Reach New Readers: Stop Preaching to the Choir

reach new readers

How do you reach new readers, subscribers, buyers, or customers?

Think about it – the people visiting your website, following you on Twitter, or subscribing to your blog already know you. They’re familiar with your brand, your products or services, and what you have to say. Those aren’t the people you’re trying to attract. Instead, you need to get your story out there in multiple formats and and through as many channels as possible so that people who don’t know you can find you.

In addition to driving traffic to your own website via search, your email list, social media, advertising, etc. you could take your content (or a variation of it) and:

  • Create a Slideshare presentation
  • Publish a podcast on iTunes
  • Build a photo gallery showcasing your products on Pinterest or Instagram
  • Shoot videos and post them on YouTube
  • Create a Periscope
  • Write guest blog posts
  • Comment on other blogs
  • Join or start a Facebook or LinkedIn group in your area of expertise
  • Start or participate in a Twitter chat or Google+ hangout

And that’s just scratching the surface. Each and every time you decentralize your content, you make it findable by people who don’t know you yet, and that’s how you drive your business forward – not by preaching to the choir.

4 Comments

  1. Morris May on March 13, 2012 at 6:57 pm

    Monica
    This is such a contenious topic, and certainly one that will divide opinion, based on how much time one has. There are still too mnay using social media and adding nothing to the customer browsing (links to home page; failing to regularly blog; blagging rather than blogging! etc)

    As you have so correctly pointed out before, it is the quality, consistency and relevance of the messages you broadcast that are the determing factor. I genuinely believe that a smaller business would be far better to concentrate their eforts to do one or two social media platforms; do them well and encourage their ‘choir’ to bring more followers, rather than to spread a weak message and campaign far and wide.

    There can be a slight rub, too. I have email updates from you, follow on twitter, so my followers can access you insightful articles and also get to see them being updated on several of my Li groups, as well as in my Li timeline. Fortunately, I do not mind, as I am always keen to see what your latest update, but there are companies who do similar, to such an extent that I am considering not following or ignoring their posts, because they add nothing for me.

    That should be the salient message to any embarking on SM marketing… make it relevant and compelling. If you can not engage with your current choir, then don’t embark on other avenues.

    • Monica Hemingway on March 16, 2012 at 6:25 pm

      It’s hard, isn’t it – creating good content to use across different platforms? You’re quite right that if we aren’t doing it well on one platform, we should certainly refrain from bombarding people with the same poor content on other platforms! I suppose my point here was more that if we’re already doing it well across a few social medial channels, and we’re not getting more readers, then perhaps it’s time to look at something completely different – like Pinterest or a Slideshare presentation. And especially to look at channels or platforms that don’t take a lot of constant updating and effort (although, as you say, consistency is important). We all seem to be quite stuck on blogs, Facebook, and Twitter – with a few of us also using LinkedIn and a growing number trying Pinterest. Let’s try “thinking outside the box” (I hate that expression, but sometimes it seems appropriate!).

  2. dave on March 14, 2012 at 8:40 am

    Great Post Monica. As a website marketing manager myself the challenge is finding new sources and creative content for all your post. A daily effort to to find new outlets with a long term mindset will payoff. One new source, site, or blog comment a day alone will give you 365 new reaches. Over time this will create a steady stream of new customer, readers, and buyers on your target website.

    • Monica Hemingway on March 16, 2012 at 6:18 pm

      You’re so right Dave. Of course, it’s a lot of hard work!! The trick is finding the right outlets – ones that help us achieve our business goals, rather than just making for even more work for an already busy business owner. Are there any outlets that have been particularly effective for you?

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