Attraction Marketing Defined
Attraction Marketing is simply turning the traditional “sales” model on its head. In traditional “sales” the seller chases after the buyer and tries to coerce the buyer to buy. There isn’t any concern on the part of the seller for the buyer’s goals, desires or problems. In “conventional” marketing, the buyer’s role is to buy and the seller’s role is to sell. PERIOD. End of sentence. Seller chases buyer and tries to “sell” whatever it is the seller is selling.
However, in attraction marketing, this process is turned upside down. Buyers come to sellers seeking ways to achieve GOALS… seeking ways to satisfy DESIRES and most importantly, seeking solutions to PROBLEMS.
When you focus on buyers GDP (Goals, Desires, Problems) then your marketing doesn’t have to push, push push. Instead, your marketing can pull or attract buyers. Buyers are coming to YOU instead of you chasing buyers.
Attraction Marketing isn’t for everyone. If you’re an “old school” salesman whose focus is exclusively on closing the present sale without any thought to building a customer RELATIONSHIP where that customer returns time and time again, then perhaps attraction marketing is not for you.
If however, you want to create a relationship with your customers so they come and buy from you time and time again, then Attraction Marketing is where you should invest your marketing efforts.
The book Beyond the Niche: Essential Tools You Need to Create Marketing Messages that Deliver Results
Blogs are great Attraction Marketing tools
Attraction marketing is all about focusing upon creating customers instead of focusing upon creating sales. On the surface it may sound like a "chicken and egg" kind of conundrum, but actually your choice of which end of the marketing spectrum you will direct your attention determines everything about your business.
If your focus is upon sales, you’ll create a different marketing message than if your focus is upon attracting customers. If your business is engaged in making a major sale (read more about major and minor sales in my book,“Beyond the Niche: Essential Tools You Need to Create Marketing Messages that Deliver Results
When you’re searching for attraction marketing tools, nothing can compare with the power of a blog to promote your business (Again, I’m assuming you are making major sales).
The thing is, when you’re using your blog as an attraction marketing tool, you can forget about becoming the biggest or worrying about growing your blog traffic. Steve Rubel writes on On the Devaluation of Traffic:
My Google Analytics account is my laboratory. And over the past year I have noticed a trend. Most of my traffic is from Google and they are largely passerbys. The same holds true for anyone who visits my site from Techmeme, Digg or even big blogs. A prominent mention in The Wall Street Journal a couple of weeks ago garnered me a whopping 40 visitors.
Ah… isn’t that what most businesses are looking for when it comes to web site traffic? A casual passerby who has found them via a search on Google? Then, the passerby will judge whether this business is a good "fit" for them… by reading a few posts and seeing what the author knows and how he/she communicates that knowledge.
Alexander Vanelsas writes in his post Newton’s Universal Law of Blog Attraction better than a Techmeme leaderboard?
The narcissistic way of ranking (who has the biggest..) seems less valuable to me than being able to see which blogs attract me and I am attracted to. Newton’s universal law of gravitation, which calculates the attraction between two objects seems perfect to tweak into a blog attraction formula.
I love Alexander’s definition of the quest for a top blog spot: narcissistic!
As a matter of fact, I’d go as far to say that narcissists are unable to make attraction marketing work. They’re too focused upon themselves to be able to devote any attention to the wants/needs/desires of their potential customers.
I have a client who has been blogging for about 6 months. His readership is EXTREMELY low… as in double digit figures. He kept asking me for a log analysis and I kept stalling… because 28 visitors a month is not going to encourage him to keep blogging. Here’s the great part… last Friday he got his first appointment from someone who identified himself as coming to my client because he was a blog reader.
Since my client is an EXCEPTIONAL practitioner of his craft AND is by no means narcissistic, I’m confident that his newest client will become a life long customer. After all, my client’s customer retention rate is incredibly high. However, the best news for my client is that he not only has one more client on his rolls, he also has another "missionary" so to speak. Someone else who will spread the word about my client and encourage others to begin using my client’s services as well.
That’s the power of blogging. When you’re making a major sale, trust is a HUGE issue. By blogging, you share yourself and begin building that trust long before and introduction is in order.
