Know-How Exchange : Website Critique

Dear Milsher7,

You know, every now and again, when the BS is raining down and I'm told again and again that I don't know what I'm talking about, along comes something that makes up for all the crap.

You've no idea what you're doing? Join the club!

But, by starting your own blog:

You're TAKING ACTION.
You're writing.
You're building a body of opinion.

And you're doing what thousands of other people are NOT doing.
You're DOING something! Which is the coolest thing in the world.
You're getting of your butt, you are NOT apportioning blame for your inactivity on someone or something else, you're taking responsibility.

Good for you. Keep up the great work. I hope I helped.

Gary Bloomer
Wilmington, DE, USA

I too applaud the fact that you've taken action and started an online conversation on a topic that's important to you. There is one statement in your blog, however, that really concerns me -- both for your own success and because it reinforces a negative stereotype that really rankles me. You write:

" ... I have always been fascinated by the psychology of separating one from their money. Even as a child I was dreaming of money making schemes. ... "

Considering that this is the way you view marketing, I think you might want to keep that under wraps. Marketing, at least in my view, is NOT about "separating people from their money." It's about identifying unmet needs and then satisfying those needs. The money part is your reward for doing it right. When people spend money on your product or service, it's because they expect fair value in return. If you only focus on the money, you'll probably fail to deliver that value consistently, and eventually you'll find that you're out of business.

The other part of your observation is that you were always dreaming of money-making schemes. That just reinforces the fact that you are looking through the wrong end of the telescope. You're more into making money than delivering value. In the long haul, that's usually a recipe for failure.

And regardless of your own ability to pull off this approach, it tarnishes the image and reputation of all professional marketers who really do try to put their clients/customers first.

Finally, it's too bad you included these negative references in your first blog post, because any future employer (or customer) who reads them will logically deduce that you are in it to "separate them from their money," and the negative perception will taint you for as long as that blog post remains available on the internet.

Sorry to have to deliver this message, but I figure it's better for you to hear it now, while there's still a chance to change it, or at least minimize its effect. I'd feel really terrible if you discovered in 10 or 20 years that you'd failed to achieve your objectives in part because of a reference in a blog post that nobody bothered to point out when they had a chance.

you have started your blog. Congratulations. You've done something I have not done.

Now, you need to keep it up. Sure, I'm happy to comment on your writing style. But what is more important is that you consistently write interesting comments, provide helpful information, and increase your abilities and talent over time.

several years ago, I was complaining to a friend that I did not have enough time to get certain things done. My friend said, "we do the things we make time to do". I think that is some of the best advice I've ever received. The problem was not that I did not have enough time. The problem was that I was not allocating time to things that I wanted to get done.

and so I encourage you to be sure that you set aside enough time for research, for writing, and for promotion of the blog so that this project grows and succeeds.

Regarding your writing style, I would encourage you to print out your post, and the circle all the times you use the word “I”. yes, I understand that blogs are about your personal experiences. But we must also be sure that we are providing information helpful to others, and information of benefit to others.

Congratulations, and good luck.

Dear Milsher7,

One other thing. Your "About" page. It needs some content.

I suggest you tell people your real name, where you are in the world, and a few snippets about home, family, interests, and dreams.

You know the kind of stuff.

Nothing too deep or personal. But more than just the sterile stuff.

This shows you're a real person. Real is good. Real helps boost your credibility, which in turn helps build your reader's belief in you and the things you stand for.

Before you begin marketing anything to people, they must know you, like you, and trust you.

In your main posts, talk about yourself, but talk about your readers four or five times more than you talk about you. Although you might find you interesting, your readers what to know how you can help them.

With me?

But whatever you do, you're taking action, which is a fine, fine thing and worthy of high praise.

Keep it up.

Gary Bloomer
Wilmington, DE, USA

Milsher

Great start!

Suggested rewording of "the paragraph" Michael Goodman identified:

I have always been fascinated by the psychology behind marketing. The science of research to identify unmet needs. The art of sorting through various opportuniites that might meet those needs. And the excitement of determining a price which would be a suitable reward for fulfilling those needs while representing good value to the buyer of the now well-defined product or service.

I'm sure you can rework that in your own words... But it's a start - based on Michael's original suggestion.

Cheers

ChrisB