THIS WAS ORIGINALLY POSTED ON MY "A SITE BUILD IT JOURNEY" BLOG. I wanted to share it with you, too.
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When it comes to a web presence, it would be nice to believe that "if you build it, they will come," yet we know better. "They" will come if you do one thing well -- Market yourself.
The key is to remember that Marketing Yourself is really just Sharing Yourself. It's building relationships with people who will eventually love you and adore what you have to offer.
Market yourself to tell the world about what you offer - your site, your business, your products, and what you believe. You can market through advertising, articles, blogs, workshops, teleclasses, ezines, spread-the-world campaigns, affiliate and referral networks, etc. It's a constant endeavor that everyone should master. This skill will serve you well in any business or project.
- People will buy from you when they know and trust you.
- They will recommend you when you keep and honor that trust.
And it all starts with Article Writing - Share Yourself by sharing the information your ideal clients are looking for by writing articles. You want your future clients to easily and automatically find you when they search for that information online using one of the search engines. You also want them to find that content when someone recommends you as the go-to person for that type of information, service, or product. The last thing you want is to never show up in the top search listings or worse, have someone recommend you and have your site NOT reflect your expertise, talents or knowledge. (I have been guilty of this a few times.)
Learn to do a keyword search and find out which keywords people are using when they look online for services like yours. This is where a product like Site Build It! is helpful. It has the built-in tools you need to brainstorm keyword ideas and then quickly validate if they are truly the ones people use when they search for you (or businesses like you). And even better, Site Build It (with their own proprietary programs) helps you discover which keywords are searched for frequently, yet have few sites offering that information. In other words, lots of people looking for information that very few people are supplying.
OF COURSE, what you write can and should be a reflection of you - not what anyone tells you people want to read. You KNOW your ideal clients and customers best and know just what they are looking for and need. (And if you don't - then ask them using a survey or an assessment:-)) Write to incorporate your best knowledge and your best keywords.
You will need to be consistent. Write articles often. Post them in article directories, on your blog, in an ezine, etc. Sharing Yourself by writing articles (with your best keywords and best knowledge) should be simple. After all, you are sharing what you love, what you know, and what you believe.
Yet, if you find that you are having a problem, ask yourself these questions:
- Is this truly my passionate purpose?
- Is this truly my area of expertise? Or am I writing about too general a topic?
- Do I dare to show up - even when it's scary to share who I am and what I believe?
- Do I just need some article writing guidance?
- Do I simply need to "go for it" to build my confidence?
Chances are #5 is the culprit, so dive in. Choose a topic for your next blog post or article writing endeavor. Trust yourself. Start writing!
And if you find that you need help, write me or call me. I'm ready and willing to help.
Blessings as you Dare to Share Yourself with the World by Writing Articles,
Maiya Rose
