Dare to Be Different

I just spent the last two days attending the Atlantic Internet Marketing Conference which was held this year in Moncton, New Brunswick. While much of it is still fresh in my mind, I thought I would share with you the most relevant themes from the sessions I attended.

A common thread related to content. Whatever your content is online, it has to be as different and as unique as possible. There are so many web sites and social media applications available today (and this will only continue to grow). In order to stand out online, your message has to be clear, relevant, and unique. You cannot be everything to everyone, so find your niche and do everything you can to claim that niche. We all have a specialty skill set and we should maximize our value online by honing our skills to the zenith of their possibilities.

On the homepage of your web site, emphasize the the three most important things you are trying to communicate and be sure to clearly communicate your value. Strong visuals are important in this pursuit, but do not put key content that can be useful for search engines to find you into the graphics. Use flash visuals sparingly and only to draw attention to a key item and provide some life to your site. Remember that visitor’s eyes naturally start at the top left of your site so put your most important content there. Use your web site to sell the experience you are trying to deliver. Be clear about what your organization does and to build credibility incorporate endorsements and testimonials. To give a realness to your organization develop personal profile pages that give your customers a glimpse into the real people behind the services. These personal pages are more important in many ways than their portfolio.

One of the most important things you can do is be authentic. Present your organization visually for who you really are and when using blogs, write for yourself and your interests first and that will automatically translate into unique content that your followers will gravitate to. If you are writing genuinely and with passion, you most likely will naturally optimize your site with search engine friendly “key terms”. Again, find and define your niche and try to do something that no one else is doing. From this will develop human-level conversations through your blog comments and that ultimately is what social media is all about…building the human need for community and connectedness.

Mi-Picks from the AIM Conference:

• Best Session: Marketing Yourself as a Free-agent on the Internet (Harold Jarche)
• Most Interesting Presenter: Derek Szeto
• Most Knowledgeable Marketer: Rob Swick, AlphaSearch
• Most Authentic Presenter: Harold Jarche