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How to Customize the Genesis Site Footer

I’ve been asked on a number of occasions what is the best way to change the text that’s found in a site footer using the Genesis Framework. Depending on your comfort level, there’s a few ways to do this.

1. Use the Genesis Simple Edits plugin.

I’ll start with the easiest method to kick things off, and this one will allow you to customize your site footer without having to learn PHP or write functions, filters, or mess with hooks.

With over 200,000 active users, the Genesis Simple Edits plugin makes life easy for you. In just a few clicks, you can update the text in your site footer.

After you’ve installed and activated the plugin, go to the Genesis > Simple Edits page in your WordPress dashboard, check the “Modify Entire Footer Text” option and enter your HTML code.

2. Write a custom function.

If you’re like me and prefer not to use a plugin, another method for customizing your site footer in Genesis is to write a custom function.

Open up your theme’s functions.php file and place the following code:

View the code on Gist.

You might notice that I’ve removed the site footer markup and contents and redefined it in my custom markup. I figured some folks may want to wrap their footer in additional code for styling purposes.

3. Use the Genesis Simple Hooks plugin.

An alternative to the Genesis Simple Edits plugin is the Genesis Simple Hooks plugin. If you are using it for another purpose, you can also use it to customize your site footer.

Go to the Genesis > Simple Hooks page in your WordPress dashboard, scroll down to the “genesis_footer Hook” section and be sure to check the “Unhook genesis_do_footer() function from this hook” option.

There you can enter your HTML code. Unlike the example of Genesis Simple Edits or the custom function listed above, you do not need to include the .site-footer and .wrap divs in the code.

Here’s some sample HTML that could be used in this case:

View the code on Gist.

If you’re looking to jazz up your site footer, I wrote a simple tutorial that shows you how to customize your footer with a heart icon.

We have published additional Genesis Quick Tips for you, so feel free to use what you see to build something awesome.

This blog was originally posted on Studiopress.com This post is in no way associated with Kembel.ca. For more posts by this author, please click here.

Sites Weekly: How to Create Short Videos that Make Mouths Water

Welcome to another edition of Sites Weekly.

In this week’s edition, you will find links to articles about the following:

Content. How to create short videos that make mouths water
Design. Is your website accessible to as many people as possible?
Technology. A handful of very useful Facebook hacks you probably aren’t aware of
Strategy. What is your website’s north star?
Bonus. The sweet spot between being confident and humble

But first …

Last week on Sites

The greatest call-to-action copy in the world wonÔÇÖt make a lick of difference if your CTA isnÔÇÖt visually compelling enough to draw attention to it.

So thatÔÇÖs what weÔÇÖre going to discuss in this episode: how to create visually effective calls to action.

Listen: [18] How to Create Visually Effective Calls-To-Action

And now, on to this week’s links …

Content: How to create short videos that make mouths water

Have you ever seen those short videos, shot overhead, with quick cuts, that feature a pair of hands preparing food?

They are almost impossible not to watch. This podcast episode features a discussion with Lindsay Ostrom, who creates these videos for her website PinchOfYum.com.

And if you don’t have time to listen to the podcast — don’t worry. Another reason I chose this link is because it is a phenomenal example of how to use the show notes page for a podcast.

The entire discussion is summarized in detail, with plenty of example videos to view. Well worth your click.

Creating Short, Snackable Videos for Instagram and Beyond (Social Media Examiner)

Design: Is your website accessible to as many people as possible?

The term web accessibility refers to “the degree to which a website’s UX design is available to as many people as possible.”

Obviously, that’s a worthwhile goal to work toward. In this blog post, you will learn five different elements of what Creative Bloq refers to as inclusive design.

How does your website grade out in these five areas?

Get started with web accessibility (Creative Bloq)

Two of the most important decisions you will make about your WordPress website are your theme and your hosting. Wouldn’t it be great if they worked together to make your website more powerful?

Now they can.

Discover why over 213,675 website owners trust StudioPress.

Technology: A handful of very useful Facebook hacks you probably aren’t aware of

Full disclosure: I’ve only read through the first three tips in this blog post, but I’m already convinced it’s worth linking to in this week’s newsletter.

Why? Because #1 and #3 are both extremely useful tips that I did not yet realize you could do. I plan to begin incorporating these into my Facebook marketing immediately.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to go read #4 through #12.

12 Hidden Facebook Features 95% of Marketers Don’t Know (Aggregate)

Strategy: What is your website’s north star?

Here’s a quote worth considering:

“I think that companies figuring out what their north star is and starting to live according to that and driving all of their communication and all of their work towards something that not only has impact on the bottom line, but can marry financial with societal impact, is going to be much more of a trend as we move forward.”

It’s relevant whether we’re discussing a company, a brand, a website, etc. Have you thought about what your north star is? Sounds like now is the time to start.

Why Consumers Want Brands to Take a Stand on Social Issues (The Content Strategist)

Bonus article: The sweet spot between being confident and humble

For a long time now, my philosophy for personal development and achievement has been summed up in one made-up word: primility.

It’s a combination of pride and humility, and I try my best to stay in the sweet spot between the two. It’s not easy, and requires consistent vigilance, but it sure is worth it.

Sounds like Gary Vee agrees.

Confidence & Humility (Gary Vaynerchuk)

So …

Which of the ideas in these posts will you put to good use immediately?

I’ll be back with a new edition next week.

Keep building.

This blog was originally posted on Studiopress.com This post is in no way associated with Kembel.ca. For more posts by this author, please click here.

[19] 3 Massively Important Reasons to Keep WordPress Updated

As an ever-evolving open source venture, WordPress changes a lot, and often, for the better. And itÔÇÖs up to you to make sure you update to the latest version.

