Ever wondered how the “big hitters” on Steem generate thousands of dollars? It isn’t by posting alone. Even if you’ve perfected the perfect blog, created a one-of-a-kind service to improve the quality of Steem, or are dedicated to your member base, how have they motivated the Steem world to sit up and pay attention?
They market themselves like crazy! Only you can create awareness of your ideas, products or services with clever marketing materials, unique ways to distribute them and techniques to open doors to members that will have them saying, “We just have to read Christine’s content!”
Why a Steem Marketing Kit?
Webster defines marketing as “the ability to attract a buyer if offered for sale.” The word “attract” is important here, because most people are visual. Time and time again in sales and marketing, we realize a powerful influence: The visual overwhelms the verbal. That’s why, when expressing this to Members and prospective Followers, we often use phrases such as, “People think with their eyes” and “People hear what they see.”
We choose visual clues presented to us by other Members that make us appear competent. Visual clues work. We can listen to stories of your success or remarks from a happy Follower, but if we can see what you have to offer, we’re more likely to make an upvote.
The first step towards creating the visual is to put together a “knock your socks off” Steem Marketing Kit. Why? Because long after you’ve left the building, Members and prospective Followers can feel, touch, smell, shake and share a well put-together Marketing Kit. Marketing Kits have legs.
What’s in a Steem Marketing Kit?
Most people are selling the wrong thing. They are selling features, benefits and God forbid, the price. What should they be selling? Their story. Stories are the way the human animal learns. We saw stories all the way back to biblical times—to Jesus, Moses and Muhammad. One of our former US Presidents, Ronald Reagan was called “The Great Communicator” because of the stories he told. We grew up listening to fairy tales and Harry Potter.
Why are stories valuable? Because they touch our emotions, capture our hearts and spur us to take action. So the first thing in your Steem Marketing Kit should be your story: why did you get started; what amazing things have happened to you as a result of your joining Steem; who will I meet or be allowed to interact with if I become a Member or start communicating with someone I follow? Learn to tell your story, and tell it well.
How Can I Tell My Story?
First create three things to bring visual stimulation to your profile: a profile picture; a cover image; and a banner that accompanies every blog you post. Who are you? Why did you start blogging about a certain topic? How long have you been a Member of Steem? What makes you unique? What are existing Members saying about you? How can we contact you if we want to make a deeper connection?
Your profile picture, cover image and banner should be brilliant in color and photography. They should capture action, results, and strong testimonials. They can be as simple as a photo of you and something you love—or as fancy as you can be creative.
You can continue to tell your story by including the Biography of yourself. Biographies should be more than just the facts: they should be an opportunity to spin a tale about how you have come to where you are.
The final piece in crafting your story is from the eyes of happy Members. Choose your testimonials wisely, and if you don’t have any, go after them. Contact past Members who have posted on your blog and if necessary, volunteer to craft the testimonial yourself and submit it to them for approval, editing and correction. You’ll be surprised how many Members will take what you’ve drafted and change it completely, providing you with an even better and stronger endorsement than you came up with yourself.
What Else?
You are competing with thousands, maybe more, of other Members and individuals who do exactly what you do or something similar. When your Steem Marketing Kit lands on the computer of a prospective Follower, you want him or her to stop what they’re doing, open your blog and say, “Wow. This is amazing.”
Finally, in addition to having a coordinated Steem Marketing Kit with a “knock your socks off” look and feel to it, provide links to other mediums for which Members can learn more about you or your topic/passion. Provide a website link or list your Twitter account. Make it easy for people to get to know you.
Am I Done Yet?
Marketing Kits are a great way to have your image say, “I’ve invested in you. Now you come invest with me.”
So the next time you are writing a blog post, take a good hard look at what you’ve been sending the Steem community. If it doesn’t “knock their socks off,” it’s time to dial it up and change your image. I’ll see you at the bank.
Christine K. Clifford, CSP is the author of eight books including YOU, Inc., The Art of Selling Yourself and Let’s Close a Deal: Turn Contacts into Paying Customers for Your Company, Product, Service or Cause. She is the CEO/President of Christine Clifford Enterprises. She helps companies and individuals craft their story and designs “knock your socks off” Media Kits for companies, individuals and entertainers.
