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08.20.09 Successfully Market Your Brand Online  By Andrew WeeBeing perceived as an expert in your niche can play a great part in generating buzz, momentum and ultimately profits from your marketing efforts. If you're a small or medium business, being able to establish mindshare (the perception of yourself or your company as a player in your niche) is a key strategy for newer players. Here are 7 tips to achieving that goal. Content: Identifying key issues, especially challenges and problems within your industry and offering a solution to those questions builds your reputation as a problem solver. Experts are those with expertise at solving problems. It also builds goodwill and encourage reciprocity and a "pay it forward" mentality from those who have benefitted from your advice (which leads to a viral/linkbait effect if they distribute/syndicate your content). Content was one of the major issues that I discussed with veteran journalist and former editor-in-chief of Revenue magazine, Lisa Picarille, for this week's Friday Podcast. It'll appear on Friday. One of the easiest ways to brand yourself is by starting a blog and start putting out quality content. One major issue I have with bloggers, especially affiliate marketing/internet marketing bloggers is a tendency to excessively sell ad-space or run banners on their blog. If more than half the screen real-estate is dedicated to ads/banners, it leaves a bad taste in my mouth. Are you more interested in making money, or providing information. Looking at your signal-to-noise ratio (content vs ads) and maintaining a 80% content : 20% ad ratio will create a great user experience. Going beyond a 50% content vs 50% ad ratio is pushing the limits. Guest author and guest post: If you've established a reputation and are seen as credible, take the next step to approach the top 10 channels/outlets in your niche and offer to guest author on their site - whether it's a news site, a content aggregator or a blog.
If you are known and the site publishes guest posts, you stand a good chance. If not, it's back to step #1. In the affiliate marketing context, specialist magazines like FeedFront which comprises an online and print edition can provide great visibility. Public speaking: Speaking at industry-specific events and related events are a good way of getting your name out there. It'll also help put you in touch with potential partners. I know some marketers are reluctant to go this route because of a fear of public speaking. If so, start small as many of these events have small group discussions or breakout sessions. If addressing a couple of hundred people sends your heart rate pounding, you might volunteer to be a discussion leader for a small group session. Networking (and following up): Whether you're meeting people online, or at a face-to-face event, you'll build up a network of contacts. The challenge that holds people back from more effectively leveraging on their connections is a failure to follow up. When was the last time you got an email or card within 24 hours of meeting someone? Continue reading this article. About the Author: Andrew Wee is an Asia-based Internet Marketer focused on blogging, social traffic generation and affiliate marketing. Previously rated as one of Asia's top technology journalists, Andrew covers breaking news and industry developments at WhoIsAndrewWee.com |
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