With
so many cutting edge marketing and promotion methods coming into practice
these days, it's easy to forget the basics. A few good manners go
a long, long way - an old concept but very applicable to modern Internet
marketing and web site promotion strategies.
Introducing
my new soap-box - the "Common Courtesy Strategy (CCS)" series!
When
you first launch your site, the chances are that traffic will not
start flowing immediately, and perhaps never - it's not just how your
site looks or operates that will ensure it's success or failure. According
to numerous sources I've come across during my research, the average
web site only receives around 3 unique visitors a day!
So how
do you get well above this average? A lot of please's and thank you's
to begin with, I assure you. It would seem to me that a number of
web masters and site owners leave a lot to be desired in their approaches
to marketing and promoting their sites.
Most
of us realize that the best way to get traffic while waiting to be
listed by search engines is through being linked to by other quality
sites. This also assists with increasing search engine rankings.
What
many new web masters don't readies is that a request for a link will
probably meet with a negative or no response. The reason why is simple
- it's back to the WIIFM principle - What's In It For Me - the most
basic of motivators in the human psyche. If you approach a well established
site to link to you, there has to be a good reason for them to do
so. I have received a number of emails simply stating "link to me
- http://www.jdfjkdfjjdkdfjdjkfjk.com". That kind of promotional strategy
gets you nowhere.
Here
are a few hints and tips for beginners through to more experienced
site owners as to how you can persuade an established site to link
to yours.
1. Most
Important! Be Polite.
When you send your email for a linking request, ensure that the tone
of it is extremely courteous and not demanding. If English is your
second language, run your promotional note by someone who is familiar
with the complexities of the language. The way you word your note
is the most important factor as to whether another web master will
even bother with taking the time to take a look at your site.
2. Grammar
and Spelling
Also very important. Your canvassing note is your official representation
- if you don't take the time to spell correctly, other web masters
may believe that your site will be of the same quality, and discard
your request immediately.
3. Ensure
your site is complete.
A half finished site will not gain you any links!
4. Respect
that many web masters are busy people
Don't expect an answer straight away and harass the site owner with
countless follow up emails. Leave it for at least 2 weeks before second
contact and ensure that the second note is equally as polite as the
first.
5. Read
the site
Ensure you take a good look over the site you wish to link to you,
be familiar with it's content and mention some of the content in your
request for linkage. Identify the common theme between the sites.
If the site has a "Submit your URL" page, ensure that you use it and
read the guidelines for submission carefully.
6. Appeal
to the owner's WIIFM (What's In It For Me) motivator.
Experienced site owners can pick a new web master or site a mile off,
so don't misrepresent your site or it's traffic levels if you propose
a reciprocal (swap) links agreement. Point the web master to a section
of your site where you provide content or tools that are original
and would be of use to their site's visitors. If you have a banner
rotator, you could offer the site owner a few thousand impressions
as a sweetener for him in linking to you. Very few web masters will
give you a link if they receive nothing in return, especially if they
are earning money or gaining traffic from the links they already have
in place. Even just making an offer of an exchange of services, no
matter how small, will motivate the web master to at least consider
a link - they may not even take you up on the offer.
The
link request note.
There
are a number of examples of link request emails on the Internet, but
my advice is that if you are going to use them, ensure you modify
them each time they are sent to different sites so they at least appear
original. I receive a certain template note regularly and disregard
it as it appears to me that the person sending it has not reviewed
my site properly and really doesn't take the process seriously. If
another web master points towards a certain article or section of
Taming the Beast.net, it motivates me to review what the web master
has to offer my site visitors.
Bearing
that in mind, here's a sample note that you can base your approaches
on:
===========
Greetings [Name], I visited your web site, [Web Site Name Here] and
found some great information regarding [Insert Subject Here]. I thought
you might be interested to know that we have a web site dedicated
to [Your Site Details]. This kind of information would be a great
addition to your resource center and I'm sure your visitors would
gain from it. [If you have linked to the other site already, mention
it here and give the URL of the link]
We
were hoping that you might consider linking to us and invite you to
review our site at your convenience. [Depending on situation, insert
further offer of reciprocal linking, banner impressions or exchange
of services here]
If you
determine that a link to our site is appropriate, please add it at
your your discretion, or might we suggest the following link and description:
===========
[Your site name and URL] - [Your site description - keep it brief,
focused and not too much hype]
===========
If you'd like to discuss this further, please feel free to contact
us at [Your contact details].
Thanks!
[Full official signature lines here]
============
This
example is brief, to the point and courteous. It respects the other
site owners time and intelligence. Remember to modify each note slightly
to avoid the "template" stigma.
Be prepared
for knockbacks.
If you
are officially denied a link, don't get too upset - even if the response
is rude, as they sometimes can be. If you do receive a nasty email
back, be happy in the fact that you went about promotion in the right
way, and perhaps that web master was having a really bad day as we
all do at times. Leave it for a few months, then try again, outlining
some of the improvements you have made in your site that are relevant.
The
promotion strategies you put into action from the outset define your
standing in the online community in the time ahead - don't blow it.
Be careful in using the hypey marketing techniques offered by some
- they may have worked for them, but they may not work for you.
The
"Common Courtesy Strategy (CCS)" is a topic that I will expand greatly
upon in future articles, but it is a theme that is interwoven through
many of my writings. The "Common Courtesy Strategy" is economical
and can be applied to all forms of Internet marketing and web site
promotion. Treat others the way you would like to be treated and you
will reap the benefits - a good blueprint for life in general don't
you think? You catch more flies with honey than you do with vinegar!
Don't
let dollar signs get in the way of basic human consideration.
-Michael
Bloch
michael@tamingthebeast.net
Tamingthebeast.net
Tutorials, Web Content and Tools, Software and Community.
Web Marketing, eCommerce & Development Solutions.
