Blogging and internet businesses seems to be the latest craze for home based entrepreneurs, but how much do you really need to know about social media to make these successful ventures?
If you’re not familiar with all the trends in sharing content and information, how do you succeed as a Web-preneur?
Simpler than you think
Thankfully, it’s not required to take a class on social media before you can start using it effectively. While it is great information to get your hands on, you can use it to your advantage long before you complete any such course.
Building a relationship online is no different than a face-to-face relationship–people want to connect with you. They need to feel, see and read about ways that you’re similar.
A blog post can be chock full of information that helps them be productive and more profitable, but if it doesn’t touch them personally, they’re not going to share or recommend.
Website visitors enjoy sharing posts that make them laugh, touch them on a personal level or fit into the category of a friendly conversation.
Forget the dry, college professor sort of speech (and I apologize to any exciting college professors), this is the time to be yourself and see where the chips fall.
By sharing your personality, your website becomes an extension of you and your readers will pick up on that.
Getting shares by sharing yourself
The key to getting your content shared in all kinds of social media avenues without doing it yourself is to create an online community.
You can do this in one place, your website, and you don’t have to create a presence on every media avenue at first.
Instead, focus on building your site and creating a sense of community by engaging your readers and then watch the social media outlets start to take notice.
Your readers will start to share your page with others in their circle who would enjoy the same interactions.
The more interaction you have with your readers, the more reasons you give them to refer people to your page, share links on their Facebook and Twitter accounts and generally do your advertising for you.
This is how many Internet communities grow so quickly, especially when the members feel like their questions are getting answered and you’re tailoring your content to fit their needs.
Creating content that connects
So how do you know which content to write that will connect and will answer questions? Ask your readers!
A simple survey when people exit your site with three questions maximum will tell you what they were looking for. This works whether they found the material they wanted or whether they didn’t.
Even if they didn’t find the material or answers they were looking for, your exit survey shows that you tried. This alone encourages them to not only answer but return in the future.
Showing your readers you care about their questions and sincerely want to help them is a major factor in how often your content and site gets shared online.
The beauty is that it’s not all about online business education; it’s about giving your site visitors a piece of yourself every time they show up.
In summary, you don’t have to be a social media queen or king to be successful online–you just have to know how to listen. If you listen to your readers and build a personal relationship with them, then they will do the sharing for you.
Share your own stories of success below and any thoughts you have.