Have you ever followed Dear Abby? Or tuned into the latest Dave Barry column? I happen to look forward to The Grumpy Gardener column that appears every month in Southern Living Magazine. His tone makes it undeniably clear he cares very little about people and more about plants and animals cracks me up.
As consumers, we’ve come to rely on the consistency of these writers. By turning the page to their columns, we know we can count on sound advice, humor, or expert tips that entertain or inform us on a topic. The work of the late Erma Bombeck, Jeanne Phillips, a.k.a. Abigail Van Buren, and even grouchy Steve Bender built a foundation on which blogging and websites is established. Each created a presence that provided information or resources to a select part of the community. As a result, a strong and loyal following ensued and success abounded for them.
While the form of media may have changed, the steps to creating a strong presence have not. Here are the 5 P’s to creating a successful online presence. When creating your platform, are these points being met?
Productive
A strong presence begins with frequency. Are you regularly producing content that is accessible? Most guest bloggers have built a sizeable catalog of content on their own sites, which often acts as a networking platform for sharing content beyond their own site. Be aware that sitting back and waiting for that email to arrive with an offer may be long in coming. Expanding your presence still requires you to reach out with solid content and approach other publishers who may be interested in publishing your work. That dedication to promoting your content to various outlets will eventually establish a strong and enduring business relationship.
Professional
One of the keys to a strong online presence is developing expertise in a particular field. In this way, your voice can be trusted as an expert on your specified topic. Are you a whiz at computer technology? Do you often share your opinion on the latest book you’ve read? Do you know the secret to making cauliflower taste good? This knowledge gives you an opportunity to corner that particular niche and become a reliable source on the topic.
Polished
Your vast knowledge on a particular topic becomes quickly irrelevant if you produce work that requires extensive editing and clean up. Certain writing standards may vary, but the one standard that never deviates with the changing times is the standard of excellence. You must commit to producing your best work in the best form possible. Submitting clean work is fundamental to a successful online presence. So, proofread your piece for any mistakes, and then proofread it, again.
You may consider bringing a trusted friend onboard to read your content, check for mistakes, and offer feedback on whether or not this is content that would interest her as a reader.
Pertinent
Typically, articles that receive the best response are those that promote the brand of the site by exploring a unique approach to the matter and encouraging thought. Sometimes that angle may feel controversial, which can trigger a viral level conversation of differing opinions. (At least, we can only hope). When a positive connection is made between you and the publisher of the site, an enduring writing relationship can be established.
Patience
It takes time to build a strong online presence. At the moment, Osmond Marketing is expanding its healthyliving.care site with plans to establish this site as an impactful and reliable source of information and resources on creating a healthy lifestyle through daily choices. Such plans don’t appear overnight. Instead they evolve by practicing the aforementioned points.
So, you have decided to expand your online presence. That’s great news. By making a commitment to maximize productivity, establishing a niche as an authority on the subject matter, producing clean and polished work, and being patient with the process you are setting the stage to make quite the entrance in the online world. Welcome.