Forget Me Not

 70 Comments on Forget Me Not 0 4539

Trump familyOn a recent episode of “Celebrity Apprentice”, the task was to create a slogan and a display for Donald Trump’s new cologne, “Success”.

Each team did a good job, however the team which lost had a poor slogan and failed to provide a “take-away” for the cologne campaign.

The winning team had provided two take-aways; one was a small card, printed on both sides and included detailed information about the cologne, plus they also designed a cardboard “sniffer” stick.

George, a Trump executive, stated how no matter how great a campaign or product is, people quickly forget. Hence, having a take-away is vital.

Today’s Lesson

George is right. With all we have on our mind, it’s easy to forget not only what we saw or read, but where we saw or read it.

This holds true not only for products, but for blogs, as well.

With a product such a cologne, it’s easy to create a take-away. Just brand a “sniffer” stick and hand them out to customers with a sample of the scent. No hard sell is needed, and the customer leaves feeling they got “something” of value.

So what about blogs?

Do people quickly forget us and what we shared?

With millions of blogs online, probably.

So the question becomes, how can we become more memorable?

What can we do to encourage our readers to return? To remember us?

Here’s a few ideas bloggers try.

  1. Offer something for free.

    2. Whether it’s a free e-book or podcast, make sure your freebie is well branded. Link back to your blog so your readers know where to find you again.

  2. Ask readers to subscribe via a RSS feed.

    3. Keep in mind, although readers might subscribe to our blog, if we do not continue to provide valuable content, chances are they’ll either unsubscribe or not continue to read your posts.

  3. Offer a free newsletter via email.

    4. A lot of bloggers use this technique to not only harvest email addresses, but are also able to keep their name fresh in their readers’ minds. This “freebie” can be beneficial IF the subscribers are opening these emails, however the regular emails can become a nuisance and subscribers either move the emails to their trash file or unsubscribe. Just like blog posts, newsletters must have value.

  4. Have a unique blog theme.

    5. I remember when the “fad” was to have a black and white blog theme (black header, white background for content). Not surprisingly, none of these blogs stood out from each other.

  5. Have a memorable or easy blog name to remember.

    6. If you take a look at some of the popular sites, one thing they have is a memorable and often, short name such as Problogger or Mashable.

    This is something I wasn’t aware of when I started blogging and before I realized I had made a mistake by using such a long name, I felt it was too late to change it. That said, I now use my mistake to my advantage and proudly broadcast “I’m blogging without a blog”.

  6. Create content which so good, readers will find any way they can to not lose sight of you.

    7. When I find a site I want to bookmark, I’ll either share a link to the site on Facebook or Pinterest since I no longer use my RSS feed and my “bookmark” file is over-flowing.

  7. Build an online presence others want to follow.

    8. If we spend time on Facebook, Twitter and/or Pinterst and all we do is self-promote, chances are those who follow us will quickly stop listening. Take time to promote the work of others, share informative finds, become a “go to” person for different topics of interest and be unique. Guy Kawasaki has done this not only on Twitter, but on Facebook, too.

  8. Be outrageous

    9. When I think of people who gained popularity by being outrageous in the real world, I think of Madonna and Lady Gaga. These ladies have not only been outrageous in their appearance, but in their song lyrics, as well. Online, this could be a harder task to accomplish, however Perez Hilton might fit into this category.

So, what about you?

Today’s Assignment

What are you doing online to be memorable?

What other methods can a blogger use to stand out from the crowd?

Care to share?

Photo credit Waiting For Tonight

70 thoughts on “Forget Me Not”

  1. Well I’ve already got a short memorable blog name and I promote lots of other blogs on twitter. So I guess it’s a start. I should probably be a bit more persistent with asking people to subscribe to my rss feed though. Also I’d like to eventually create a free ebook to fuel newsletter subscriptions. Thanks for these tips Barbara. I’ve obviously got some work to do.

    1. You’re welcome Jeremy,

      Yes. You are on your way. 🙂

      I like your tagline, “helping you control your money through modest living”. At first glance it tells a new reader what they can expect to find on your blog and by looking over your posts, they’ll see the content, in itself, is the “take away”. Anything after that will be a bonus.

  2. Hi Barbara,

    Those are some excellent points. For me the ones that work most are the easy to remember name and great content. Newsletters and other things that are pushed at us constantly lose their appeal but we’re here to read and if we can remember the name then all the better!

    1. Thank you Chris,

      That’s a good point about the newsletters. What I’ve also seen happening is how some bloggers are using pop ups as a reminder to subscribe. I remember the annoying pop-up ads from years ago and even though most people hated them, I’m still trying to figure out why bloggers see what they’re doing as something different.

