Online Marketing: The Snowdrop Effect

February 22, 2008

The Snowdrop Effect
Image by Peter Mulligan

Is online marketing a constant uphill struggle for you? Well, there’s no doubt that getting traffic to your website is tough. But, if you’ve used the Internet for a while, I bet you’ve noticed that some websites appear to soar in popularity from the outset. Why is that?

Maybe they’re just lucky. Or perhaps these savvy online marketers are experts in the Snowdrop Effect.

Come February, one minute there’s not a single snowdrop in sight and suddenly they’ve sprouted up all over the place. Some online marketers are like that. They seem to appear from nowhere and you can’t surf the web for half an hour without seeing them several times.

Skellie, the successful freelance writer is a great example of the Snowdrop Effect in action. I first recall seeing her byline on an excellent article on Problogger. But even though I enjoyed the article, I didn’t click through to her blog until I’d seen her name at least three times. And that didn’t take long, as she’d written guest posts on a number of my favourite blogs.

So, how can you benefit from the Snowdrop Effect and create a rush of traffic to your website?

The Snowdrop Effect Requires Repeated Exposure

People usually need to see your name or logo at least three times before they take any notice of you. And whilst writing an excellent piece of content on Problogger or another high ranking site can help, it may not be enough to get you noticed. So you need to make sure potential customers see you in as many places as possible.

Use A Memorable Name or Logo

Having a clear name or company name will help and using a picture or logo is even better,. A huge percentage of the population are visual, so they tend to remember images, as opposed to names.

And if you comment on blogs with one of those silly keyword stuffed names, you need to change it now. Nobody will remember you and people are hardly going to be inspired to visit a blog named “HardwoodFurniture” or “GreatUsedCars.”

Pop Up Where Potential Customers Will See You

To benefit fully from the snowdrop effect, you need to do more than one type of marketing at the same time. This will ensure that you pop up everywhere potential customers go, just like snowdrops.

If you’ve researched your market well, you’ll already have a good idea where to find potential customers. And you may already be a member of forums or communities where they hang out.

Now you need to choose a handful of online marketing strategies to make sure these people see you several times. It’s best to stick to a small amount initially - preferably a maximum of six.

Online Marketing Tips and Ideas To Try

1) Guest post on blogs your customers read.

2) Advertise on blogs potential customers read.

3) Join a forum where potential customers hang out.

4) Don’t worry about being in the right place at the right time – if you’re in plenty of places – you’re sure to wind up in the right place at some point.

5) Write a couple of good articles for websites your customers visit.

6) Network with other business owners who have the same target customers.

7) Leave meaningful comments on blogs that potential customers visit.

Help others with the same target market to achieve what they want.

9) Join a social networking group where customers hang out.

10) When you’re networking, don’t focus on what you can get out of the relationship, concentrate on what you can give. And never network with people just because you think they’ve got plenty of clout. Often, the best referals come from somewhere you weren’t expecting them to come from.

11) If you notice an additional opportunity for exposure seize it immediately. For example Skellie knew that Problogger was ill and she immediately offered to blog for him.

12) Pay active forum members to use your logo in their signature.

If you’ve tried some of these things before and failed, don’t be disheartened. Even if a particular online marketing technique didn’t work alone - you stand a much greater chance of achieving the Snowdrop Effect by combining a few. And if you’re short of time, consider concentrating your efforts on just two or three marketing activities.

Have you seen someone use the Snowdrop Effect in an online marketing campaign before? Have you tried it yourself? How did it work out for you? And what would you do differently next time?

