In The Myth Of Great Content Marketing Itself, Darren said that:
The reality is that many blogs produce quality content that doesn’t get read. The reason isn’t that the blog’s not worth reading – but in many cases it’s because nobody knows to go read it.
Later, he said:
Letting your content market itself DOES work IF you already have an audience to help with that process by spreading word of it through word of mouth. YOU need to be the one who starts the process.
It’s time to hustle and get word out about your content.
I agree. Most of the apparent success you see on a blog is based on what happens outside of content creation. The main secret to kicking arse online is knowing the right people.
Yes, I’m talking about the networking.
How Networking Leads To Blog Success
Image by Sudhamshu
Do you ever see posts with high profile commenters and tonnes of retweets that seems to echo around the blogosphere? All that happened off the blog. The connections were made months before a favour was asked. The person had provided enough value for the person to not even considering saying no to a request for help.
I recently wrote a post taking readers step by step through my networking methods. This guest post will take you through specific observations that helped me garner the attention of the big guns – and keep it.
Be A Filter. Be Seen.
I owe the discovery of this concept to Dave Navarro at The Launch Coach
“the busier and more successful someone is, the more they rely on people they trust to filter decisions for them. They don’t have the time to take in an process all the pros and cons of some new unknown quantity, so they simply look to their “influencers” – the people who already have established trust with them – for recommendations. “
Positioning yourself as a filter is a great way to get on the radars of awesome people.
I became a filter by accident and it’s a role that I’ve embraced. I’m known as the person that hooks people up. I did one consulting call and was interviewed for two paid programs in the past week. In all three cases, I asked the person is there was anyone I could connect them too.
This doesn’t have to be a bad thing. In many cases, it means getting them featured on a certain blog. They get publicity. The blogger gets quality content. I get the happiness from making awesomeness happen.
The key to being a indispensible filter is being so darn useful that the A-listers clamor to get to know you. However, before you can get to know them they have to know who you are.
So – how do you get to know them?
Meet them on their turf and go where they are most comfortable. This is where they will me most receptive to your attempts at connection.
For many people, this is Twitter. For others, it may be a uStream or an interview. Be where they are, and without being spammy show how intelligent and helpful you are. In some cases, they’ll get to know you and ask to take the conversation elsewhere.
Taking the conversation off that platform
Take the conversation to phone
It’s weird, but hearing someone’s voice encourages them to be more emotionally involved. They are more likely to remember you and be willing to help you out down the track.
I know this because I’ve Skyped a lot of my blogging friends. It’s hard, especially when you are introverted. It has lots of awesome networking opportunities. You can pick up little pieces of information to leverage later, such as birthdays and children. You can also bond over accents or similar work.
For most people, this means talking to them on Skype. You can also talk to them via conference call products or by a regular phone.
Take it to email
I try and funnel most conversations to email. This makes it a lot easier to form a connection and figure out how you can help each other. I have one email for most people and a separate email for those I have a preexisting relationship with. This means that I can give a priority to those I am willing to help out.
This may not be practical for some of the bigger names. They generally get so many emails that yours will get lost. In these cases, it’s worth getting to know the person that filters their email if you definitely need their attention.
Meeting in real life
In most cases, this is unlikely to happen. That’s just the way the internet works. There is often too much hassle involved in meeting up unless you live physically close to them. I have three main ways I meet people:
- If a social media friend will be in the same city as you, casually offer to meetup. I got to meet Yaro Starak and Melinda Brennan this way.
- I also to conferences that my friends will be attending. This means we get to hang out during the sessions and can make additional connections with some of their friends.
- My other method is tweetups. I limit the ones I attend because they can be tiring but they are an awesome place to develop new friendship circles.
How to be incredibly useful.
Image by thebittenword.com
Know what they need before they know they need it
Imagine. You are craving an ice cream. You don’t have the time to go and buy the ice cream but then someone offers one because they instinctively know that it could help you right then. Now, imagine that you could help people find solutions that could save or earn them thousands of dollars. They’d be pretty darn grateful, right?
That’s what I do and it’s how you can get a lot of the big guns to view you as a peer in a short period of time.
To succeed at this you have to be good at reading between the lines. You have to:
- Be able to see when they are hinting towards needing help such as them tweeting about feeling sick.
- Know what type of person/product they like being referred to.
- Know about the various solutions that they haven’t heard of. This can require a lot of research.
