People will do anything for a buck these days, or worse, just to be noticed. Actually it’s always been that way, but this attitude is becoming more and more prevalent with the use of the Internet. It’s so easy to post a product and link it to a blog that talks about how great that product is, when in reality, the person posting the blog has little or no knowledge of what they’re talking about at all. I sick of getting an alert about a specific keyword I am watching for, only to find that when I go to that spot for information, I’m taken to a place that has nothing to do with that keyword. People will link to anything just to be found. The mentality is, “If I get the traffic, I might get a sale.” or “I don’t care where they come from, I just want them to sign up.”
You must be careful. Everyone is out to make a buck, or a list, or just be seen. If you want to know how prevalent it is, set up a google alert on any subject you like. Soon you’ll be getting an e-mail regarding that subject and what has been written about it. I’m finding the subjects I have alerts on to be overwhelming my inbox. I weed through these alerts to find only a few of real interest. Once in a while I find one that is written with quality and intelligence. Most of the time it’s just someones opinion, and they haven’t even done good research to create the content. And need I even mention proper sentence structure and grammar, or spelling. I mean really, spell check people, or are you just that lazy. The all mighty dollar will put people to the test. What they don’t realize is the text is all about credibility. If you can’t even speak properly, what makes you think I’m going to buy something from you, or sing up to get more nonsense from you. And don’t link the subject content to something that has nothing to do with that subject. Really! Keep it relevant!
If you are going to try to bring me in on what you have to offer, don’t bring me there under false pretenses. I know there are people out there that are unfocused, have attention deficit problems, and simply can’t stay on task, but don’t prey on that. You should be trying to bring a higher quality of content and ethics to the arena. Instead, seems you throw your line, see if you can get a bite, and then reel ’em in as fast as you can before they realize they’ve been hooked. Isn’t this bad salesmanship?
Realize this, you can get more sales if you just play a fair game. This is how it works. Place your product up for sale. Market it in a way that keeps it bursting with information all about that product, and not about things that are unrelated just so you can get the traffic. When your information is relevant, properly researched, and full of education for the consumer, you have just built trust. Trust is what sells, and keeps them coming back, as well as telling others about you. And that’s the kind of traffic you want. Word of mouth referral is your best resource.
The “ME” generation is full of ideas and technical know how, but lacking in the skill of giving with expecting nothing in return. Give and ye shall receive. Treat others the way you would want to be treated. Be honest and watch what happens. Honesty is the best policy. Try it, you’ll like it. Not to mention the long term gain. Remember, easy come easy go. Work a little harder and do the right thing. Watch what you do, for your actions in the now may very well come back to haunt you in the future. You get what you give. Give well and keep it relevant.