  3. Barbara, I think your blog name is memorable and I love your statement, “I’m blogging without a blog.”

    You’ve made some great points here. When I think about bloggers who have attracted my attention, it’s usually due to #8 or #6. If I’m entertained or educated I’m happy.

    A unique blog name helps and one other thing I could add is that if you don’t try to be like everybody else, you have a better chance of standing out. Writing fresh and original material, or if you’re writing about something that’s already been written about, find a creative way of presenting it. That kind of combines #8 and #6!

    1. Thank you Davina,

      Isn’t that what we all do? Blog without a blog? You know how us bloggers are – we’re always thinking of our next blog post even when we’re not on our computer. 🙂

      Yes. Excellent content does stand out. With so many sites online, it’s hard to make a lasting first impression, but if we’re a tad outrageous or funny, or approach a topic differently than others, we’re bound to receive the attention we hope for.

      1. So that is what you mean by blogging without a blog. My assumption is true then. 🙂

        A replied on this thread of comment because I too value content most. A catchy title or tagline may get a reader’s attention may be for a few seconds or minutes but worthy content would make readers go back and subscribe.

  4. Basically I’m just being myself. A small audience of readers likes me for what I am and keep coming back, others move on, and that’s OK.

    1. Hi Vered,

      Excellent choice. Being authentic – a secret many bloggers don’t learn. As you’ve found out, visitors keep returning because they like what you share and how you share it. As you said, it may not appeal to some, but that’s OK. We can’t please everyone.

  5. Hi Barbara!
    I agree with Davina – your blog name is great!!! I get a take-away of thinking about your topic(s) which sometimes spurs me into action on something. It is just inspiringly delightful.

    I try to offer my readers content on things they may not be aware of, foods that have multi-use or healing, or sometimes I just rage about the lies/manipulation of government to get people to think twice – or think at ALL – about what they are consuming. I can’t think of a take-away as a product, but hopefully some thinking connection is going on?
    Hugs
    SuZen

    1. Thank you SuZen,

      I see the take-away on your blog as being the education you provide. Not only do your readers leave with more knowledge, but they can put that knowledge to work to benefit their life, as well. It’s like a gift that keeps giving.

      ((hugs)) to you, too.

  6. I agree with your 8th point, but with some stipulations. You shouldn’t be outrageous in the context of being false, incendiary, or inappropriate. This goes back to an earlier post you made about writing with integrity. Having said that, I do agree that being a bit exaggerated and ridiculous is a good way to stand out from the crowd and gain recognition. Be outrageous in a positive way. Don’t make false or hurtful comments, be silly and over the top!

    1. Hi Robert,

      You’re right. We can be outrageous without offending. It reminds me of how as bloggers, sometimes it’s okay to “break the rules”; not that blogging has rules, but to do something out of the ordinary, or as you said, be silly.

  7. I always try to find articles and news that is interesting and/or helpful. The idea is to make people click on the link, so the content has to grab their attention from the headline. Usually, I find things that I think could help them or things that are very strange/funny. It’s important to keep things interesting in order to keep your readers and gain new ones.

    1. Hi Paul,

      I’m with you. Helpful information goes a long way and even if people don’t comment, if they find one helpful post on our blog, they’re more apt to keep looking for more, either then or on return visits.

  8. Thanks for the good tips provided here! I agree how you brand yourself makes you standout. Easy to remember and very unique
    name would make us standout.

  9. Hi Barbara,
    Thank you for some wonderful tips! I also love Davina’s comment and Vered and suZen’s practices.
    With my new site, I chose to allow color and texture in all ways. If I stand out at all it is because mine is a place where one may expect something refreshing and peaceful. I *love* the concept of community so take the time to connect with my peers as well as my readers. I practice and share gratitude, and I thoroughly enjoy my online “presence”. I’m not known for mainstream ways in life or online; although I am not outrageous in a scandulous way, I don’t mind trying something different if it within alignment:)

    1. You’re welcome Joy,

      You’ve raised a good point – about how we can also add “texture” to our blogs and make them “feel” more welcoming.

      I was just looking at yours and like how the tabs have a 3-D look and you’ve mixed videos with photographs. It’s like you provide something for everyone. Great job!

  11. Hi, Barbara I like the title of this post. its really interesting. I am trying to be different from others but sometimes it’s too difficult for me. Anyway thanks for your tips. I have been giving my blog name interesting either. And I believe after choosing a great theme there is need some overwhelming article to impress new visitor.

    1. Thank you Online Flowers.

      I noticed with your blog, you’ve added a unique background. That’s another great way to set yourself apart from others and with so many choices, we’re bound to find one that suits our personality.

