by Sonia Simone, Remarkable CommunicationEver feel confused or overwhelmed about your online marketing?
It's not surprising -- there are literally millions of articles and blog posts about marketing over the web, and a lot of the information is confusing, contradictory, out of date, or just plain wrong.
I was talking with my business partner Brian Clark (the original founder of Copyblogger) about this a few months ago, and we sat down and mapped out the core principles of a real online marketing strategy -- the kind that a real business uses, not the hyped-up systems that promise you a Lamborghini and a mansion while working 30 minutes a day in your underwear. :)
We boiled it down to three elements I want to share with you today: Attract - Engage - Convert.
Attract the right customersObviously, if you can't attract attention from the right potential customers, you're never going to be able to grow your business.
There are hundreds of ways to find traffic, but the combination we've found most effective is content marketing (creating valuable articles, podcasts, or video on topics that your potential customers care about), combined with smart SEO and intelligent use of social media to spread the word.
That's the combination we use on Copyblogger to get more than 270,000 unique visitors a month, and it's what we'll continue to use for the foreseeable future.
Unlike a lot of the so-called traffic systems out there, this model relies on fundamental business principles, so it doesn't fall apart with every "Google slap" that comes along.
Engage your audienceThe second step, and one that a lot of marketers miss out on, is engaging with the people who show up to read, listen, or watch all that great content you're creating.
Engagement is getting your audience to "know, like, and trust" you. It's critical if you want to convert traffic into customers.
Social media, of course, offers a fantastic set of tools for making connections with your audience. But you want to be careful to prioritize the channels you control -- usually your own self-hosted blog and a great email newsletter like Gary's.
As one popular blogger recently put it, you want to "pay yourself first" with content. That means you create blog posts and email marketing as your first priority, and then fill in with social media engagement.
Too many businesses get so busy with Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook that they forget to build the assets they control -- the ones that will build your business over the long run. The social media platforms are excellent tools -- but you need to put them in the right perspective.
Convert fans into customersFinally, you need to take those fans and efficiently turn them into paying customers.
Online, this is usually accomplished with what's called a landing page -- that's a page that convinces readers to take a specific action, whether it's signing up for your email list or buying your newest product or service. Think of it as a salesperson who works 24/7 and doesn't need a commission. :)
Attraction and engagement are mostly "art," but conversion is really more about science. Every business owner should at least get familiar with the basic principles of copywriting, even if you never write a line of your own copy.
You'll also want to test and tweak your landing pages -- try two different versions and see which one performs better. Even if you know nothing about copywriting today, you can improve your conversion (and your profits) steadily over time by testing variations on pages and promoting the "winners."
Could you use some help with all that?The principles are simple, but that doesn't mean they're always easy. You may need some help executing on some (or all) of them.
That's why we put together the
Authority Rules conference. We take you through the Attract-Engage-Convert model we use on Copyblogger.
The conference offers a combination of live and pre-recorded sessions (all live sessions are recorded for you as well), so you can fix what isn't working in your business and move forward rapidly toward your goals.
The entire event is virtual, so there are no travel costs or time away from your family. Attend the sessions live or download the replays -- it's totally up to you.
We also throw in access to our thriving private community of online marketers, so you can get the peer-to-peer interaction and networking that no other online conference can offer.
Click here to get all the details on the event, including a complete list of speakers and topics.
I'm looking forward to seeing you there!
--Sonia Simone
Co-founder and CMO of Copyblogger Media
P.S.
Because the Authority Rules event is being held live, we'll be closing the doors on Tuesday, May 17 at 5:00 PM Pacific Time. We want to focus all of our attention on delivering an exceptional experience to our conference attendees.
Of course there's a risk-free money-back guarantee if the conference doesn't fit your needs. If after 10 days you don't feel it's a good fit, just let us know in the clearly-marked Contact form inside the site and we'll refund every penny and part as friends.
So if you're interested, don't delay on this one --
go sign up now, get immediate access to the first week of sessions, and start enjoying the benefits of the Authority Rules model.
by Karen Schatz,