Size does matter when it comes to SEO
It’s no secret that I ADORE blogs. Blogs are a boot strapping entrepreneur’s best friend. They’re much less expensive to launch than a traditional HTML web site and much more "search engine friendly." (The Word Press plug in which automatically generates a google compliant XML site map is an essential plug in.)
One of the advantages of a blog is that you can easily create a lot of content with a lot less effort than with a traditional HTML web site.
Dan Thies in his GREAT article on Mastering both kinds of Linking says:
Naturally, for a large site to get all of its pages indexed, it needs to have more authority (PageRank, whatever) to make that happen. But the other advantage that a large site gains, as more pages are indexed, is that they have more opportunities to create their own anchor text and link reputation within their own pages.
It just makes sense that large sites have a MUCH greater chance of getting links than a smaller site. Large blog sites also offer a wider variety of posts to attract these links. More links can often lead to a higher page rank (but not always!)
Resisting the irresistible…. or how NOT to be a victim of a really great sales letter.
I got an email from a client on a new service that promises it will do the following:
- It gets you traffic to you blog
- It adds relevant content to your Blog
- It ads (their spelling, not mine) new and constantly changing content
- It makes your visitors happy
- It is 100% F.ree
- It is easy to use (all you need is a blog or website)
- There is NO up-sell or after sign up offer
This is TRULY a case of an INSPIRED marketing piece. The offer is truly irresistible.
The product truly promises to solve a myriad of problems faced by the typical web site or blog owner.
However, it’s only an irresistible if you DO NOT KNOW how Google works.
Here is my response:
There is a thing for which Google will penalize your site and it’s called "duplicate content".
What that means is that if the content that shows up on YOUR site is showing up on other sites as well, Google has to make a choice on WHICH content it will feature. If you’re lucky, and it’s YOUR content being featured on other sites, Google will recognize YOUR content as the originator and your content will be featured while the other copies are doomed to the "supplemental index" (Google’s version of Hell.)
Knowing this bit of information will help you to understand the glaring FLAW in the product’s business model.
From a marketing stand point…. it’s brilliant. He’s addressing EVERY blog owner’s deepest desires:
- Effortless quality content
- Effortless quality visitors
- All of the above delivered for free.
However, while this product will probably be a HUGE success for the developer…it will do little for the countless throngs who sign up to allow him to syndicate his content via their blog. Those who sign up should not be surprised if adding his content to their site does NOTHING for their traffic or their customers.
I guess that’s why my clients have me on retainer, to help them see BEYOND the hype!
In this case, learn from a truly BRILLIANT marketing piece. It does a MAGNIFICENT job of defining a problem and presenting a solution. Not only is it brilliantly crafted, but it was then TIGHTLY targeted to a mailing list filled with web site and blog owners who signed up to learn more about marketing their small business via the internet.
I always tell my clients to look at what artists like this are DOING to promote their product instead of getting caught up in the sales frenzy being generated. Watch their feet, don’t listen to the song!
You’d better shop around BEFORE you begin development of your web site
Long ago, I used to hold free teleclass es to showcase my knowledge of web development to potential clients. Back in those days, my classes were extremely popular and the question I would be asked most often was this:
"What can we, as potential clients do to prepare for the development of our web site."
I wish I could remember what my answer was at the time because I recently I’ve begun a similar journey.
I’m preparing to launch a project of my own and because the platform is unique and very dissimilar to what my company specializes in, it is far more efficient for me to hire an outside firm to do the development of my new site than it is for me to build the project in house. As a result, I’m finding myself sitting in the client’s seat and I’m doing everything I can to minimize the stress on the developer’s on the other side of the table.
For now, I find I’m battling the same demons my clients must face in the launch of their own web sites.
First, I’m plagued with doubt. Because I’m not familiar with the platform they will be using, how do I KNOW these developers really KNOW what they say they know? My background is FILLED with instances of hiring someone who CLAIMED to be capable, only to discover that they had SERIOUSLY overestimated their own abilities.
Combine that with the fact that suddenly, EVERYONE I know is a self-proclaimed expert on what my new web site should offer! From the graphic artist to my sister’s best friend’s neighbor, EVERYONE wants to include their "2 cents" on the project.
Having been on the development side of the process, I am very familiar with the syndrom. However, unlike a few of my former clients, I have chosen to step back, clarify the project and then move forward. Those clients, instead of filtering the advice and selectively applying it to their project, would pepper me with change requests….
