Attract Attention To Your

Website and Business

By Terry L. Brock

We’re swamped with way too much information today. I’m not talking the junk, but really good stuff that we’ve asked to receive at some point in the past. Your customers are overwhelmed with information that they want, but just don’t have time to process.

We’re in a world where, for the first time, it is easier to produce than to consume. Think about the situation for, say, a newspaper back in the 1700’s (about the time of Benjamin Franklin). It took a lot of money, time, effort and special skill to generate a daily newspaper. It was far easier to read the newspaper than to produce one.

Roll forward a few centuries to today. The situation has flipped. Today it is very easy to produce a Blog, even a Podcast (audio on the Net) or a video. Just look at all the videos on YouTube.com with themes like “My cat sleeping.” Ugh! We can’t keep up with all the information that is coming through.

Forget the “My cat sleeping” type of videos for a moment. There is a lot of good, solid, usable information out there --- but we just don’t have time to process it all. We can’t consume all that we’d like to consume. Instead we get the psychological equivalent of overweight consumers---we’re inundated with information.

Your customers face the same challenge when you have a real, legitimate sale or promotion. They’ve heard it all before (at least they think they have). They don’t have time for your thing along with the myriad of other things going on in their lives.

So, how do you stand out and get attention from those that can best profit from your information? Here are some steps that can help:

1. Use Audio. This can take the cold, silence of cyberspace and provide the warmth of a real human emotion. We want to connect with real people today more than ever. Think of how you can use audio interviews with satisfied customers to communicate your message. Think how you can tap into the wisdom of industry experts to communicate time-saving tips and important information to your audience. This is already paying off in rich rewards for others. Bonus: Think about using audio with a Podcast so people can listen on their iPod or other MP3 players.
2. Use Video. The enormous success of YouTube and other video outlets like VMIX, Google Video and many others attest to the power of video. But go beyond mere talking head video. Use graphics, text and music to take a step up from the competition. I use Movie Studio for editing. Adobe Premier or Final Cut Studio are other good programs. Find one that works for you and make it yours. Video can illustrate how your products work and demonstrate it for a wide audience better than mere text.
3. Text. Yep, even text can help a lot. However, we don’t lack for stuff to read. But we do want to read relevant, pertinent information that can help us. Create a Blog that will provide solid answers to questions. Write PDF files that can show important information that your buyers want. Combine text with vivid graphics which show product illustrations, how-to demonstrations and more.
4. Make it Relevant To Buyers. Just having audio, video and/or text won’t cut the mustard! You have to produce information which buyers want and are willing to invest their time in to solve their problems. When you see “Free Report” on the Internet, we all know it is not really “free.” It costs us the most precious resource---time. So, before consumers are going to invest their most precious resource (time) into what you have to offer, it has to be exceptionally good to stand out from the blizzard of other information available. Management consultant and author Michael LeBeouf said “To be successful, follow the pain.” Find where they are hurting and provide relevant information that can solve the problems your buyers have.
5. Make It Entertaining. Notice the information that is consumed the fastest and the most---it has to be entertaining. The late great Steve Allen said that people will pay more to be entertained than to be educated. What you want to do is blend your education about your products and services with entertainment. This makes it so your buyers will 1) Be more willing to open the file and look at it, 2) Remember it, and 3) Buy from you (the reason you do it in the first place!).

These steps and more will help you to attract interest to your website and your business. The world has changed a lot and people want more information that can help them in a practical, relevant way. As you develop your message around these themes, you attract more and better quality buyers.

Terry Brock is a marketing coach and regular columnist for The Wholesaler who helps businesses market more effectively leveraging technology. He shows busy professionals how to squeeze more out of their busy days using the right rules and tools. He can be reached at 407-363-0505, by e-mail at terry@terrybrock.com or through his website at www.terrybrock.com.

Copyright © 2007, Terry Brock, All Rights Reserved Internationally. No portion may be reprinted or used in any way without prior written permission.