It’s hard work but you eventually develop processes so it requires very little time. One you reach a tipping point most of the people come to you on a referral basis.
Connect them to people that profoundly change things for them
I know I changed Dave Navarro’s career when I reviewed How To Launch The **** Out Of Your Ebook on this blog. That connection has led to so many opportunities and experiences for me.
When you do something amazing, the person will be grateful for a long, long time. People still thank me for mentioning the in the 30 Bloggers To Watch post. And, when I recently needed help, they all rallied around to support me because I’d done so much for them previously.
You don’t have to help in a huge way. Sometimes, it can be a small favour that spurs a person on. Ideas include:
- Get a review copy of an information product on their behalf
- Review their product on a popular blog
- Highlight them in front of an influencer
- Connect them with people with complementary skills
Givers get. Simple.
I help you build your influence at jadecraven.com. If you want to know whats hot in the blogosphere before it goes mainstream, check out my How to Network Fast Course. People come to me whenever they want their stuff to be shared and I only share the best with my readers.
Hey Jade,
I had a conversation with a friend on this topic last week. When you help out others get what they want, you’ll get help along the way. Put others in front first. That is servant leadership. This is a very powerful post!
Chat with you later…
Josh
Great, I mean great post!
i’ve definitely learned from experience that people would prefer to have a private email conversation instead of just commenting a conversation, haha. It really makes a huge difference.
Meeting in person and talking on the phone though are things I’ll have to give a try! Thanks for the tips.
CJ
True – good content is only the starting point. The saying that “to have a friend, you must first be a friend” is so true when it comes to online marketing. By helping others on the web you will be helping yourself in the long term.
Great advice you give there Jade.
“the busier and more successful someone is, the more they rely on people they trust to filter decisions for them.” Very interesting. And this actually makes sense. So this is how successful people filter decisions!
“Givers get. Simple.”
I think this is the summary of this post. Awesome advice. And it works. The more you give the more you get.
Nabeel
It is amazing how many people have reached out to me based on comments that I have left on their blogs. I think adding quality comments that add to what is being said, instead of distract from it, is another great networking tool.
You will also be amazed at how willing people will be to answer a couple questions via email. Thanks for a great post Jade, take care.
Oh, I don’t know about this. Maybe.
Ok ok I’ll guest blog on your blog….promise :)
I really do need to network ….
I started my blog only a couple months ago and although I feel we are producing quality content which is ‘interesting’ I do see what you mean about actually offering something to help the reader do better for themselves. I’m going to give it a shot.
Great post!
I totally agree with all the principles of your articles. You totally need to try different platforms and see which one suits you best.
I started out my “blogging” career by being such a filter – I’d go out around the web finding the news in my niche and the rewriting google translations of the Italian, French, and German sites to have news and information for the people in my market.
Since then I’ve fallen a bit out of being at events to write about them and have been making lots of connections online. More recently I’ve moved back to more offline conversations to link up with the people in my niche that are helping to move those online conversations forward.
I agree with you wholheartedly. The power of networking with other people that are all on the same page is the only way to go.
There are only 1-2 people on earth for each of the business web sites out there, so without people promoting each other, there is a ton of content that is just being thrown into the ether.
-Joshua Black
The Underdog Millionaire
Awesome post… It’s not how much you post but using leverage on the quality content you have…
I have a collection of videos on “YouTube” that were viewed over 30,000 times last week. The same collection were viewed 5,000 times the week before.
That was from networking with a big player in the flash world!…
It does take time but it gets so much easier after a few years!…
:]
You should of put this in a hard back and sold it, blogging gold. some brilliant advice on how to be a blogging king.
I’ll take one contact met in person over 100 “virtual friends” any day. Conversely, I’m far more willing to go out of my way to spread the love for someone I know personally rather than someone I’ve just met via a software program.
Agreed that the phone is the next best thing, and far superior to the long back and forth of writing messages or following tweets. The passive methods just plain don’t work as well, probably precisely because of that passivity. It’s too easy to make a zillion connections with the world instead of real ones with a few real people.
Good point about being introverted. That really struck me. Sometimes you have to do things out of your comfort zone in order to get noticed. Maybe I should start.
Jade,
Your discipline and daily practice add up to getting to know people online – it works the same way in real life too. Being known as a filter is priceless! This seemingly natural way of being you demonstrate is born of your constant willingness to reach out – virtually or in person. You just make it happen.
