BECOME THE EXPERT
For your message to be heard, you must become the expert on your subject. You need to be able to write convincing, accurate and entertaining content to build credibility with your readers. Too much smoke, and you lose them. Too much anecdotal evidence and they wont take you seriously. Too heavy on the sales set up and they feel uncomfortable. You must write convincingly without putting your audience to sleep. Easy, right?
For many people, the last time they wrote an essay or serious written document was in high school or college. Do you remember the when you use the past perfect or where to place quotation marks? Indeed, writing is becoming a lost skill just when communications are exploding. Getting the message out in the ever growing media circus is a real (and expensive) challenge, even for the pros.
Online marketing is a sophisticated action plan that requires a series of interacting strategies that gently establish a relationship with readers and potential clients. Time is at a premium for all of us in this hectic world. So much information and so little time. Studies have shown that an online search starts with the formation of keywords in the searcher´s mind. Understanding what are good keywords and keyword phrases is a vital first step in setting up an “encounter” with your intended audience. Then, once you have captured their attention, you have about five seconds to peak their interest. Images and works need to rapidly convey what it is you offer. It´s not easy. We know. Been there….done that.
The internet (namely Google) is constantly evolving in one form or another. Some “experts” give the impression they know what you need to do to get your message out there by learning how to game the algorithm. But the truth is, as soon as the algorithm has been spotted for what it is, those devilish programers go and change the rules. Have you seen what a high ranked page looks like lately? It´s crap. So, many of us are not holding much credence in the current monetized online marketing models proposed by the many “online marketing experts.” However, there is a solid strategy for using the internet to capture your 4%-10% of those browser-cruisers that may have a passing interest in what you may offer. Here it is:
* Know your product or service and be able to succinctly explain what it is and what its benefits are.
* Know the competition
* Know how to select keywords that show limited competition but are effective in attracting at least several thousand monthly searches
* Have a website that includes some keywords in the domain name
* Develop a website that is attractive but not too busy
* Provide free value added content to the website visitor
* Always have links that take the interested visitor to the next level of interest.
* Always provide a buy now option on every page but keep it low key
* Try to capture visitor information for a “drip campaign” providing free and value added information of specific interest to the visitor
* Build trust by having patience and educating your visitors. Be empathetic and put yourself in their place. What do they want to know, who are they and what can you give them?
Once you have established all of the above, its a good time to write your e-book. And that is where we come in.