- My son’s girlfriend’s step mother says the site should be brick-red instead of light red.
- My son’s girlfriend says the font is too large.
- My mother-in-law says the font is too small.
- Henry, the guy who delivers my dry cleaning says that the right meta-tags will cause the site to appear in every search done on Google for the next ten years.
However, because I have been on the OTHER side… sitting there with a site template in my hand, faxed from the client saying it was approved, only to have the entire site torn apart by a well meaning friend/relative…. when I began getting that kind of input….instead of moving forward with the developer I said, "Give me a minute to nail down my focus."
I held my round table events…. allowed input from those gracious enough to care. I tried hard to hear what I didn’t WANT to hear. I tried to consider features that would increase costs significantly while increasing the project value marginally. I smiled sweetly as Suzie’s neighbor’s grandmother insists that the site be coded in 72 point font so she can read the text…. and then chose to ignore such input.
In the end, I brought back the comments and suggestions which I deemed had merit, and came back to my trusted advisors and we talked about the input. Finally, because I am the one writing the rather large checks on this, I made a series of decisions and have placed the project back into motion.
So if you’re wondering what YOU can do to prepare for YOUR web site development, here is what I’d recommend:
- Build a team of advisors. I prefer the kind you pay because then there’s a sort of "accountability" that isn’t possible when someone is spit balling. It’s the old, "My advice is worth every penny you paid for it" syndrome. If you didn’t PAY for it, then you can’t point a finger if it doesn’t work!
- Announce your upcoming web project with your inner circle. Your inner circle are those who offer their opinions for free. Members of this group will be mostly family and friends. These are people who care enough to offer their HONEST opinion.
- Hammer out the details BEFORE you begin shopping for a developer! Talk the project through with your advisors and your inner circle. Have SEVERAL conversations… you’d be surprised how often that "great idea" starts to lose it’s sparkle as you talk through the implementation.
- Document the details in writing. Remember the game of "telephone" when you were a child? Everyone would sit in a circle and one person would begin by whispering a phrase into the ear of the person to his/her left. The process would be repeated until the message had journeyed around the circle. It never ceased to amaze me at how distorted the simplest phrase could be after a trip around the circle. THE SAME THING HAPPENS IN WEB DEVELOPMENT! Make a list… IN WRITING and check it twice.
Finally, carefully check the quotes that come in on your project. MOST programmers will work DIRECTLY from your requests. While you’re "assuming" that the developer will know to fill in the blanks…. the developer is assuming that if you didn’t address it then it must not be important.
If all of this sounds like a LOT of work… well, it is! Just as you don’t walk into a car dealership and ask the nice salesman to help you create a budget AND sell you an automobile… you shouldn’t appear on your web developer’s door step with absolutely NO IDEA what you want and how you want it to work.
Once you define your site’s objectives, then it’s easier to put a web developer to work for you!
The I follow movement
I guess I should have recognized it sooner…. after all, Word Press is GREAT about letting you know what’s going on when it comes to inbound links to your blog. Here I was out laying "bread crumb trails" by commenting on other blogs and few if any of those comments were resulting in inbound links.
Then I stumbled upon the I Follow Movement. DUH! So that’s what the Do Follow Plug in with Semilogic is all about!
Thanks to Randa Clay, there’s even a logo for the movement! THANKS!
If you’re using a Word Press Blog, then simply installing the Do Follow plug in will open your blog up so that people who comment will be rewarded with an inbound link from your blog. If you’re using a Blogger blog, then here is the tutorial for removing the no follow in your blogger blog.
Understand, if you don’t already, that inbound links are what makes the internet world go round. More inbound links means a higher page rank and therefore, higher SERPs (Search Engine Ranking Position) for your posts.
Instead of relying on the kindness of strangers…. who will exercise proper blogging etiquette by reciprocating useful links, now you can create your own.
Since listing another site as a "Do Follow" blog, I’m finding that people are finally commenting on my blog!
So, if you’ve noticed that it looks like no one is reading your blog because no one is commenting…. get into the I Follow movement.
If you comment, I follow. However, I don’t approve spammy comments. Hey, a girl has GOT to have her standards! <grin>
Creating Compelling Content just got easier!
