Content is still very important to any blog or website. I am not talking about just any content, however.
When considering your theme, you will need to know your topic. That means you need to be knowledgeable about your subject. As a minister with a degree in Christian Ministry and over 15 years of experience, I have added credibility in what I post on this blog. As a internet marketer of five years, I can even give a few suggestions about how to make money online. Knowledge is not necessarily enough though.
There are a few other things to think about when creating your blog or website:
How do you keep visitors interested?
Along with offering your knowledge about your theme, you need information that refreshes their memory or is fresh in your topic of choice. Flashy themes and pop ups and animation are good for looks but people are more concerned with the black and white. What are you offering of value that should demand their time and respect their time? If you blindly put content on your website or in your blog, then you risk losing you visitor forever.
Give advice, ask questions, and relate with you readers. Give your visitors ways to add value to the conversation. Tackle subjects they bring up and give them credit for it. If they know you are listening, they will come back.
Besides, Google or Yahoo or other web-crawlers (sites that rank your content) will put you into internet obscurity if your content is baseless and vainly repetitious. Learn how to say what you have to say in more than one way. For example I can say Nike or I can say old Nike high tops. I can say car or I can say 1979 Porsche with leather seats and turbo whatchamacallit. Become more specific and your reader will want to read more.
How do you bring credibility to your site?
Most of us do not have the power of getting a movie star or athlete to come and recommend our product. Now there are some marketers who drop names like Michael Jordan and his Nike endorsements. Fine and dandy if you are talking about Nike products.
For example, when I talk about blogging, I drop names like Shoemoney, John Chow, and Zac Johnson. Why? They are big time marketers who have built up blog readership over 100,000. When they say something is good or bad, people listen. When I quote them, I bring more credibility to my post. If I am doing a blog about a certain biblical topic and I quote Billy Graham or Rick Warren or some other well known theologian like D.L. Moody, I bring more credibility to my topic.
People respond to authority or perceived authority. Use it wisely, and it will build credibility. Use your examples to support what you are offering, and you will also build understanding.
What do I want from my visitors?
As a minister, I want some type of action from what I teach. You should want the same in what you present. Ask people to act. "Buy today and save" - "Enter Your Email And Get This One Time Deal" - "Read This To Better Your Life"
Ask not and you receive not. Ask for people to make a commitment and they become your future customers - they come back for more. But you have to give them something to get them to commit - give real value for what you ask them to do or you will strike out!
How do I show others satisfaction with my product?
Build a social market. Use Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and such sites to your advantage. Build a brand and get people to market for you. Ask people to connect or share your site with others. Who would you rather listen to - someone with 10,000 followers on twitter or someone with 50? Get the point.
Also, do not be afraid of allowing people to post negative comments - just don't allow the nasty ones. Negative critique shows you are not afraid to learn from your customers. eBay's system is not what I mean but it works for them.
Negative feedback is a horror word to most but if you build you social market and actually give people value, they will return and they will tell their friends. As someone once told me, make a mistake and everyone hears about it - do something good and a few will follow. That is true for the internet.
Jim Cockrum, who I respect as an eBay marketer, has been slammed by people who never implemented his techniques. Jim, however, has built up a huge following with mailing lists and blogging and other social media. The few dissenters are just a fly in the bucket compared to the thousands that read his newsletters and blog and ebooks...
As you can see - content involves more than information. I have six more areas to share so keep coming back for more. Yes, I know the content on my blog has been lacking this week, but even I have to go on vacation. Hope you enjoy. Let me know what you think or if you have anything to add.
No comments:
Post a Comment