As we all try to navigate the constant change that happens on the web, there are some things that will always hold true.
Here are seven guiding principles you should follow:
Aim to help people, not sell to them.
The best way to be helpful is to share what you know and help people solve their problems. The entrepreneurs that do this best are the ones that win the best clients.
If it feels like you are giving away too much, then you’re probably on the money in terms of providing something that is remarkable enough to earn their attention and trust.
When you are inviting people to download your premium content, you want the experience to be easy for them.
Ideally, you want to eliminate all distractions on the landing so people can fill in the form.
Try to get rid of all the unnecessary links, especially the ones from your main website navigation system.
Distractions are like leaks, and as the saying goes, you shouldn’t lead people onto a leaking boat!
You probably get thousands of marketing messages a day and know which tactics are annoying.
Eliminate these from your marketing activity or else you’ll end up diminishing your reputation, rather than enhancing it.
I believe your objective as a business owner and marketer is to educate and inform your community.
You should help people solve their problems and guide them to make the decisions that best serve their interests.
You can do this by publishing helpful articles so your prospective customers can get to know, like and trust you.
The sign that you’re doing this well is that people are sharing your content and ultimately buying from you.
If you spend your time trying to game Google by using sneaky or tricky search optimisation tactics, you’ll probably get booted down the search rankings.
Google has teams of incredibly smart engineers working full time to refine their search algorithm.
Instead, always focus on publishing great content that serves your customers, and you will be constantly rewarded as Google’s algorithm gets even better at delivering the best quality search results.
As a rule of thumb, half the time you spend executing your web strategy should be focussed on creating content and the other half spent connecting with people in your community.
The final principle is to remember that you’re dealing with real people, even though you can’t see them in the flesh.
Treat all interactions with the same respect that you would if the person were standing in front of you!
Keep these principles in mind as you work on your web strategy and keep creating remarkable content!
If you liked this article, here’s a link to our most popular free tool, the Web Strategy Planning Template. I hope you find it useful!
Adam Franklin is the co-author of ‘Web Marketing That Works’, a professional speaker, and co-founder of Bluewire Media.
