Quickie Marketing Tip: Just Answer Questions!
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As you engage in your online activities, do you notice online users asking questions that would be easy for you to answer? If you hang out where your potential market does, the answer would be “all the time.”
Do you stop and provide a detailed answer or move on? By “detailed and thorough,” I mean an answer that addresses the questioners’ concerns, even those they may not have explicitly asked about, because you have a deeper understanding.
Helpful Means Thorough
You’ll see those who pop in with a generic or basic, terse statement and call that an answer. No personality, no details — they want the exposure. They want to appear as though they know what they are doing in the fastest way with the least amount of effort.
That’s not what we’re talking about today. To truly help folks out, when you answer their questions, you also anticipate what they need to know that they may not know how to ask about. That’s where your experience comes into play.
Too often, though, we rush and don’t take a minute or two to answer those questions and help someone comprehensively. That’s called a missed opportunity.
Exposure = Marketing Opportunity
How do you get your online business exposure and generate word of mouth? First, you habitually share your experience with others when the opportunity presents itself, whether it be on social media, forums, or your blog.
opportunity: [ ˌäpərˈt(y)o͞onitē ] NOUN
a set of circumstances that makes it possible to do something
If you come across an online community discussing a topic on social media or in a forum that you can help with and offer advice, take a moment to do so. Offering pointers and tips will always be appreciated, as it shows that you run a business that cares about helping others.
This will help you become known as an expert in your field while providing an opportunity for folks to get to know you better. Think about it—don’t you prefer doing business with those you trust and feel you know over a stranger that you don’t know? (So do your potential customers.)
People Do Business With People — Not Businesses
And they love working with those who are downright approachable. By offering friendly and helpful tips here and there, you lend to the perception that not only are you a great person, but you are also knowledgeable and trustworthy. So, chances are that when your product or service is needed, guess who will be thought of — you.
This tactic will cost you nothing but a bit of time. Considering the potential return and exposure are priceless, it is worth every minute of your time.
The key is to offer help by sharing your experience and knowledge in a non-commercial manner. The only thing “commercial,” if anything, is your short sig file with a link to your website or estore. Nothing more.
No sales pitches, no affiliate links, nothing but pure helpful info.
By offering valuable non-sales-pitchy assistance and pointers, you rise above aggressive marketers. You know the type. Those who make it clear their only motive is to make online users aware of their existence so they can get into their pocketbooks.
So get out there and join discussion boards, groups, and blogs. Answer questions based on your experience and field of knowledge. Look for posts on X where you can offer assistance and spread your knowledge.
I’ll leave you with this…
As a wise man named Napoleon Hill once said in his Scroll #4:
Seems like a perfect recipe for a successful business, don’t you agree?
At your service,