Networking is still key in all the ways you’ve mentioned. Your ease with making connections is a treasured skill. Thanks for sharing it with us :D
Hey Jade,
This is a great article. I particularly agree with the point you made about making contact with your readers – video or telephone/skype being particularly effective. I have found myself tending to return more often to blogs where I can listen to audio or video streams. After that I find myself drawn to blogs that share a little information about the person behind the blog. There are plenty of blogs that read more like information pages, but they are just that. One or two pages and I haven’t felt a connection to go back.
Cheers,
Mark
I think that it can be difficult to start off for beginning bloggers or anybody that wants to provide a service. I’ve noticed that the “What can I offer” can be a detrimental.
There are two key facts that have really stuck out here. One: Be of help to other people. Two: Be of help to what is relevant to them at that time you meet.
And I think those alone will get you far when it comes to networking. Great advice!
hi there
i think it is hard for the beginner to blog with ease
as beginner, we may be in rush to get what most people get on blogging
how to solve that problem? thanks
@hokya
I am a beginner blogger – all three weeks of it. I think aiming for the immediate success of bloggers such as Darren here at PB is short sighted and naive.
I can’t speak with much authority on what it takes to achieve what many bloggers have done, but I can guess it takes hard work, determination and passion. Without that, you will not succeed at much, be it blogging, or learning how to drive.
The approach I have taken to keep me motivated is to start a niche website that I can do with my fiancee so we can work on it together. I also maintain my own website. I comment on a number of blogs on topics I am interested in and want to learn from in the long run. Hopefully I will do some guest posts once I have built up a little credibility by writing good comments to help people out.
Good luck with your blogging :)
Thanks Jade.
A great – and helpful – post. We often talk about “networking” but to a lot of us “geeks” this means IP addresses rather than phone calls and Skype conversations!
I like your closing too – I have found this to be true many times! Givers Get!
Thanks again,
D
I really appreciate this post. I believe that reaching out to others allows people to work together to increase their profits and traffic flow. This is a key ingredient for successful marketing. Just have to find ways of helping one another and sometimes this can be difficult but not impossible.
Tim L – I’m the same.
My business partner is someone I met at a tweetup. We started the friendship offline and moved it online but the main reason I started this business was to help him out.
When I meet someone offline, I’m able to judge what type of person they are. Fake or real. I’m more likely to recommend a real person because I can trust they’ll treat the people I refer to them properly.
I’ll take one contact met in person over 100 “virtual friends” any day. Conversely, I’m far more willing to go out of my way to spread the love for someone I know personally rather than someone I’ve just met via a software program.
If I feel I’m clicking with someone, I’ll offer to skype. Sometimes it happens at ridiculous times but then I can judge their character better. And its not necessary to meet up. Dave Navarro and I work together, and have become friends, and we’ve only had about 4 skype calls.
I genuinely appreciate your comment :-) Thank you!
@hokyo
Blogging is like any skill. The initial learning curve is rough, but you eventually learn as you experiment more. I’d compare it to driving lessons. I SUCK because I’ve only had 4 lessons however I am getting better each time I drive. I’m getting more feedback and trying new things based on that.
I think that all new bloggers should have a period of just experimenting. Instead of focusing how to be an awesome blogger, focus on connecting with people. People like Scott McIntyre are doing this quite successfully and they don’t even have a blog.
Mark – your response to hokyo was really useful, so thank you. You don’t have to refrain from guest posting and putting yourself out there just because your blog is new :-) I mean, I’m making a full time income now and my blog has 2k visitors a month and around 200 RSS and email readers combined. It’s all about how you engage with people and you don’t need to be famous to do that.
Dave Higgs – I’m a geek. My biz partner, @mr_billiam, is more of the type of geek you describe but he’s picked up the networking mojo via osmosis. He’ll now ask me if someone is a sneezer and I question whether its really him or someone just cloned my best friend.
Mark,
I was a long time Problogger reader but had no inclination to participate until I saw the video featuring his second son, H. I was instantly drawn to Darren and started tweeting him because of that connection.
I’m a very conversational writer and get so much feedback from readers who have connected with my writer. I talk about the lessons I have learned through my journey and people really resonate with that.
For me, skyping is hard. I’m social phobic so I hate talking on phones. But once I do, people remember me for a long time and will tweet me six months later with an injoke that no-one else will understand :-) Its worth it.
This comment is getting a bit long – I’m going to just click submit then respond to the rest. Some very smart comments today!
