- How do I get more people to my site? I need more traffic
- How do I convince them to sign up? I need to build a list to market to.
- How do I convert readers to clients? I need to write content that influences action and makes sales.
These were the top three challenges you told me about in my recent Content Marketing Needs survey. (If you haven’t done so yet, you can still take the survey here: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/Q7GRSKX)
Which makes me think about something I often say about blogging being “the best darn marketing tool on the planet to get found, get known, and get clients.”
- Get found: you need to attract the right people with traffic to your site
- Get known: you need to get people subscribed to your blog or e-newsletter so they can get to know you with consistent posts that build trust and relationships
- Get clients: you need to publish content that gets readers to take action and invest in your products and services
Like the old song, you can’t have one without the other. And yet, some professionals give me the impression they are spending their time and energy in the wrong places. Some of you are working hard on one out of the three key elements, ignoring the others. (I know, there’s only so much time in a day. Maybe I can help you integrate these marketing systems, though.)
Which one are you good at? In which area are you weak? Which one would you be wise to invest in learning?
Let me save you some trouble trying to figure out which one of these you need: they are so interrelated that you should learn them together, at the same time.
Which is why I’ve asked Michael Martine of Remarkablogger to join me in a “traffic-list-conversion” class May 12, 2010 at 4 p.m. ET. No need to do anything yet, just reserve the date.
How I Wrote the Survey
I did my survey with a mixture of open questions, multiple choice, and demographic info. Although open-ended questions are more difficult to analyze and sort through, they really give me a sense of where the struggles lie for people. There were many variations on the same themes.
These top three challenges are what I summarized from reading all the different responses. A recurrent theme was “lack of time.”
The Big “NO TIME” Factor
There is never enough time to do it all,especially when it comes to marketing because it never seems to end. For myself, I see that with practice, I am now able to get 70% more done this year than last year with more profitable results. I’m also better at letting go of perfection.
The biggest key for maintaining my sanity and still improving my web presence has been knowing:
- What to focus on
- What to ignore
- What to delegate to the elves in the backroom
I didn’t find out these things on my own. I’ve invested considerable time and money learning from other people. I could have found out more quickly, but I’m a little stubborn and maybe too cautious about asking for help. I also am very selective about who I ask for help.
Every expert has their own narrow perspective. Ask a carpenter what you need and he’ll tell you it’s got to be in wood. I have learned that most people are generous about sharing the information you need for success. I’m not afraid to spend money for a consultation.
My point is this: I can’t tell you how to get more time into your day, but I can tell you what things you can focus on to get found, get known and get more clients.
When you have the right marketing systems in place, you have more time. When you ignore the rest, you have more time in your day for doing the things you love. And that’s what really matters, isn’t it?
I have to agree with my survey respondents: these three things are a big challenge for most of us online:
- Driving traffic, attracting the right people
- Building a list, building trust
- Writing effective content that converts to sales
They are very closely related, you can’t do one without the other, and all three are essential to having a strong online presence and a business that thrives using the Web for marketing.
And I can’t wait for our Ultimate Traffic Formula teleseminar May 12 with Michael Martine!
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