How You Too Can Win on the Web
When you first start an online business or a presence, it is easy to be seduced by the Internet's immense possibilities and imagine yourself riding a never-ending upsurge of customers towards unimagined wealth and popularity.
Very soon, you start to lose hope as the task of being heard begins to seem impossible. It feels like no one knows you, no one discovers you, no one cares.
I'm here to give you hope. First, let me define a framework for understanding this thing called the "Internet". It will help you identify what you can do to, in fact, Win on the Web™.
The Internet, in this framework, is a massive, global scale party thrown by everybody for everybody else and the party will go on forever. Given that it is a party, when you begin, you have a choice of being a host or a guest.
A Party In My House
It is tempting to throw a party to because it gives you control. It lets you set parameters. Have the best cocktails and music.
Sadly, chances are that no one will actually come to your party simply because they don't know you from Adam.
So, Flip It...
What you really need to succeed is to flip your role on the Internet. Think of yourself as a guest at someone else's party.
Option 1
You can be the topless drunk on the table top who throws up on Sally and ruins the party for everyone OR...
Option 2
... you can be the thoughtful, interesting guest who asks pointed questions, observes, gives great advice, listens, and share more of themselves to move the conversation forward. It's on you as much as the host to help other guests at the party feel welcome.
The host of a party often gets stuck the crazies, the gasbag guest who doesn't stop talking, the table top dancer embarrassing everyone else. So, when you show up as the reasonable guest who tries to contribute meaningfully, it's a breath of fresh air for everyone. It means they can now look away from the madness and engage with you like adults.
The Action Plan
- Make time every day to interact with your potential audience. Post a comment. Write a post. Ask a question. Acknowledge kindness. Remember to say "Thank you" and "Please" - Little things...with outsize returns!
- Always leave behind a home address. At the end of the day, your end goal is to have your own party to which people will want to come. So, every time you do something in #1 above, make sure people can find out where you live on the web - maybe throw in a Twitter handle on your profile, a link to your blog, your LinkedIn profile. Anything which tells your future guests where to find you if they want more of you.
- Don't be impatient. My formula for building a presence online comes straight from Albert Einstein. To with, his following quote [Goodreads]:
Compound interest is the eighth wonder of the world. He who understands it, earns it ... he who doesn't ... pays it.
Goodness and goodwill compound with time. As you maintain a civil, contributory presence at the online party, you will start to find people enjoying your comments. They will look forward to hearing what you have to say about a topic. And soon enough, you will find that you aren't as alone as you thought.