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What is Value Tradeoff? Why should every Marketer live by it? This is a post for those who are interested in making a real, respected, and profitable business online. This is not a post for people who are looking for a quick and easy way to make a fortune.
If you have continued to read, you have made the right decision! The benefit of deciding to create a REAL and respected online business rather than a spammy get-rich-quick scheme is that you will see consistent profits, growth, and sustainability.
Let's jump right in:
What Is This Value Tradeoff?
The Value Tradeoff is something that I like to talk about whenever consulting someone on how to market an online business.
It is essentially this notion that the best way to create value for your own blog is to provide value to others – for free. A savvy marketer will know exactly what I am talking about. Here’s a visual look at this:
You see, in order to ever expect visitors to buy something from you, you first have to get them to subscribe to you. In order to get them to subscribe to you, you first have to get them to your website. In order to expect them to get to your website, you have to reach them through some medium. At each of these points – value is key.
Don't worry if I have confused you, things are going to get cleared up with an example.
Let's look at my marketing strategy for getting people to my blog and how it is essentially based on me giving free value to people I don't even know (yet.)
An Example From My Personal Blog . In case you didn't know, I do run a personal blog. Here is how I market it:
Step 1 – Provide Value To Complete Strangers
The first step I always take in the process of getting a new reader or customer is providing value to complete strangers for free. Here's how:
- I provide useful, well researched, and thought out answers to questions in blog comments and in forums.
- I write guest posts for bloggers for free to post on their sites. (You are reading an example of this)
- I actively participate in social media by reaching out to industry leaders and answering questions with thought out solutions.
People see this value and they click through to my website. Then, I offer step two of the value process:
Step 2 – Offer Free Value In Your Blog Posts
In every one of my posts, I am sure to provide some of the best content I am personally possible of writing. I do not just push out posts to get them done.
Instead, I think them through thoroughly and make sure that I am proud of what I am posting. Why? Because this is value offering number two in my value funnel.
You see, after you have captured someone's attention by posting a valuable comment, guest post, forum answer, or social media tid-bit, you still need to offer them MORE VALUE. This is the purpose of your blog posts. They are not just things to fill in the space around the AdSense ads. Instead, they should be very meaningful and thought out.
Once your potential subscribers have read your valuable comment and your valuable blog post, it is time to offer them EVEN MORE VALUE.
Step 3 – Offer A Free eBook or Other Digital Product
The next step in the value process is to offer your potential subscribers another form of free value in the form of a digital product like an eBook.
This does not mean something that you put together in a weekend. In fact, this should be something of really great value (even more valuable than your blog posts.)
As your readers move down the value funnel, they will expect more and more value from you. This means you have to step it up at each and every stage – especially if you (and you should) ask for an email for your free digital product.
Step 4 – Offer More Free Value In Your Email List
Just because you have turned a visitor into a subscriber doesn't mean you should go into sales mode. In fact, this is the opposite of what you should do.
Instead, focusing on providing your email subscribers with more pieces of extreme value. I'm talking at least a month worth of solid content in your emails with absolutely no sales pitch.
Step 5 – Offer (Or Recommend To) Your Visitors Products That Are TRULY Valuable
Now that you have taken the time to impress your visitors and shown them what kind of value you are capable of producing and giving them for free, it is time to offer them products.
The great thing is, your visitors will now trust you and opinions. (And they should!)
You have proven to them that you are a person, and not just a quick and careless salesperson. This is the key (and always has been) to really making a profitable and sustainable business.
Wrapping Things Up
Well, I hope you had as much fun with my first QOT post as I did. The bottom line is that old time marketing (real interactions, real communications, real value) is coming full circle and taking over all the fake marketing techniques that have emerged across the web (spam). Stick to techniques that have proven themselves your time and watch the success roll in!
This article is written by guest writer Jason, who writes at MethodSEM. He has been consulting folks on Internet marketing for about 2 years and recently got hired at a respected marketing consulting firm. Original Article: The Value Tradeoff: What It Is And Why Every Marketer Should Live By It
Copyright 2012. Quick Online Tips. All Rights Reserved.
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