I was thinking about the upcoming holidays and wanted to have some Friday fun. Today at The Blog Herald I am talking about tapping into the power of Tupperware parties to market your blog. Did you know that you can host an online party now?
When you sell Tupperware, you know you are commercially leveraging your friendship. Marketing a blog is the same way. Sure, blogging "friendships" are different than the real life, meat space friendships which shape our daily lives. But they're still relationships. You're selling Tupperware, whether you like it or not.
- Is your blogging home inviting? You'd never stage a Tupperware party with a sink full of dishes and stuff piled up on the coffee table. Look at your site. Ask yourself if the content is cleanly presented. Are your sidebars stuffed with needless distractions? Dump them (I shall take my own advice son). A popular blog is usually a tidy blog.
- Are you ready to explain yourself? You need to know the blogging product, just as you would know how that 30-piece kitchen set works. If you want to market your blog, know what makes it different from others. Say it plainly and often. It's impossible to overstate your core message.
- Did you ask for the order? Because you must. The call to action at a Tupperware party is asking for the quantity and shipping information. Yours might be soliciting an RSS subscription. Pass the pen: the deal isn't done until the ink is dry. Provide a clear call to action.
- Say thanks. If you were holding a Tupperware party, you'd send out thank you cards the next morning. In blogging terms, what extra value can you offer a new RSS subscriber? A free eBook, perhaps? Make it something of value which lines up well with your site's message.
- Deliver. It wasn't a successful Tupperware party if the orders don't find their new homes in a timely manner. For the blogger, delivery is paying off on the promise of the site. Post frequently. Stay on-message. Answer comments. Be what you say you are, or your readers will find someone else who is.
If this were your Tupperware party, what else would you suggest and add?