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Comments

10 Responses to “Online Marketing: The Snowdrop Effect”

jsanderz on February 22nd, 2008 1:27 pm

Cath,
You have wrote a bloody good list, I think online marketing is an uphill struggle for most of us.
I believe for bloggers, the better the content the quicker you will achieve success, as news travels fast by word of mouth.
Implement all of the above 12 strategies and you get to where you want to go just that much quicker, its all about persistance.
Regards

jsanderz’s last blog post..One Smart Way to Make Your PC Run Faster
Hunter Nuttall on February 22nd, 2008 4:39 pm

I think you’re absolutely right about repeated exposure, Catherine. If you see a commercial on TV a few times, and you happen to see the product in the store, you might buy it. But if you just see one ad, you’re probably not going to run out and buy it immediately. Then again, infomercials attempt to get a sale from one exposure, but those are much longer than a typical commercial, and they’re also very risky.

By the way, for people like me who thought a snowdrop was literally a drop of snow:

Main Entry:
snow·drop

: a bulbous European herb (Galanthus nivalis) of the amaryllis family bearing nodding white flowers that often appear while the snow is on the ground

(I guess that’s what’s shown in the image for this post.)

Hunter Nuttall’s last blog post..Want To Dodge Bullets? Maybe You Don’t Have To!
Deb on February 22nd, 2008 4:50 pm

Those are very helpful points. I’ve done a couple guest posts and really enjoyed it. I have also participated in some group writing projects. I need to look into some of the other suggestions you have. I will certainly be referring back to this post.

Deb’s last blog post..Random Questions - Groceries
cathlawson on February 22nd, 2008 5:24 pm

Thanks Jeff - I think they are good strategies. I didn’t employ them yet personally, as I don’t really want to market this blog until it’s redesigned. But, I’m sure they’ll work well.

OMG Hunter - I did not realise you don’t have snowdrops in the USA. It looks like I chose a bad title after all.

Hi Deb - thank you. I hope it helps. Don’t forget to join in Joanna’s writing project on the 28th Feb.
Barbara on February 22nd, 2008 8:46 pm

Hi Catherine,

Patience is needed by anyone who does online marketing, as is time. Marketing online is so different than marketing in your local area. Those who are online often show signs of ADD and if you don’t catch their attention in a matter of seconds, they’re off to the next site.

I agree, Skellie has become a “snowdrop”. I, too, am seeing lots more of her work.

Thanks for another great list.

Barbara’s last blog post..And You Say You Are Not A Gambler
Ian Denny on February 22nd, 2008 9:13 pm

It’s a good list and I had to stumble it to add it to my list of favourites. It really is an excellent checklist, well written, easy to follow, and one of those things that will work if you follow all the steps.

I;ve alway believed in the exponential effect of combining things. 1 + 1 = 3.

And with a dozen in this list, it’s easily achievable should you wish to get traffic.

Ian Denny’s last blog post..Snooker - Nostalgic Trip Down Memory Lane
Hunter Nuttall on February 23rd, 2008 3:19 am

Catherine, actually I think it’s a great title, very Skellie-like. People see it and just have to find out what the Snowdrop Effect is.

Hunter Nuttall’s last blog post..Want To Dodge Bullets? Maybe You Don’t Have To!
Nez on February 23rd, 2008 4:35 am

Catherine,

What an excellent observation! I can firsthand corroborate the Skellie sightings.

I forget exactly where I read my first Skellie post — probably freelanceswitch — but I remember finding her posts “all over”.

And from there, somehow I made it to her site.

Hers and Leo’s Zen Habits were my main inspirations.

Thanks for posting this!

Nez’s last blog post..7 Principles I’m Teaching My Kids
cathlawson on February 23rd, 2008 11:12 am

Hi Barbara - thank you. Your observations are spot on - on the Internet we have about a second to grab someones attention. And in many ways marketing online can be far more difficult because of the size of the Internet.

Thanks Ian - that is so true - you almost always get greater benefits from using a combiation of marketing activities. And it makes it tougher to know what is working and what isn’t.

Thanks Hunter - it’s good that it still made people want to find out what the Snowdrop Effect is.

Thanks Nez - it’s interesting to know that other people noticed it too. Zen Habits is also a great blog.
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