  12. Hi, Barbara! Haven’t seen the episode, but I resonate with the idea. I think it all goes back to a basic principle of marketing, i.e. to differentiate yourself, except that you need to go further than that to be remembered nowadays.

    1. Hi Alison,

      I agree. Nowadays, it’s even more important to differentiate ourselves, especially with the number of blogs which are online and so many are competing for the same traffic.

  13. I have tried giving away a free ebook (a legitimate one ofcourse written by one of my blog’s writers). I don’t believe that an ebook is as memorable as a physical thing. Maybe a card or a cup cost more but their true value resides elsewhere. How many times in your life have you seen the logo on the cup given away by the cereal company?
    The blog’s theme is also really important. I do not think that exaggerating and having a flash blog theme is the way. I believe a unique, calm, nicely colored one is way more preferable.
    Thank you for your tips!
    BB!

    1. You’re welcome Jim,

      That’s true. Giving away a physical thing can have more of a lasting effect than an e-book, provided it’s something the client will use.

      Themes can be tricky. Although a flash theme might look good the first time we land on it, we also have to think about navigation and if the theme is “easy on the eye” or as you mentioned, “calm”. For myself, I’ve landed on many beautiful sites which had a great first impression, but they weren’t lasting impressions and I never returned.

  14. Hi Barbara .. being authentic is important; having good stimulating content too; interacting and building relationships with fellow blog-commenters.

    I love your blog name – I’ve always remembered it because of its name ..

    I too agree with Davina’s points and your post .. cheers Hilary

    1. Thank you Hilary,

      I’m with you. Authenticity is very important. Not only can it affect our writing style, but also shows up in how we interact with our readers – both on the blog and on social networking sites.

      As for your blog, every time I visit you, I leave with the feeling that I’ve learned more history. I like that.

      Hilary, the Historian. 8)

  15. I recent watched this episode and thought that the tag line “You Earned It” was equally good and was not pompous in any way. If you listen to Adam Carolla’s Podcast he goes into great detail about this and has some really good thoughts.

    1. Hi Raised Ink Printing,

      You know, I was trying to remember what the losing team’s slogan was and had forgotten. Thank you for reminding me. Like you, I also thought it was good. Granted, it wasn’t “Donald’s words”, but I thought it would give the potential customer “permission” to spend money on themselves and the product.

  16. Such a great collection of useful tips! I admit it, offering something for free generates a really high traffic to the site, that’s why giveaways are so popular.

    1. Thank you Jane,

      Yes. Giveaways are another great way to generate traffic, and hopefully new subscribers. That said, what I’ve seen on some blogs with giveaways, the “giveaway” posts get lots of comments, but once the giveaway is over, the comments dwindle back down and I’m assuming the traffic does, too.

  17. Hi Barbara, it is really important to leave an impressions to the persons that we had encounter so that for your next come back you are always welcome.

    1. Hi Myrtle,

      True. An e-book may not leave a lasting impression like a physical thing could, however being online, it could get real expensive to mail physical freebies to thousands of people.

  19. hi,
    here is one newcomer to your blog.
    I like this post very much. you gave many useful tips which are very useful to make my blog to get good impression and i like your title also..
    the ideas which you gave is really awesome and it boost up me.
    many thanks for your beautiful ideas.

  20. Hi, Barbara!

    I believe in networking outside my niche as much as within my niche. And writing guest posts for their blogs that have my own niche personality intertwined. Makes for interesting reading sometimes….

    there are a couple on your list that I will incorporate into my plan for growth.

    1. Hi William,

      That’s a great idea – to network outside of your niche. Not only do you gain more knowledge that way, but you’re more apt to attract a wider audience, as well.

  21. Barbara, you’re right, great content is the key to people remembering your brand and blog all the time.
    I’ve created in the past two years a dating advice website, I didn’t do a lot of SEO, just some tweeter and FB but people were comming over and over every single day. great content, short and nice domaine name and where they can contact you to ask questions.

    1. Hi Salim,

      Definitely. Great content goes a long way.

      Another thing you’ve done is to stick with it. Two years is a great accomplishment and I’ll bet your readers enjoy knowing you’re there to answer their questions.

  22. Hi Barbara,

    Point number 8 always amazes me. It’s incredible how a silly video or a funny post can go viral and make you famous. Just look up “Know your Meme” on YouTube. These guys do a great little show about things that go viral. Having a cat play a keyboard or writing about how cool you look in a wolf-howling shirt can instantly get you millions of hits. Great post!