Cheryl,
Thank you so much :-) It was a skill that I had to develop because I struggled connecting with people in real life. It’s made life a lot easier though. I used to have a severe anxiety disorder and the internet allowed me to be myself and learn. I’ve made a lot of progress in my recovery and have no been able to apply the skills in real life. It’s kinda awesome, to be honest.
The best thing about being known as a good connector online is that offline, people treat you a lot more seriously. This has been so brilliant for me as my anxiety forced to drop my studies at uni and I didn’t think people would accept a freelancer into their business circles.
Thank you again – positive comments can really make a persons day.
George –
I have a full blown anxiety disorder :P It i push too far out of my comfort zone, I get sick. It’s worth it though because I learn so much. Also, people tend to respect you a heck of a lot more if they know what you are pushing yourself through to connect with them. People tend me respect my advice more when they learn that I’m doing all this despite the fact it triggers my illness.
Daniel –
do you think so? I find networking comes so naturally that its hard to write ‘how to’ posts about it, hence why I just give it away in guest posts. I’m so glad you like it though.
Joshua –
Glad you liked the post :-) I actually get a lot of questions via email now that I have a bit more profile. It may take a short while to answer them, but I always do. Some people may be too busy but really, you lose nothing by trying.
As an aside, paying for access is a great way to connect with really busy people. Sure, it may not feel as altruistic but some people genuinely don’t have the time to reply to every email. (says she who spent the weekend just catching up on comments, emails and tweets)
To everyone else, thank you guys so much. If I can ever help you just email me. Thank you for writing such positive and thought provoking comments.
Getting closer to people than JUST your blog is definitely a way to make a lot of brand new opportunities arise. Anything you can do that could benefit the life of someone else is always a plus.
Thanks for the good words here! :)
There are so many excellent points here, and I love that you’ve written “long term” success, because I think a lot of newbies have a misconception when it comes to blogging, that once they start the masses will follow.
It’s the same dilemma businesses were having 5 years ago when they were launching their first website. They just believed if it existed the people would come.
I think it’s SO important to have a plan for your blog, and some targets so you know exactly what you want it to achieve.
I especially like the “Being Useful” bit, as I try to use that one myself, and provide useful info to people who don’t even realise that they need it.
Some people try to be too impressive when they write a blog, or too focussed on keywords. I think they must remember to just be themselves, and let this shine through. Because people follow people, not keywords.
Hi Fiona! I totally agree :-)
I used to try and be impressive and brilliant and now, I just be myself. This happened because of necessity – I don’t have the energy to keep up a fake persona. I have limitations and telling the truth allows me to work through them. So, I was really open about everything and now people are really resonating with my story. It’s kinda amazing but yeah, its just like you said.
I would like to say that sometimes, people don’t want the help you are offering. And that’s cool – you just have to stop offering. I have amazing people offering to help me now and instead of relief, I feel bad because I’m not in a position to accept it.
Feel free to contact me anytime and thank you for the lovely comment :-)
– Jade
Another great post from you Jade! Thanks for the link love AND all the connections. :-)
Great Advice! Ive owned a few blogs, but this is the first one with a niche. Im already starting to get clicks on adsense… so im excited.
I certainly agree that becoming the
go to guy
for many people does have a lot of benefits. However, I guess I’m a bit greedy as I try to push something along the lines of
help me help you
When people ask me for help
reading through these posts and the info you’ve provided I will clearly see that I still have much to learn. I can keep reading and keep coming back here.
Awesome post! I think sincerity is important in establishing online relationships and opportunity. You have to engage rather than sell. I agree with all your points. And it takes time to establish a credible online presence. Everyone has something to offer if they just relax and be themselves. Let the market evolve. The person is always the brand, and if you’re not yourself you will slip up. People online have good memories.
Thank you Jade for the great information. We often have the tools right under our noses but fail to see them.
I have been told how great my content is but I have no viewers. That is really frustrating. I have been learning, am very patient and love to learn.
Thanks so much,
Pierre Trudel,
Thee Quest For Perfect Health
theequest.com
Jade, I’ve only been blogging for 5 months, and it has been quite an education! I think the networking comes easier to me because I was in sales most of my life, which is ALL about networking. Shortly after I started my blog I found 2 friends within 2 blocks of my house who also blog. We have become ‘The Blogstresses’ ;-) and we meet monthly to discuss technical problems and ideas. It has been a Godsend! Even though our blogs differ in content, we support each other and network as a team. It has been fun and for me it’s been such a growth experience… even tho I’m the ‘elder stateswoman’.
