If I could only give you ONE piece of advice about making money online in 2015 it would be this…

No matter what your business sector, industry or niche… you need to find and share relevant and valuable content with your propsects and customers.

That’s the only way you’ll truly stand out from the competition, gain trust and ultimately sell more.

With just a Twitter or Facebook account, you can collect and share information in order to grow your customer base and make more sales.

What’s more, if you don’t use the amazing free advertising and publicity that you get through social media, blogging, articles and emails, then you’re missing out on customers and sales.

This applies whether you’re selling hand made shoes, plumbing services, motivational eBooks, haircuts, gluten-free cakes or baby clothes.

From the world’s biggest brands down to the local pub or coffee shop, understanding and using the power of content will repay you many times over.

But there’s a good reason you might be confused about what is commonly called content marketing….

Many treat it as a “one size fits all” method, with rules
that apply to everyone.

However, it doesn’t work like that in the real world.

What you do online will depend on your personality, your level of expertise and what your customers want.

So before you start blogging, sending emails, social media, articles, free reports or product development you need to work out what type of content marketing type you are.

You see, it’s about building a business that fits your personality and skills, rather attempting complicated internet marketing process that you actually don’t need.

To help you, over the next two weeks I’m going to profile the 7 Internet marketing personality types.

Read them carefully and work out which one most applies to you.

Okay, this week let’s start with the first three types…

Doctor Who

The Enthusiast dominates their niche by gathering and sharing useful information.

They’re always on top of the latest news and constantly finding links to great videos, articles, services and products.

EXPERTISE: You don’t have to be an authority or an expert, but you do need passion and dedication.

PERSONALITY: Enthusiastic about your interests, with a love of discovery. You enjoy the thrill of sharing a piece of content that gets people talking, sharing and following.

MOST LIKELY TO SAY: “You have GOT to see this!”

CUSTOMER BASE: People suffering from information overload.
They’re don’t have the time to trawl the internet and are looking for someone to do their thinking and legwork for them. They need someone to cut through the noise and deliver them the information they most need.

MARKETING TOOLS: Your weapon of choice is social media.

• Twitter and/or Facebook to quickly and easily share links, videos, articles and other interesting nugget of information
• Tumblr, Instagram or Pinterest for more visual ideas
• Linked-in for academic, scientific, literary or business-to-business
• For sharing events, news stories, gossip and conversation, they might use Storify

You will also have a blog and email to make sure they can connect with their audience on a deeper level and promote products.

MAKING MONEY:

• Advertising on the website
• Affiliate advertising (links in blog posts and emails)
• Commissioning and putting together information products as joint ventures of “co-branded” projects (putting your name to someone’s product to bring it credibility)

Is this you? Or can you think of interesting examples of ‘enthusiast’ businesses that you’ve seen? If so, drop me an email and I can start a swipe file of case studies.

Bilbo Baggins

The Seeker shares their journey – the highs and the lows – with a like-minded audience.

You could be in the early stages of a new business, learning a new skill, going through a life change or rising to a challenge.

EXPERTISE: No need for expertise, but you are passionate about achieving a goal, and building up the skills, tools, training along the way.

PERSONALITY: Ambitious and pro-active. Willing to pursue your goals. Honest, transparent and not afraid to admit when you’ve made mistakes.

MOST LIKELY TO SAY: “It’s a jungle out there!”

CUSTOMER BASE: People who aren’t as pro-active or confident. They are risk-averse, preferring to let someone else make the mistakes so they can have an easier path. They’re looking for someone like them, who understands their frustrations.

MARKETING TOOLS: Your primary tools are a blog and email. The blog is a place to gather their findings and keep on top of all the latest developments, while their email is your private personal “warts and all” communication with your closest followers.

You share your journey through Twitter and/or Facebook.

You might also use Tumblr, Pinterest or Scoop.it as a research tool to gather information and grow your expertise. YouTube videos are a good way of passing on skills and tips.

MAKING MONEY: Customers are looking for recommendations from the Seeker about what works and what doesn’t.

So the primary method of making money is affiliate advertising and recommendations.

As you become more skilled, experienced and knowledgeable, you can turn your blog and email content into information products, or enter Joint Ventures with experts to create products that solve problems or fill gaps in the market.

Is this you? Or can you think of any interesting examples of ‘enthusiast’ businesses that you’ve come across? If so, send me and email and let me know. I can start a swipe file of examples.

Is this you? Or can you think of interesting examples of ‘seeker businesses? If so, drop me an email…

Jeremy Clarkson

The Reviewer is independent, knowledgeable about their subject and eager to share what they have learned (and continue to learn) with others.

EXPERTISE: You can be amateur and self-taught, but ideally you’ve accumulated enough experience to offer knowledgeable advice, opinion and insight.

PERSONALITY: Passionate about your interest. Highly opinionated. Brutally honest. Willing to put your neck out to try new products and speak your mind about what you really think.

MOST LIKELY TO SAY: “Don’t buy it until I’ve checked it out.”

AUDIENCE: Cautious people who have been scammed, missold, mislead and disappointed by products, or who are worried about this happening.

They don’t have the time, expertise or experience to research products and services.

They want to avoid making mistakes, wasting money or looking stupid by buying the wrong thing.

They’re looking for a trustworthy voice to guide them.

MARKETING TOOLS: A website to analyse, review and pass comment on events, news, services and products. Also an email service to pass on the juiciest details to their very best followers.

Twitter is a popular platform for people enthusing and complaining about products and services.

It’s also a good news source for all the latest gossip, links and breakthroughs on a particular topic.

Another option is Pinterest, which is another popular forum for people sharing information on products. LinkedIn is good option for business to business.

MAKING MONEY: Affiliate advertising and recommendations through blog and email.  You may also have a membership site, commission products as joint ventures, or create your own information products.

Is this you? Can you think of interesting examples of ‘seeker businesses? If so, drop me a line!

If none of these quite match you, don’t worry.

There are four more personality types I’m going to cover.

Are you a Salvador Dali, a Richard Branson, Barack Obama or Steve Jobs?

Find out in my next email….

nick@digitalupstart.co.uk