Visit www.christineclifford.com or email her at [email protected].
Don’t forget to ask! ™
Thanks for sharing practical advice on how to market ourselves well within the Steem community.
Sometimes we get caught up in the big idea that we forget to take actions steps that lead us towards our goal.
Thanks for your personal insight, sumatranate. We're all in this together, and if I can offer some advice that's worked for me, I'm glad to do it!
If you are interested in using a clickable banner, you can copy and paste the following code at the end of your posts.
<a href="http://www.christineclifford.com/"><img src="https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmbokVi7VWfP4ajk51pNVmj4HgiPWYz5RRt5CirnFbrPVv/image.png"></a>Brilliant suggestion, Sumatranate! Thanks so much for the very helpful suggestion!
Very interesting and curious of the results.
Hi Scorer, terrific insight. My article next week will actually answer all of your questions, but in a nutshell, several things happened in my life two years ago (including a re-diagnosis of breast cancer; a move to another state; a marriage--mine--; the birth of two grandchildren). But most importantly: I didn't know what to write about. It took me all this time to discover A.) what I wanted to write about, and B.) what I felt could help/inspire the Steem community. Thanks for writing.
^^
this comment
How life feels sometimes!
BTW , I disagree with the central message of your post .
The self imposed standard can sometimes act as an inhibitor for the evolution of different styles , ideas and concepts.
I am more of a believer in - do what you were gonna do anyway , if it blows someone's socks off , that's all the better !!
Ofcourse with the caveat that - don't be plagiarizing.
I submit to you - exhibit A
https://steemit.com/teamaustralia/@itstime/steem-promo-material-feel-free-to-use
We all have different opinions of how to go about doing things. I agree with you, that everyone needs to "do their own thing." But I was simply trying to provide advice as to how to get other people to pay attention. Attention can come from many different approaches, that's for sure.
Aright. ..you aright. .
Also i just like to disagree with people. .it's a problem. .
Excellent tips :)
I always try to write about subjects and projects I think others will be interested in hearing (though my main criteria stays whether or not it's something I find interesting enough to write about XD).
Though I do need to work on integrating more storytelling into my posts, as well as my own little banner.
Though I do wonder how I'll combine my passion for 3d printing, cryptocollectible art creation and science in a single banner 😅
Thanks for the nice comment. You sound like you are aware of things you could do to improve your posts, and you certainly have an interesting background! Tell me more about your cryptocollectible art creation!
Thanks for sharing this awesome blog @christinesblog
I'll follow your page and hopefully you'll have time to enjoy some of my artworks created thru music/art ...
Regards and looking forward for more great blogs from you
Hi Luciannagy, thank you for reading my post and taking the time to make such a nice comment. I do look forward to seeing your artwork! Thanks for following me! Have an awesome afternoon!
With pleasure @christinesblog
Hope you'll be arround more time from now on
I wish you as well, a Blessed Evening along your Family
Regards
You as well!
Brilliant ideas, Christine! Yes, this is what we have to do on Steemit and in life. This is imperative for business, but it is also important in selling our ideas in life to others. Thank you for sharing this with us.
Good to have you here on the Steemit platform. All the best to you! Upvoted 100%! Keep up the good work!
Terry
Great to hear from you terrybrock! Having a Steem Super Star such as yourself comment on my post is the highest compliment. It's great to be back, but more importantly, with something I'm confident I can post on for a very long time. Thanks for your support!
Ahhh the best read of the day..👍👌👍👌 @christinesblog first time i have seen the crux of steemit ..."attract" the best part to market your content....good advice shared...really I appreciate each of thw words shared..👍
Posted using Partiko Android
What a wonderful compliment for my first visit back in quite some time. Thank you so much! I plan to post weekly, so I'll keep it coming!
Love to see such interesting content.....looking forward to see more..👍
Posted using Partiko Android
Congratulations @christinesblog! You have completed the following achievement on Steemit and have been rewarded with new badge(s) :
Click on the badge to view your Board of Honor.
If you no longer want to receive notifications, reply to this comment with the word
STOPThank you so much!
I wear sandals so I knocked them off..hope that's keeping with the motif
Adorable and funny!