A shout out to my blogstress buds… Stylemaniac.blogspot.com and madnessmomandme.com
And thanks for a great post!
Barbara
There is nothing more that I can say. We need to get out and spread our blog and I do agree with you.
To have a great content is one part of the blogging success. But to spread the words, that is another part. Which is the hardest… and longest to achieve it.
Even though I was constantly in touch with my sister on Skype with my sister when she lived 11 mos in China, it never occurred to me to use it for networking. How could I have missed such an obvious tool?
Thank you.
http://www.kathycondons.blogspot.com
Love your energy and enthusiasm Jade, I’ve been blown away since starting to follow you on Twitter with how much time you spend connecting with people. It’s brilliant to hear that’s paid off for you. Most of all I’m so happy to hear that the Internet has helped you work out your social nervousness and inspiring that you’re now teaching other people how to be social.
Go girl:)
I think some people would be surprised at just how few degrees of separation there often is between the average blogger and the A-listers in their niche.
Recognising that and using (not exploiting) it is a whole lot more valuable in the long run than trying to go straight to the end of the rainbow.
Hi Jade,
A really great post.
(On the moderated icecream… I enjoyed your analogy and was just making a light-hearted offer of assistance to build my blog networks… obviously did not expect it to be accepted… I a mere newbie blogger.)
I look forward to following along your work for any more handy tips :)
This is a great article. I really loved how each idea is thoroughly explained. I totally agree with your principles.
Melinda –
It’s kinda funny. People thank me for helping them and I have to double check (going through email or blog archives) to see what I did. I’ve fallen into my connecting groove. Be awesome and nice and I’ll talk about you without realizing I’m doing it. I’ve been doing it a lot lately.
Paul –
Yeah, I agree. People just have to be smart about it. Most people have one main person that filters the information. I do it for Dave. I’ve gone to a few events that Darren has gone to and people come up to me afterwards and are genuinely surprised at how approachable he is. :-)
Annabel –
I was actually at a meetup last week where Debbie, from http://givemeyourlist.com.au, just told me to be proud of how far I’ve come in a year. I don’t even pay attention to how much I help people anymore. Seriously – its just something I do when I’m bored on a bus or train or, like this week, sick. It’s been a fascinating learning curve.
(secretly, it is so hard to say ‘don’t you see what has happened, people? I had a nervous breakdown. I now have a career. Share in my excitement!)
Kathy,
I was reading a product or blog post recently that recommended you randomly get on skype with people in your audience to see what their needs/wants are. I was so chuffed when I realized I was already doing that and, er, having fun while doing it :-) Networking can be a lot of fun if you let it.
Barbara – it is always good to have real life friends that blog :-) Despite the anxiety, I try to meet up IRL when I can and have a core group of social media friends I meet with and bounce ideas off. It doesn’t feel like networking but we definitely get business benefit out of it.
Pierre and Agif, thank you :-) Thank you guys so much.
Great insightful idea although it’s hard to apply by a beginner.
I totally agree with all the principles of your articles. You totally need to try different platforms and see which one suits you best.
Hey Jade,
All that you have stated above is true and I think most of the readers will agree on your principles. Still I believe that beginners are disadvantaged, because most likely they don’t know what to do. The answer would be obviously research, but where? Nowadays you can find thousand of topics related to social media, tips for beginners, that don’t help a lot of starters and get them confused.
I do think that meeting, talking, tweeting and just interacting with others bloggers is really useful and that it is the key to success, by promoting your blog. But don’t forget it’s better to help each other, rather than just one to help another.
Best regards,
Ary
I suppose networking is not just online activities but also offline activities which we have to participate in meetings, conference and seminars.
That was a well thought out and well written article. There are some jewels there for those of us not about to embark on starting a new business. thanks for sharing!
Thanks and Regards/-
Jason Webb
Jade,
“Givers get. Simple.” is so true. I love the things that blogging can remind us about our lives and who we are.
Sean
What a fantastic article. Breezy, fun to read, great content. All the good stuff!
I’m learning a lot from problogger. And I couldn’t possibly agree more that giving is key. Yes, it takes work to step out of your blogworld and make the connections. Hard work but well worth it!
Can’t find information like this all the time. Good stuff.
[…] their blog because they have shared interests. If you are producing valuable content, you need to spread the word and e-mailing and networking with other bloggers is the best way to increase traffic to your site. […]