Teach New Dogs Old Tricks
While the ability to reach readers or customers has increased substantially, peopleâs perceptions have largely remained the same when it comes to responding to these efforts.
And it would not be that bold of me to suggest that the consumer or reader has far more power in the relationship than ever before, making the authors job that much more difficult.
Blatantly put:
If your content is not what they want to see, they will not look at it.
Simple? Yes. But as I mentioned before, the consumers themselves have not changed all that much. What has changed is the medium. Still with me?
A book (yes, book. Remember those things with pages?) that had an incredible impact on my perceptions of marketing in general is the 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing by Al Ries and Jack Trout. Its been around a while and is easy to find the laws with a quick Google search.
While they may have been written before social media came into existence, the basic ideas behind the laws are just as relevant now.
Based on a few of these laws, here is a brief guide on how to apply some tested marketing theory to your social media empire:
It is better to be first in the mind, than first in the market.
Matt Andaloroâs post about How To Increase the Readability Of Your Blog is a fantastic example of how to keep your blog on peopleâs minds. If the reader feels exhausted by just looking at your page, then odds are they will not read it.
As well, the rise of the TL;DR generation makes some feel (myself included) that posting anything longer than a few lines will get skimmed over at the very most. Donât be afraid to summarize things at the end of a longer post.
Busy readers will thank you for it and remember your name when checking out their favourite blogs in the future. The key is finding the sweet spot in the middle that will not only keep your name in their minds but also leave them wanting more.
Marketing is not a battle of products; it is a battle of perceptions
Whether your blog is brand new or has been around since your friends convinced you to get a livejournal, it is on equal ground with every other bog out there.
Simply put: walk the talk and youâll leave them in the dust.
By keeping it updated with fresh content and being active with your readerâs responses youâll become synonymous as an authority in your blogs field.
Successful programs are not built on fads, theyâre built on trends.
If you want your blog to have lasting appeal, making it all about the latest fad is definitely not the way to go. The internet is littered with websites and blogs about some past flavour of the week that the author hasnât updated in months because there is simply no new content.
While a blog about a specific one hit wonder may seem like a good idea at the time, months later when there is nothing new to write about, the traffic will crawl to a halt.
But a blog about a larger music genre that has new and interesting artists popping up every few weeks? That has some staying power.
I hope that these marketing laws help you to improve your own blogs!
Question: What are your thoughts? Are there any other tested marketing tactics you know of that apply to social media?
