Educate and inform instead of interrupt and sell

You have the power to elevate yourself on the web to a position of importance.

In the e-marketplace of ideas, successful people educate and inform. They highlight their expertise with videos, content-rich websites, social streams, blogs, ebooks, and images.

We also have the ability to interact and participate in conversations that other people begin on social media sites like Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, chat rooms, and forums.

The key is to focus on buyers' needs, not your own ego.

Stop hyping your products and services. Don't rely on interruption techniques. You'll regret taking advantage of people’s time and attention with unwanted communications.

Instead you need to deliver the right information to buyers, right at the point when they are most receptive.

Organizations gain credibility and loyalty with buyers through content, and smart marketers think and act like publishers in order to create and deliver content targeted directly at their audience.

Don't push product

Teach people something. Share your expertise.

It's counter intuitive: You sell more when you stop selling.

As you build your market people will find you via search engines and talk you up on social networks.

Comments

[cloudia]

Having visitors & their quality comments, providing something that others seek out again and again (in this crowded web)
are in themselves valuable - though I don't sell many books.

Friendly Aloha from Waikiki
Comfort Spiral

[Marc Ensign]

I couldn't agree more as a consumer and a marketer. I regularly give workshops and other speaking engagements on search engine optimization and social networking and people always give me that weird look when I don't spend the last 20 minutes trying to sell them a bill of goods. From start to finish the entire workshop is about cramming as much value into as I can. If someone hires me because of it, GREAT! If not, GREAT! It's not about me...it's about meeting their needs.

[David Meerman Scott]

Marc - that's my approach at my engagements too. Audiences hate the approach where speakers do the hard sell for their DVDs or books at the end of the gig.

[jan]

I really don't know how its possible, but most people still ignore the advice to focus on the customer needs, not their ego. I'm starting to think that for some that will never change.

[Melonie Dodaro]

“You sell more when you stop selling.” -- this hits the nail right on the head. People will become drawn to you when they see you as someone who is willing to help and add value, not someone who is just out there to go for the kill.

[Learn To Read Online]

The beginning reading program, ClickN READ Phonics, is regarded as cutting edge and the first of its kind by the academic community.

[Erin]

Great article David! Our content is shifting more so from quantity to quality for our sites here at Blue Global Media. Loved how you covered it here.

[reiki massage table]

David thanks for a great reminder not to push the product. This may look unattractive to the reader. If you could send me tips how to educate them via emails that is much appreciated. Thanks!