Promote, don't spam. Unless the SPAM comes in a can.

byspleendingo

373 followers

11 years ago

If there's one thing I've learned (and trust me, it probably IS only one thing) it's that people hate spam. Not the delicious kind that comes in a can that will make your heart explode because of the 80% fat 20% mystery meat variety, but the internet kind.

I hear some people talk about the issue of coming up with a steady stream of content for their website. I have the opposite problem. I chose "horror" as my niche because I love talking about it, reading about it, writing about it and researching about it. I could easily write 5 articles a day if it weren't for time constraints. Hey, I need to sleep sometimes too!

But I take a more conservative approach. I get home from work, go to the gym, take a shower (you're welcome neighbors) and get busy writing. Sometimes one, but often times two, articles for my site (which you should totally visit right now at http://www.horrorcabin.com ). Then it's time to promote those articles. Traffic = money. Remember that. Make it your mantra.

I have my own Facebook personal page but I also have a Community page for my website (which you should all totally go and like right now http://www.facebook.com/horrorcabin ). Every article I write on my website gets sent to those on FB who like my page. And then I repost that from my personal account for all my friends who haven't liked my other page yet. (You know who you are Facebook friends. And after I like all your posts with cat pictures you can't like MY page??)

After that I take to the Twitterverse and post the link to my website articles. This pays off in many ways. Allow me to brag for a moment here. I wrote a review for a book recently and tweeted the link. The next day it was featured on another website which you can read here http://paper.li/iamjasondavis/1336079696 . That could mean more traffic. Which means more money. Which means more of the GOOD kind of SPAM for me!

Linkedin is another good way to promote your site as well. I just started using it so we'll see how it turns out. But the point is ALWAYS BE PROMOTING. Say that in your best Alec Baldwin voice from the movie "Glengarry Glen Ross". I constantly tell people about my site and find ways to drop it into conversations in real life and the internet. But be careful. Sometimes it's best to not bring it up.

GOOD EXAMPLE: Your friend says "Oh man did you see the new trailer for (insert name here)"? I would say "Yeah! It looks pretty awesome. I wrote about it on my website. You have to check it out!"

BAD EXAMPLE: Your friend says "Oh man my grandmothers funeral is tomorrow" I would not say "Tomorrow? Well then you have time to check out my website review of 'Grandma Killers 2'!"

Be personable. When someone comments or shares my website I always say thanks. I will also like, comment and share the things they put out on the internet to let them know it's a two way street. Did you know there are groups for just about ANYTHING you can join on Facebook? As long as you don't flood their timeline with nothing but your links I found that most of them don't care if you share your articles as long as it's pertinent to what the group is about. I belong to a few horror groups and always ask permission from the admin before I do that. For instance, recently someone started a discussion about the movie "Wolf Creek 2". I had just finished my review. So I posted the link to my review with a comment. People went there and read it.

So what have we learned here today?

1) PROMOTION IS GOOD.

2) TRAFFIC - MONEY

3) SPAM IS BAD. (But "SPAM" is yummy even if it will take 20 years off of your life.)

And don't forget the most important lesson of all: MY WEBSITE IS http://www.horrorcabin.com AND YOU SHOULD TOTALLY GO THERE NOW!