Social Marketing is Marketing Without Seeming To Be

This is a concept that I have struggled with.

Take my last blog post for example. The product this post was about is definitely something that my readers will profit from knowing about, but even I found it a bit too "salesy" if you get my drift. Lately my Google Reader has been getting a lot more filled up as I find increasing numbers of blogs and sites that have great content as well as make reference to products and services that solve problems that I have been struggling with.

And that's the point...

In the course of conversations about relevant issues, to insert text (and therefore links) referencing those solutions that you have found useful will result in your readers finding solutions, you getting sales, and steadily increasing readership.

Win, win, win!

Maybe you have seen the posts with titles like:

"Content Is Dead: Resource is King!" While we are all seeing, and finding useful, blog posts that are basically lists of Social Media services, or other "Resources" becoming more popular, don't be misled. Resource lists are useful as one type of content, but should not be used to totally replace all other types. With the proliferation of these posts, do readers just osmotically know how to utilize these services to their maximum potential?

Of course not!

I know that I have gotten more useful information out of a post giving a few choice nuggets about how to get the most out of Digg, than I did out of the last ten posts giving me lists of "Hundreds of Digg-like Sites".

The traffic that was directed to my sites from a technique learned in an email that Willie Crawford sent me has far surpassed anything that I could have gotten from the product being offered there. Why? Because Willie understands that for a product, service or tool to be relevant to a discussion:

First there has to be a discussion!

And it has to be able to stand alone with or without the offer of sale being made. That is the question that I will be putting to myself going forward: Does this post stand on it's own without any saleslink?

If it doesn't, then there really isn't any point is there? No my friends, content isn't dead but it sure is rapidly changing. The 2008 Authority Blackbook points out the various types of posts that are vital to your blogs traffic, and I've learned a lot there that is making my traffic grow steadily even though this is not a WP blog. Resource list posts are definitely great linkbait posts, and when you find a good one elsewhere they can definitely be good fodder for Trackback links. Just be sure that you are adding something to the dialog other than just: "Here's a great list for ya!"

Lord knows I've been guilty of that a time or two, but it really doesn't add anything to the flow. Plus, it will ultimately slow the flow of Web 2.0 traffic to your posts.

Is content dead? I don't think so.

Keep on posting it, and you'll reap it's rewards.