Google has announced a new service. Read more about it here at the post: It just got easier to deliver content readers want to see.
Using Blogs as Marketing Tools
Blogs are one of my favorite marketing tools and they can be used by ANY business to promote their products and services.
Keep in mind that marketing is merely letting potential customers know how you and your business can solve their problems. A blog is a GREAT way to share information to let potential customers know how YOU can solve their problems.
For example, think of the last time you assisted a customer. What questions did he/she need answered before he/she made the decision to purchase? That type of interaction would make a GREAT blog entry.
Let’s say you own a hardware store and you had a customer who came in with a question about hanging a mirror. One question the customer may have asked is, "Which wall anchors work best for a large heavy mirror?" While you may field that question ten times a week, you may not have thought that it’s a GREAT blog entry.
Of course, the ugly "protective" monster tends to rear it’s ugly head at this time during conversations with actual clients. They worry that if they share their expertise, that people will visit their blog for information and then go to Lowes or Home Depot to buy their products. I can’t promise you that it won’t happen. But remember, if people are coming to you for answers, it goes to follow that eventually they’ll come to you for your products. (This is assuming that your products are priced fairly, that your customer service is acceptable, etc.)
Expedia built a multi-million dollar web resource for travelers. They only convert 5% of their visitors into customers…. but that 5% has resulted in a profitable business. Expedia knew that if people came to them for travel answers, they’d convert some of those browsers into customers.
Finding Content for Your Blog
Chris Garret is an expert on New Media, including blogs. Recently, he posted on the subject in "Need Fresh Content For Your Blog"
Chris’ guidance is SUPERB, however, there were many comments lamenting the lack of "true" direction. What the commenters were seeking was a way to find FRESH content without writing it or paying for it.
See, a web site or blog filled with nothing but duplicate content will get your site sentenced to the "Siberia" of the Google Index…. also known as the Supplemental Index. So what Chris’ readers were seeking was a way AROUND getting slapped by Google while still finding an easy source of original content.
My clients too face a similar dilemna. Busy executives and professionals rarely have uninterrupted hours in their day to devote to writing, whether it’s for a blog or for other publications. There is a time honored way AROUND this restriction: the ghost writer.
I once read that as a business owner, you’re either short on time or short on money. If you’re short on BOTH, then you’re spending your TIME doing the wrong activities. Within 6 months of reading that quote, I broke the 4 digit barrier on my monthly income.
So, assuming you don’t have the TIME to blog, then surely you have the money to hire a ghost writer. Of course, there will be time invested in finding the right writer for your business, but it’s the best investment you can make in your business. See, your ghost writer can write 1500 word ARTICLES which you can then submit to publication to various MAGAZINES, NEWSPAPERS and other print media. Don’t expect to be PAID for those articles. Your byline should be enough. Or you can choose to break that 1500 word article into SEVERAL blog posts.
A ghost writer is FREQUENTLY the best investment you can make in your business. Before you hire an assistant, an attorney or even a CPA, hire a ghost writer. The content provided can be used in multiple ways as you promote your business.
How Site Maps help your web site attract traffic
It’s no longer enough to just put up your web site or blog and expect the search engines to index it. You have to include a site map. The sitemap allows you to inform search engines about the pages on your website and allows the search engines to find pages on your web site the search engine might not be able to access "naturally".
One thing I ADORE about WORD PRESS BLOGS is the plug in that automatically creates an XML site map for your blog web site. Now, there are other elements to achieving good rankings other than a site map. You must blog regularly (the search engines LOVE content) and you need to build inbound links for your site.
However, being able to be INDEXED is an essential element to web site success.
I recently was contacted by a woman whose web site was 6 years old and STILL wasn’t being indexed by the various search engines. Every link on the opening page was a javascript roll over with an image. Since the search engines don’t READ javascript, the bots couldn’t get inside to index the site.
So, in addition to adding text links at the bottom of the page, I also included an XML site map and let Google know I had done so. In less than a week, all the pages on the site were showing up in Google. My client was thrilled and has sent more frustrated web site owners to me as a result.
If creating an XML site map is beyond you, then consider a Word Press Blog instead of a traditional web site. Acumen Web Services makes it easy to put the power of XML site maps (which update every time you post) to work for your web site.
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