Online Marketing: The Snowdrop Effect
February 22, 2008
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?
Are You Too Perfect For Your Customers?
February 20, 2008
Image by The Lilac Breasted Roller
Does your business come across as too perfect to your customers? If so, it may put them off dealing with you.
Last month, I decided to enrol on an Arvon Foundation novel writing course. Arvon courses book up fast, so I Googled the names of the tutors to help me choose a course. And I read some great interviews and articles on fabulous and talented authors. The trouble was, some of them sounded a bit too perfect. And, in the end I decided on Alex Wheatle.
Alex didn’t have a wonderful start in life. When he was a small child, his mother left him to live with his father and she flitted off to the States. And not long afterwards, his father put him into care and took off to Jamaica.
He lived in Brixton, London during the famous 80’s riots. and he didn’t have the best of times. In fact, he finally wound up in prison for driving whilst under the influence of drugs. This was a huge turning point for Alex and he decided to get an education and do something with his life. Since then he has published six novels, including Brixton Rock and East of Acre Lane.
So, what made me choose Alex?
He didn’t come across as too perfect: Sometimes it is intimidating to do business with someone who appears to be too perfect. They appear false somehow.
Honesty: Alex was honest about his past criminal convictions. Nobody is blemish free and when someone claims to be, you have to wonder what they’re hiding.
He was successful despite adversities: Alex had a tougher childhood than many of us, but he managed to overcome this and go on to be an extremely successful novelist.
He was willing to bare all to inspire others: Alex described how going to be prison was a turning point for him. He didn’t have to tell anyone he’d gone to prison, but doing so inspires and gives hope to others who have struggled in life.
People love turnaround stories: People love to hear the success stories of ordinary people who’ve made it after major struggles or screw ups.
Can you use any of the things that Alex Wheatle has done to portray your business in a better light? Can you think of things that you’ve done that would give your business a story, rather than just advertising your products or service? And can you think of other people/business who you admire because they’ve achieved success, despite their history?
Entrepreneurs Who Ignore Emails and Middleborn Children
February 20, 2008
Have you ever wondered what successful business owners like Richard Branson think of entrepreneurs who don’t reply to emails? And would you like to know if middle born children can become just as successful in business as their siblings? If so, check out these fascinating entrepreneur interviews.
Body Shop Founder, the late Anita Roddick on what she thinks about money and business schools by Todd Benjamin, CNN.
Craig Newmark on how he founded Craigslist by accident and why he isn’t a CEO of his own company.
Richard Branson on success, how he manages his time at work and what he thinks of entrepreneurs who don’t respond to emails, by Joe Polish.
Interview with James Dyson, inventor and founder of Dyson on competitors, inspiration and getting high on failure.
John Doerr of Zazzle on his screw ups, the Internet’s next wave and making money.
Stelios of Easyjet on the advantage of being a middleborn child and the most expensive mistake of his career.
Jeff Bezos of Amazon on enthusiasm, entrepreneurship and the dangers of not choosing a business you are passionate about.
What did you learn from these entrepreneurs that inspire you to improve your own business? Have you been inspired by other entrepreneurs? Who and how?
Write The Grafitti On The Wall
February 19, 2008
Now, I’m not suggesting you resort to vandalism. Seth Godin’s quote refers to the power of blogs and individuals voices, over large corporations.
At one time these organisations could get away with shoddy service, as their money and mass marketing methods were far more influential than the complaints of a few unhappy consumers. But they can’t anymore - thanks to the power of bloggers.
And if a big company upsets one person and someone blogs about it - that message has the potential to reach far more customers than any form of traditional marketing.
So, What Does This Mean To You As A Business Owner?
Well, there has never been a better time for people like you to start a small business, or improve the one you have. In fact, individuals like you are in a better position to influence customers than some of the giant corporations are.
Why Most Of The Big Companies Can’t Pull It Off
1) Some of these big businesses won’t change: In fact, most of them won’t even see the need to until it’s too late, because they’ve become complacent.
2) They don’t realise the significance: Have you ever looked up poor reviews on some of these large companies? And have you noticed how many of them don’t bother to reply to their customers and try to put things right?
That’s because they’re still under the illusion that nobody is really listening and that a handful of unhappy people aren’t loud enough to make a noise - but they are. And so are you.
3) They have teams of managers who believe that business can still be done under the old school network rules; and who you play golf with is more important than what you do for your customers. And they’re stuck with these managers and their archaic attitudes.
So How Can You Write The Graffiti On The Wall?
People power: Give your customers a service to talk about and give them an easy way to talk about it. Having money to burn on advertising doesn’t matter anymore. People want to hear the opinions of real people before making a buying decision.
Community: Set up a community that your customers want to be part of, or join a community where you can connect with them.
Satisfy Their Wants: Find out what they want and give them it.
Remember this is your opportunity to outperform those massive corporations, and there has never been a better time to write time to write the grafitti on the wall.
Can you think of ways that you can beat the huge corporations? Do you see them being overtaken, if they don’t change? Do you think individuals have the power to overtake them? I’d love to hear your thoughts and ideas in the comments section.
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