REPUTATION

Will This Build Your Reputation Or Hurt It?

You may be thinking “I don’t have a reputation online so why does this matter?” The answer is that it matters because you want to have a reputation online, and have it be a good one.

Also, everything you do online, from writing a blog post to how you advertise to what products you choose to promote will either hurt your reputation or help it.

Those who have good reputations online will quickly tell you this - they started out with no reputation. The choices they made along the way, choices of integrity and honesty, is what built their reputation.

Unless you want to be doomed to forever finding new customers, paying attention to building your list and nurturing that list now will help you build a real online business, and not just earn a few commissions along the way.

With that in mind, here are the clarifying questions for product selection.

Does this product enhance your brand? Yes / No

Whether you know it or not, you have a brand. Everyone online does!

If you focus on building that brand purposefully, it encourages your customers to see you a lasting resource, rather than a one trick pony.

Your business should have a consistent “voice”, a theme that summarizes what you do online. It took me years to find mine.

While I have been known as a person of integrity online for many years, it was when I came up with my Common Sense branding that things really came together. It’s a simple idea that people connect with on an emotional level.

It’s also who I am.

Make sure each product you create or promote fits with your core message and makes sense for your brand.

To be clear, I am not saying to not promote products until you have your brand messaging perfect. Not at all. You have to eat and earn money.

But I am saying that the choices you make will either hurt or help your online reputation so choose to promote great products.

Is it consistent with your other marketing? Yes / No

This is where knowing the concepts of Core / Feeder / Today really helps.

Once you begin to view and evaluate products in this way you will be empowered to create a marketing mix that can be very automated.

In other words, all your marketing will be consistent. People dislike confusion and respond better when they know what to expect.

Also bear in mind that all of us find advertising methods that we prefer.

I prefer email to my own list first and then email to other lists second. That’s my nature - I am an email marketer.

I also love to write so will write articles for my blog supporting my marketing efforts. This is called an “educational sale” where the free and helpful content you produce supports the idea of people possibly needing a specific product or solution.

While I also use other methods I always think about promoting any product with email and my blog first, and so evaluate products from that point of view.

Be mindful of your favorite marketing methods. Be that content marketing, Facebook, solo ads or something else, think about how to use your favorite methods to promote products you are considering promoting.

By doing this you will save time and money by avoiding having to learn new marketing methods just to promote one product.