The main reason people search online is to look up information, so if your online communications are only about selling or asking for something, you’re missing the boat. (And I bet your heart doesn’t like doing it like that anyway.)
The key to effective marketing and communications whether online or offline is to give your audience something they find valuable first.
Be helpful. Then offer them the option to check out your opportunities. Your heart will be happy and your wallet will be happy.
In other words, be like the appealing flowers that give a little nectar to the birds, and in return, they get a little pollination. Here are some details and examples.
It Works
The people who get the most followers online are the ones that are the most helpful. Tried and true.
People tune out old school sales pitches, don’t you? Who needs metrics to prove that?
The take-home lesson (in case you didn’t learn it in kindergarten): Play nice and people will often play nice back. Turns out that works in business too. You know this in your heart already, but we’ve been taught wrong to ignore our hearts when it comes to business.
What Can You Offer?
Here are a few ideas to get you out of the mindset of asking for something. Instead consider:
- answering questions
- providing useful tips
- providing useful downloads or free gifts
- offering coupons
- links to valuable information
- spreading their message.
- Watch what others offer. The possibilities are endless.
Example
In an email campaign I helped to plan, we got far better click-through rates when we focused on offering free downloads of activities for kids. The freebies were featured in the subject line.
We left the offer near the bottom of the email. The free downloads drew traffic to the website, where visitors were exposed to our key messages, and we got more leads.
Action Step
Give something of value, in a way that aligns with what comes naturally to you. It will be easier and more effective that way, in the long run. There’s no authentic fast track to earning trust.
What I’m describing is part of what I call the SOULpreneur‘s journey. Do you like the sound of that?
