12 Strategies for Building Web Presence
Doyle Slayton | Jan 28, 2009 | Comments 2
This post is Part Two of what we’ve dubbed as Socialmedia Week on SalesBlogcast. If you missed the first article, click here to read What is Your Social Type? We had some great comments on the post and one in particular deserves some praise. Mark Parker added a big one to the list… “Listener”. Of course, how could I have missed that one. In fact, I think I’ve seen statistics that show as many as 95% of us would fall in this category. Great job Mark!
Here we go… today we’ll talk about 12 Strategies for Building Web Presence. I look forward to your own ideas and strategies in the reader comments!
1. Know Your Goal – As with any opportunity to build something great… you have to know what that “something” is. Decide what you are trying to accomplish and develop ideas that will get you there. The web can be overwhelming… especially when you realize how many social sites are out there! Keep the goal firmly in mind so you stay on track!
2. Watch and Learn – Follow the best and watch what they do. In addition to keeping an eye on the sales and leadership gurus, follow the top social media experts. ProBlogger, Copy Blogger, and Chris Brogan are my personal favorites.
3. Social Networks – Social Networks are like Starbucks… there is one on every corner! I recommend targeting the top three to five sites that bring you the biggest return. Become a regular by using the forums to ask questions and start discussions that get a lot of people contributing to your posts. Readers will like what they see… they’ll begin to recognize you… and they check out your profile, visit your web site, check out what you have to offer.
4. Guest Author & Article Publishing – Find the most effective places to publish your articles and promote your upcoming webinars, events, etc. The following is a list of great places to get your articles into public view:
SalesBlogcast – In our networking community (post instantly) or Get Published on the blog (editor approval)
Ezine Articles (editor approval)
Twitter (post “links” instantly)
LinkedIn Groups – Under the “News” tab within the group forum (post instantly)
Digg, Reddit, Technorati, delicious, and Stumble Upon (post instantly)
I could go on and on with this list, but these represent a good cross-section of the many options that are out there. Post where “your” audience is most likely to hang out.
5. What’s Your Status? – Much like Twitter, sites like LinkedIn and FaceBook have a “status update” or “What are you doing right now?” field where you can share ideas, have mini-conversations, promote your stuff, and other people’s stuff.
6. Blog Comments – One of the best ways to build a presence on the web is to post your very best comments and ideas on other people’s blogs.
Best Practice: When you post a comment… post a comment. Don’t advertise who you are and what you do… all over the post. That’s a quick way to lose credibility. Think of it this way… when you march onto someone’s blog or forum and post comments littered with links to your own stuff, it’s like walking into someone’s “store” and passing out your fliers telling everyone to come over to your store instead… and you are doing it with the “store owner” who standing right there! …not very classy is it? That said… I don’t see anything wrong with posting a great value added comment with your name and a link to your business or blog at the bottom as a sign off.
7. Know the System – I think I know and understand LinkedIn better than any other social network… and therefore get the most traffic visiting my site from there. I think you have to experiment with what works and what doesn’t. Keep doing what works and stop wasting time with what doesn’t. The best way to accomplish this… is to know the system… inside and out.
8. Be Consistent – People often come and go on social sites. Those who are consistent catch everyone that is passing through while building relationships and partnering with the mainstays.
Build up your like minded connections, subscribers, and online friends. Keep a steady flow of quality content streaming their way. Consider the volume and the timing. For example, I normally publish two to three blog articles per week on SalesBlogcast.com and another two to three discussions in our community forum and the LinkedIn Q&A.
If you are selling something, you might apply the 80:20 rule to balance value added content 80% of the time vs. advertisements and promotions about 20% of the time. If this gets out of balance, it is a reputation killer!
9. Don’t Be Apprehensive (with your subscribers) – I have seen a lot of people apologize when then send out their newsletter… something like “this is a low frequency message from…” Please don’t do that. It lacks confidence and makes it sounds like you think you are bothering people. Building a list of subscribers is one of the most important things you can do. Your subscribers are following you for a reason. They like what you have to contribute!
Best Practice: Have an opt-in and an opt-out option on all of your email marketing campaigns. This makes all the difference between a credible publisher and a spammer.
10. Change It Up a Bit – Be controversial without being offensive… take a contrarian point of view sometimes… get on your soap box once in a while.
11. Be Yourself – The best way to build a presence is to be yourself. Think of everything you do and say as a filter. Those who like what you bring will come back for more… those who don’t like it won’t stick around. It’s that simple.
12. Be Strategic – I love sales, I love leadership, and I love strategy! Once you go through an experimentation phase and build an expertise, you should begin mapping out a set of actions… actions that all come with a purpose. One thing builds upon the other. The web is viral… the bigger it gets… uh… well… the bigger it gets!
BONUS TIP: Promote Other People – When you find great articles and posts, help promote it. Almost every site has buttons that allow you to share, Digg, and redistribute the things you like most. We are in this together… let’s keep buildin’ it!
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Filed Under: Blog • Fun-n-Stuff • Leadership • Sales • SalesTaxi
Doyle,
This is a great contribution to the social media space. You’ve articulated a very sensible, sustainable strategy for extracting value from the plethora of web 2.0/social media tools that are out there.
I won’t go over each point, but my 2 cents worth is…
Goals are so important, yet this is a point that many in the social media space seem to be overlooking. I actually think you could have repeated this point in the list. Goal setting needs to be an iterative process. Don’t set and forget.
I’d add Seth Godin to your list of guru’s. I’m amazed that he’s now so renowned yet can write in a way that is so personal and 1-on-1. And he truly has the best hair cut going around…
Your point about social networks is spot on. I actually have someone in my LinkedIn network who thinks he’s cool because he’s joining every new network and sending me an invite. I hate this. I want him to stop but it’s like watching a slow motion train wreck – I can’t turn away…
Please don’t prostitute yourself around all the networks.
Pretty much everything after point #6 is on the money. I’ve made some great connections with people and had some fantastic conversations with people in far flung places (yes everywhere else is far flung from Australia, I know that…) which have stemmed from me posting a comment that questioned/challenged or supported someone’s blog comment.
Just be careful with the changeup. One end of the spectrum is Axel recently on Customer Collective (http://www.thecustomercollective.com/TCC/28443). I get where he’s coming from but I think he tip-toed the credible/ridicule line a bit with his post and subsequent responses to visitor comments. It’s all very well to stand your ground but the world’s not black and white.
As an aside, a few weeks ago we undertook to build an index of tools and websites that should be considered if a novice was setting out on the social media trans-continental via Siberia highway. This undertaking has turned into a full time role; such is the quantum of “stuff” out there.
Sweeto is very naughty.drwings are very simple but attractive.blog looking is good.