Do something people want to talk about!
Google is the equivalent of your community’s gossip king/queen: it knows what everyone is talking about, and it’s itching to tell you. Give it the right words (like “dog-friendly hotel in Zimbabwe“), and it will spit out the most relevant thing that people are linking to all over the web.
But getting onto the first page of Google involves what Seth Godin would call getting through a Dip. People who find themselves on the first page — especially the top results — reap benefits that are entirely disproportional to others showing up in the search results.
These benefits are why it’s tough to get there: you’ve got to pay your dues, remaining in relative obscurity until the cascade of give-a-damns starts to roll in.
If you’re not on the first page of Google yet, ask yourself why. More importantly, figure out why people would want to talk about you. And give it to them. Now. I’ll give you a money-back guarantee that you’ll see impressive results within a month.
Google was one of the first social sites (in fact, it’s the earliest prototype of “Web 3.0″ or “people-based filtering” I can think of), and it continues to play the lead role in The Days Of Our Web. Marketers everywhere are going bananas trying to develop a social media strategy, badgering people while they’re otherwise occupied on Facebook, Myspace, Last.FM and the like… but they keep ignoring the most important question of all:
What’s your Google strategy? How will you make sure you’re first in line when people want to hear about you?
(Here’s a hint: Adwords aren’t going to cut it.)
September 9, 2008 at 9:58 pm
“Do something people want to talk about!”
great advice. easier said than done.
September 10, 2008 at 2:32 pm
Hey Kyle, thanks for reading and commenting!
I’ve found that the trick to get people talking is to ask yourself the question: “if someone did this for me, would I care?”
If the answer is a resounding yes, people will talk! If not, then you’re just getting excited about doing something, not about doing something that people will talk about.
September 15, 2008 at 12:28 am
“The cascade of give-a-damns” - nice wording, I like that