tell. How did a 69 A.D. Hebrew half shekel get in the ground in Tarpon Springs. How did a 2500 year old Chinese coin end up in the ground in this same community or a 4000 year old Egyptian silver coin get here? I dug up a confederate soldier’s grave marker in a vacant lot and a 1924 Macy’s Department Store weighing scale weighing over 200 pounds in a wilderness area with no roads or signs of human activity. What stories do these items tell? I have researched all of these items and can create fascinating stories which have plausibility (except for the ancient Egyptian coin). If it has a story to tell it will sell!
I have a lot of fun building my hobby mailing list. This month marks my second year as a blogger. In reviewing what has really made a difference for me in making my blog a good money maker, I came to a simple conclusion. The best way for an online business of any kind to attract new customers is to help them find you. Without ranking them here are my personal favorite ways to help others find me: article writing, SEO campaigns, track cells, conversions, PPC and ROI.
This is Larry and I need to ask you a question. Do you have a Fuzzy Front End?
The question has absolutely nothing to do with the human body or the front end of a vehicle, but is significant when we talk about blog marketing. Making money online requires having a product or products to sell. “Fuzzy Front End” is a term popularized by Smith and Reinertsen in the early 90’s that relates to new product development. Though there is no universally accepted definition of the term, it is the getting started period of product development. Nearly 50% of NPD time is spent on the fuzzy front end. It does not end until you or the company decides to develop the concept and turn it into a new product to sell online or discards the idea altogether. It is an essential process of new product development though and cannot be bypassed. I personally have found this timeframe one that is unpredictable, unstructured and at times chaotic as making the decision to develop a new product is so critical to making money online. The inventors of everything from Yoyos, Hula Hoops, Pet Rocks and Ipods went through this same process. Be “Fuzzy”!
Social Marketing Is A Big Giant Black Hole Monster!!!
It’ll destroy time and space and leave you wondering if you can market with a Blog and Facebook.Agh!
Well… it’s not really.
Social Marketing Is Awesome!
But that got your attention right? (If not, blame it on the writer having a cold… boo at flu season!) But why did I say those things?Well other than a cheap way to get attention, I did it to mix it up things a little bit. Life needs a random odd moment or two from time to time to keep things… less serious. Whether you laugh, dance, paint, play Wii-Golf, or listen to motivational speaker tapes- we all do things to feel better, relax, and be… well… less serious.
But this isn’t really a mindset blog post. It’s about…
One Simple And Easy Tactic To Help You Socially Market!
Be you. If you’re using Social Marketing with your business (Blog, Facebook, forums, media, articles, etc.) and you’re out in the trenches or on the benches (more positive than trenches and makes you think of a mall courtyard doesn’t it?) you’re going to be communicating with people. People like you. Potential customers. Potential fans. Potential critics. Potential naysaying critics who could bruise your web-rep. So if you’re writing a Blog… if you’re commenting in forums… if you’re on Facebook or Myspace in groups… be you. Whatever your product or niche, you’re talking to someone just like you… but in a different situation. You might be talking to them about MaxPro or How To Golf Like A Pro, but tomorrow that same person may be trying to get someone to buy a copy-machine. People like people, so be you.
Three Key Ways “To Be You.”
1) When you’re talking about your product or service, be casual without losing the professional. If context allows, discuss the broader subject or other subjects, but stay on track. Think of a good Customer Service Manager or Greeter that was laid back, cool and informative that you’ve met. Like that.
2)Switch it up a bit! I’ve tried to a bit in this post. If you have a blog or you’re on a social network like Facebook, be personable at times. Throw a little variety into the mix. You’ll have to be careful with this as you’re a business but the ever-evolving world of Web 2.0 (what they call the ‘new’ internet today) likes originality. All that could take is a funny or witty or random post now and then. Or an informative relaxed string of comments on a forum.
3)Get You.. Out! Whatever your niche is, and the broader subject as well, get out there. Forums, Blogs, Profiles and Groups on Social Networks, Media sites like Youtube, sites like Digg, etc. Find other people out there and talk to them. Whenever you can provide good information, a tip or two, a suggestion, a story. Once in awhile share something amusing as well, especially if it relates to your niche. Just get out there. You may find a lot of dialog already started and you can jump in. You might not find much at all. If that’s the case, you can start the dialog!
-AND- Never forget that when you’re out in the Social Networking world… don’t oversell! Spam and Web 2.0 do not get along. Now you can talk about your product or service if the conversation is ready to. But if you just post links and nothing else all over the niche sites, people will not like you or your product. Upset a few the wrong way and you could earn a bad reputation. -Best bet is to offer information or advice and casually mention your product or share a link at the end of your otherwise non-selling comment or post.- Take Sam Walton’s (founder of Wal-mart) old saying, “the customer is always right.” With that somewhat included in your social marketing mindset, you’ll understand how to talk with potential customers and supporters on blogs, forums, and groups. It’s a lot of fun really!
Do you ever feel that you have lost connection with your customer base? This sense of separation can come from ineffective communication or a result of poor listening, off-target marketing, or an issue of weak product branding. Disconnection can happen when the marketing campaign utilizes wrong strategies that stray from the interests of the targeted, niche market. How do you reconnect? It is vital to Internet marketing success that an “alive” relationship is established and maintained at all times. Never take for granted your audience! They must feel valued and made to feel important or you will lose them, both new buyers and repeat purchasers. “Show me you know me” needs to be your focus. Be Connected!
