I was asked by @thecryptofiend to expand a bit further on my Marketing Strategies from my previous posts. This article specifically focuses on what things go through my mind when analyzing a piece, to give you some insight to my process.
The original guide can been seen at strategy-to-getting-bigger-payouts-on-steemit and the follow up post offering to give free suggestions would-anybody-like-some-free-marketing-advice-for-posts
In both of these I gave concrete responses which you can see here and here. So let's get to it.
Questions to Answer
The whole idea here is to know who you are writing for and how to get their attention. While this is a process that takes time to refine, even from post to post, the questions I try to answer relatively remain the same.
Who is your Target Audience?
This is really quite important. With the way Steemit is setup right now, searching for thing's can be quite difficult, so if you don't catch someone early or they are following you, it's easy to be missed. I try to find 1-2 highly active categories, and cater the marketing towards them. I tend to be in the Philosophy and psychology areas myself, and when applicable try to use the steemit tag. Try to think of what sort of tags your target audience would explore, and frame your message to them.
Will my posts Tagline/Headline catch them?
Remember that most of what we see on Steemit are lists upon lists of posts both on the main site and in steem.chat (unless your following somebody.) Because it's impossible to read, let alone click everything, you need to use targeted buzz words to get their attention among the myriad of other posts. If you run into problems, just go down the list of your favorite categories and see what words entice you and try to incorporate those into your taglines. While it may not get you the broadest exposure, it will increase the chance of you making a connection with users having similar topic interests.
Will my posts Tagline Photo catch them?
This is very similar to the above headline topic, just expanded into images instead of words. They say a picture is worth a thousand words and it's true. The image is typically seen before the words of the headline are even read, so the goal here is to be eye catching to your target audience to get them to read your headline. Remember to filter your google image searches for those with a commercial free use licence so no copyrights are being infringed upon.
What value am I adding?
We've all seen the posts that are just a repost of a video, article, etc... which is fine (as long as it's sourced) to be able to get others to read that piece. While it may be looked at or read, you're really connecting the author of the linked piece with the reader, cutting yourself out.
Adding value can be as simple as giving a summary of the piece so I don't have to read the whole thing, giving your reactions/thoughts, why you agree/disagree, or questions/ideas that arose out of the linked media. It just has to be something from yourself, to connect you directly with the reader. Everyone has something valuable to bring to the table.
What can I do after I've posted my article to promote it?
Remember that a new posts will only be a top the new and active lists for a short period of time. Little tricks to stay on the active lists when you feel they are slipping:
*hit the edit and update post on your article without changing anything while window exists
*respond to comments
*ask your friends to upvote/comment
*post it into steem.chat postpromtions (no more that 30-60 mins apart to not spam) and there may be other channels that are more specific to your target area that you can join
Once you begin to connect on a more personal level they are more likely to follow your blog. If you find this lacking, leave well thought out comments on other peoples articles in your target area and when applicable to the conversation, drop a link to your post (try to avoid just saying, I upvoted you, upvote me.) Even 2-3 people upvoting and leaving good comments will help tremendously.
How can I continue the conversation? What is my call to action?
This is where I find it very gratifying. I don't just want the upvotes, I want these people coming back and looking at my old/new stuff. Simply closing your posts with a question or anything that prompts a response achieves this. Examples might be:
-I'm curious to hear your take?
-What would you suggest?
-Any other good reading/video/etc. material you guys know of?
-I'd love to hear your results.
I hope these ideas are helpful to community members. If anyone would like specific ideas on their posts, I'm happy to give a personalized write up. I'd love to hear how these work for you!
Best hope and wishes for everybody!
@sykochica