When I started playing around with internet marketing, I had planned to just anonymously promote products and not get involved with customers at all, not trying to build and audience that would stick with me. This meant that I was constantly paying for traffic that did not always convert to sales and with no presence online, no one ever came back to my sites. I lost money, constantly.
It Does not have to be Difficult
For a long time I just figured that I was not promoting the right products or I was not finding the right traffic. Then, I started a blog and provided some information about Amazon products. I provided articles on how to use them as well as product reviews.
Amazingly, I got traffic without trying, comments were posted where people thanked me for the hints I provided (I always reply) and I made sales. Wow!
Accessibility is important to your prospects and customers. So few marketers are truly open to hearing from their customers and when it does happen, word spreads and you cultivate the right kind of reputation.
Many marketers put up a wall between themselves and their online audience. They don’t engage in blog comment discussions once a post is created. Even Seth Godin himself doesn’t allow comments on his blog anymore – and he’s always talking about developing a loyal tribe.
So it’s good to see marketers who are there for their audience and who take time to interact with the people who need and want their help. There are even some marketers who create a help desk so that tickets are opened, rather than a simple email sent.
Of course that’s an option for you, and it might even be necessary if you have a lot of technical elements to your site. It means a lot when your reader can just contact you – and get a response from you, not a virtual assistant that you’ve hired.
How to be Accessible
The best way to be accessible as a leader in your niche is to do the following:
* Respond to people on social networks like Twitter, G+, and Facebook.
* Respond to blog comments whenever you go in to approve them.
* Reply personally to your emails.
* Open comments up on things like YouTube videos to show you care about feedback.
All of these things take time, yes, but that’s where you can really put a personal touch on your usually sterile online business. Going the extra mile can serve you well as a niche leader. It shows you care.
You don’t have to incorporate all of these elements at once. It will take some time to integrate them all into your business, and you may have to outsource in some other areas to free up some of your time. In addition to this blog, I’m still working on the rest of the social media thing (Twitter, Facebook, etc) – it just boggles my little mind and I get overwhelmed so I do it in little steps, one at a time.
Do it Regularly
Stay on top of your socialization and personalization – it makes it less overwhelming. Don’t take a lot of time with it, just do it and move on without stalling and getting mired down in lengthy discussions every single time. Acknowledgement is all some people will need – to know that they’ve been heard and appreciated.
Alright!
Now you have an idea of what it takes to be a successful online marketer:
- Find a good niche with lots of potential in digital and physical products.
- Position yourself as a leader in that niche by providing good value to your customers with your products or recommendations and interacting with your customers.
Yes, this is going to take time and effort and some money.
And a plan!
More on the planning part a bit later.
Take care!
Barb
