No, not THAT kind of fresh! I mean making sure you have fresh content for your followers...the kind that keeps 'em coming back for more!
Keeping your online content relevant and daisy fresh isn't always easy, but for your followers, it shouldn't feel like a chore to read and interact with your stuff either.
Whether it's blog subscribers or social media groupies, you've got to find a way to be captivating and engaging. That's no small feat considering how rapidly things change online!
It's the wild wild west out there and not everyone is following the rules of good taste. Some of your competition is out there saying and doing outlandish things to get the attention of your readers and sadly, sometimes it works!
So if you've earned subscribers, better do whatever you can to keep them. If you're still bucking for your first followers, you need to come up with a strategy to captivate and engage them - ethically, of course π
All of us inevitably have those days when you stare at a blank screen and wonder what to write for your readers. You've got to give your followers the goods after all. You worked hard to resonate with them in the first place, so
1. How do you keep things fresh and interesting?
2. How do you make sure you're reaching them in a meaningful way that provides value and at the same time doesn't make you sound like every other Joe or Josephine?
3. How do you avoid putting them to sleep?
Get FRESH!
FRESH is an acronym I devised for remembering the important things. The goal is to captivate and engage your followers online. You want to grab their attention and keep it, especially over an extended period of time.
The FRESH formula can help keep your content relevant and useful to your readers and fans, lest they cut and run.
And don't forget...the written word isn't the only way to speak to them. YouTube is the perfect example of how to connect with your audience on a whole different level, so whenever possible, use a multimedia approach to get your messages across.
F.R.E.S.H.
Focus
Respect
Engage
Share
Help
1. FOCUS - keep a narrow focus for each of your articles, social media posts and videos. Your readers are busyβ¦.typically looking for help of some kind. There's no need to muddy the waters with mixed or multiple messages. (K.I.S.S.!)
2. RESPECT - Show your readers you value and respect both their time and intelligence. Don't insult them or deliver useless content. Their time is valuable to them and you promised to deliver helpful relevant content. Ever had a conversation with someone and suddenly realize their eyes are glazing over? Don't do that to your audience!
3. ENGAGE - Keep your content conversational. Communicate in a way that makes your readers feel as though you're having a kitchen table chat. Don't talk AT them, but rather WITH them. "Does that make sense to you?" Do your best to make your fans and followers feel like they're involved, rather than outside looking inβ¦"you know what I mean?" Check for understanding. Ask questions to make them think. "Clear as mud?"
4. SHARE - Don't be afraid to show a little of your personality, that spunk or sparkβ¦whatever gets them to resonate with you at the same time you're teaching or showing them something they can use. Your readers need to feel like you're a regular Joe, just like them, but they won't be able to unless and until you reveal it to them. Offer an opinion. Share your knowledge freely, but share some of yourself as well. Remember: Facts tell, stories sell.
5. HELP - Always add value, serve a purpose, solve a problem, set an example, offer a solution, save someone time, deliver on a promise, share a true story of an embarrassing lesson you learned to illustrate how to avoid the same thing.
Get FRESH with your fans and followers and consistently apply these elements to your content to captivate and engage their interest. Your fans and followers will learn that when they interact with your content, they can count on you to give them what they came for...and they're more likely to come back for more.
Eryn McCormick is an online marketing entrepreneur, coach and award-winning blogger. She's a woman on a mission to "inform, inspire and ignite" people to take action to recapture their own earning power by leveraging their skills, talents and abilities to start an online business from their home computer or on the go with a mobile device.
Go on...share it, I dare ya!
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Great advice and teaching points Eryn! This is the kind of thing I’ll be sharing at the Ithaca Farmers Market Fall membership meeting. I’m very grateful that I can direct them to your site after the presentation. I love how you write in easy to remember points and teach acronyms. Content creation isn’t always the easiest thing to fully grasp, let alone master when you’re new online. Thanks again!
Know WHO you’re writing for and the rest will be that much easier! Thanks for stopping by Courtney
Great post Eryn. I love the FRESH acronym and will be printing that our and pinning by the side of my computor to remind me each time I write a post. Thank you.
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Eryn! great acronym! keeping readership is so important in developing a business… I have found several valuable sites because someone forwarded a post. If that post had not been FRESH it would never have been sent to me!
Agnes Knowles recently posted..There Are Live Events And There Are Alive Events
Another great post – your content is always FRESH !!
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