    1. Thank you Saphera,

      You’re right. In some cases it doesn’t take much to go viral. All we need to do is use our imagination. One never knows what will be the next internet sensation.

  23. Starting with something free is so vital, especially online. Be it a good thing or not, Internet goers have come to expect a lot of free content. By having that monetary wall right out of the gate, you are going to get almost no response from people. It’s about building trust and a following that will be on board with premium content.

    1. Hi Scott,

      That’s true. Internet users DO expect more, which I’m sure has a lot to do with the amount of valuable information which is already online. As you mentioned, if we have our hand out as soon as someone lands on our blog, chances are they’ll click off (unless it’s a product based site).

  24. Well for me, ebook can be a help where we can stand out because they can remember us every time they see and read it..

  25. These are great points! You never get a second chance to make a first impression with someone! Keeping your content relevant, interesting, and helpful will always keep them coming back for more!

  26. I like the connection you made between a show and blogs. That means that the blogsphere can be a miniature of our world. Society and laws abide with it and interacting with others is the same, in distance or not.

  27. Great post, and a timely reminder for me. It is true that we have to create a presence for ourselves, and at the same time leaving a deep impression to the visitor. The latter is very difficult to achieve especially when there are so many bloggers on the Internet, and the numbers are set to keep increasing. I agree that probably the best way is to connect with fellow bloggers as well as readers through social media. Just 2 cents input.

    Barbara, I’ll love to engage with you and anyone (as long as you are not a spammer :)). My twitter is @imstash (plz delete if not acceptable)

    1. Thank you Lincoln,

      I hear you. With so many blogs online, it is difficult to stand out from the rest. For some bloggers, it’s all about the numbers, but what I’ve found is if I spend more time concentrating on community, my satisfaction level (with blogging) is higher than it would be if I had tens of thousands of visitors.

      P.S. Leaving your Twitter address is fine. 🙂

  28. Branding and creating something people can get behind is key. Does not happen over night, but it is key. All are very good ways to accomplish this.

  29. With all those creative people being present online and working as hard as they do, it gets harder and harder to be outrageous and different.

    1. Hi Mina,

      True. It is harder to be different, however I think as long as we’re authentic, provide valuable content and get our name “out there”, we’ll eventually build a readership.

  30. Something weird is still happening with RSS feed for me. I prefer to subscribe to blogs on RSS – and it sporadically quits sending me notices.

    So I’m going back over the posts I’ve missed on your FABULOUS site – well-named et al!

    I’m at the stage where it’s very difficult to subscribe to any more sites. Your comment about Face Book and Pinterest piqued my curiosity. Did you do a post about how bloggers handle their subscription numbers? I wonder how bloggers find their “level” of reading comfort before it infringes upon their writing and/or lives.

    Do we have to be so consistently unique and worthwhile that people will come back whether we are on their subscription list or not?

    1. Thank you Amy,

      Speaking of subscribing via RSS, I tried that years ago but found so many wonderful blogs, I couldn’t keep up.

      And yes, when we add other social networks to our plate, our time gets eaten up fast. For myself, I spend a little time on Facebook and Pinterest each day, but finding a balance is hard.

      Listening to other bloggers, what I hear is some are picking one social networking site and dropping the others, or if they’re sharing posts on social networking sites, they use a plugin to automate the entries. That helps to keep our name out there without eating up more of our time.

      As for getting people to come back to our blogs (on a regular basis), I think it not only depends on if they’re subscribed to our blogs, but if they “connect” with us and want to read more of what we’re sharing.

  31. I like options 1 and 6, which have worked well for me. Recently I have been contemplating trying #8- Be Outrageous! It’s so hard to stand out anymore, so that may do the trick. It’s a little hard to implement successfully when you’re blogging for a business, but I guess that’s part of the challenge. Some funny memes are usually always effective.

    1. Hi Marisa,

      I know. It’s difficult to stand out, even if we are outrageous.

      Blogging for a business throws a new dilemma into the mix considering the fact we want to represent our company and/or product appropriately, too.

  33. Yes originality is a great risk today.
    Let me explain myself.

    Today on a local radio the DJ was saying something like:
    “we live in a world where everybody wants to be equally original as everybody around” :):)

  34. Offering free content is definitely a great incentive. I’ve seen some blogs give away products to a randomly selected person who liked their Facebook page. This can help out visibility greatly, and as all of us bloggers hope, it could increase ad revenue or lead to a book deal!

  35. Hi Barbara,

    These are good tips for cementing yourself in the readers memory, I think I’ll give number 1 a go and create a free ebook to give away.
    On a sum what unrelated note, why does Donald Trump still have such crazy hair in this day and age? It’s baffling to me 🙂

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