In my last article, I shared about 'Interruption' marketing, and how it's annoying today's net-savvy consumers.
In my recent posts, I've encouraged our members to Balance Your Blog, Bring Back the Love, and posting Quality Content.
This time, I simply want to share a few of my own personal observations as it relates to the hundreds of articles that are published here everyday on ActiveRain.....
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Ever have one of those listings where your Sellers do just about everything within their power to 'sabotage' the sale?
I had one a couple years ago. It was a great family. Mom (with twins on the way), Dad, two very active young boys, Mother-in-law, and a junkyard bowser. The house was only about 1000 square feet, hence, the need to move!
Dad loved his sports teams, and the family room could easily rival Cooperstown for souvenirs. Add to this his wall-to-wall collection of VHS tapes and DVDs, his computer, BIG screen TV, and Lazy-Boy, and things were just a tad bit cramped!
The wife was oriental and loved to display all of her family heirlooms. Every chair and sofa in the house was draped with a sheet. Not custom, store-bought slipcovers, mind you, but sheets, as in bedsheets!
So, between the sports memorabilia, the Asian knick-knacks, and Casper the friendly Slipcover, the place was EXTREMELY cluttered!
I tried all the usual 'declutter' counseling techniques: I lent them a copy of David Knox's "Prepare Your Home to Sell." I bought them some moving boxes to pack items and store in the garage. I even offered to pay for a Stager to come in!
But they weren't buying it! They thought their house looked great just the way it was, thank you very much! They had lived in their environment for so long, and had become so accustomed to the clutter. They were comfortable.
Well, that's the way it is with us professionals sometimes. We're used to doing things a certain way for so long, we're just plain 'comfortable.' Many of us quite simply play 'Follow-the-Leader'and mimic what somebody else is doing. That is especially true here on ActiveRain. You see someone doing something and you just assume that it must be okay, or that it works effectively in attracting potential readers. But that's like teaching yourself how to play guitar or golf. You develop bad habits that are tough to unlearn down the road.
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The first thing you need to do is to honestly evaluate exactly what it is that you're publishing to your blog.
Go back through your blog archives.
What do you find there? Is it truly information that is relevant and helpful to your readers? Does it evoke their interests and stimulate their thought processes? Does it create curiosity and a desire to know more? Does your writing convey a sense of your unique perspective and personality?
Unfortunately, for many, our message falls flat. Today's discerning consumers turn a deaf ear. Why? Because it's old school 'Interruption' marketing. It's annoying. It's 'clutter.'
Is your blog a broken record billboard of 'Pick Me!' or 'Look How Great I am!' self-promotion? Consumers see enough of that stuff already! It's on their grocery carts and those little dividers that separate their groceries from others. It's on the banner in center-field at Johnny's little league game. It's on the park bench or on the side of the transit bus. It's even above the urinal at your favorite restaurant!
How much of your blog article is self-promotion? Do you realize that you have a profile here on ActiveRain? You created it when you first joined. It shows up on the sidebar to the right of every article that you publish. If consumers want to know more about you, they simply click on your image, or they can click just below where it says "More about Me."
Amazing, isn't it?
And if that's not enough, down at the bottom of each of your articles is your name, with an embedded hyper-link that also takes them to your profile.
Why 'Interrupt' your readers with unnecessary redundant 'self-promotion?' It's not about YOU. It's about THEM!
Create Interest : : Engage : : Provoke : : Stimulate : : Converse
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