Click to subscribe to Sites on Apple Podcasts

Important links from this episode:

Transcript

Jerod Morris:Welcome to Sites, a podcast by the teams at StudioPress and Copyblogger. In this show, we deliver time-tested insight on the four pillars of a successful WordPress website: content, design, technology, and strategy. We want to help you get a little bit closer to reaching your online goals, one episode at a time.

IÔÇÖm your host Jerod Morris.

Sites is brought to you by StudioPress Sites — the complete hosted solution that makes WordPress fast, secure, and easy ÔÇª without sacrificing power or flexibility. For example, you can upload your own WordPress theme, or, you can use one of the 20 beautiful StudioPress themes that are included and just one click away. Explore all the amazing things you can do with a StudioPress Site, and youÔÇÖll understand why this is way more than traditional WordPress hosting. No matter how youÔÇÖll be using your site, we have a plan to fit your needs — and your budget. To learn more, visit studiopress.com/sites. ThatÔÇÖs studiopress.com/sites.

Welcome back to another episode of Sites — another week of unpacking a strategy that will help you build a better, more powerful, more successful WordPress website.

Last week, we discussed how to create visually effective calls to action with some sage advice from Rafal Tomal. Hopefully you took the opportunity to analyze the calls to action on your website and figured out a tweak or two that will help you convert better.

This week, weÔÇÖre going to discuss a topic that needs to be top of mind for every single person running a WordPress website — and it needs to stay top of mind for every single person running a WordPress website. ItÔÇÖs that important

In fact, if you are not going to take this seriously, you might as well just toss your hands up in the air and start over right now — without WordPress. IÔÇÖm not kidding. This is that important.

What am I referring to?

WordPress updates.

As an ever-evolving open source venture, WordPress changes a lot for the better. And itÔÇÖs up to you to make sure you update to the latest version.

And, while weÔÇÖre on the subject, theme framework updates too. A lot of times they go hand in hand, with theme framework updates following soon after a WordPress update.

You might remember back to episode 15, when we discussed plugins, and I implored you to only install plugins that are up to date, and to make sure you keep them up to date.

The same is true for WordPress update, and updates to your theme framework. And in this episode IÔÇÖm going to explain the three massively important reasons why this must be, and remain, a top priority for you as a WordPress site owner.

LetÔÇÖs start off with the most important and urgent reason why you need to keep WordPress and your theme framework up to date:

Security.

The number one way that bad guys infiltrate a site is through outdated themes, plugins, and, of course, old versions of WordPress. ItÔÇÖs become such an issue that many WordPress site owners pay a decent chunk of money each month to have an outside service keep things updated and safe.

Think about it ÔÇª hackers are always trying to come up with new ways to weasel their way into our sites so they can steal data or plant malicious code. If you stick with todayÔÇÖs version of WordPress, how safe do you think youÔÇÖll be a year from now? Not very.

The developers of WordPress work hard to stay out in front of the hackers — patching known holes, and doing everything they can to prevent future vulnerabilities. But the only way for your site to benefit from these efforts is to stay updated.

Which is why this is a non-negotiable if youÔÇÖre going to run a WordPress website. You have to stay up-to-date — whether you do it yourself, pay a service do it for you, or host someplace like StudioPress Sites that includes an automatic WordPress update option.

Speaking of which ÔÇª this leads me to theme framework updates too. Often a WordPress update is followed by a theme framework update. Makes sense, right? If the base code gets an update, the theme framework, which is layered on top of that base code, needs to be updated to maintain compatibility and take advantage of any new features.

Plus, theme frameworks also have to worry about security — which means patching holes and preventing future ones. So just as you need to keep WordPress updated, you need to keep your theme framework updated too.

However you do this, just make sure you do it. We believe so much in the importance of these kinds of updates that we built both right into StudioPress SItes — automatic WordPress AND Genesis Framework updates. It doesnÔÇÖt cost a penny more.

So whether you do it yourself, pay someone else, or go with a host that has it built in — again, just make sure the updates are happening.

ItÔÇÖs essential to keep your site safe from the Internet evildoers who would love nothing more than to cause you and your website harm.

So thatÔÇÖs the #1 reason to keep WordPress and your theme framework updated: security.

Now letÔÇÖs discuss two more massively important reasons to stay up to date …

Reason #2 is new features and bug fixes.

New versions of WordPress arenÔÇÖt JUST about keeping bad guys out. They are also about making it easier and more enjoyable for you to use, and about giving your audience a better experience. If you stay on an old version of WordPress, you miss out on these new features.

Plus, sometimes new features roll out and they donÔÇÖt work as intended. These are bugs. And they can be a real bummer. In that way, bug fixes can essentially be like new features because they allow you to fully embrace and use a feature that wasnÔÇÖt functioning correctly before.

Let me give you a couple of examples ÔÇª

On June 8, 2017, WordPress 4.8 rolled out. It included new features like link improvements, three new media widgets covering images, audio, and video, an updated text widget that supports visual editing, and an upgraded news section in your dashboard which brings in nearby and upcoming WordPress events. Useful features.

Then in subsequent months, security and maintenance releases rolled out as well. These didnÔÇÖt include new features, but did fix bugs and update security measures.

WordPress is in a competitive market. They want as many people as possible building sites on their platform. And to keep up, they have to keep adding new features that keeps WordPress ahead of the curve. There is no reason for you to not take advantage of those new features on your websites.

And the same thing goes for your theme framework as well. Updates often include new features and functionality that youÔÇÖll want to build on.

So thatÔÇÖs reason #2 to stay up-to-date: new features and bug fixes, so your site is even more powerful.

And reason #1, remember, was security.

How about reason #3?

ItÔÇÖs speed and performance.

If you want a refresher on the importance of speed and performance, go back and listen to episode 3 of Sites. We discussed why it matters so much.

In short — better site performance leads to a better experience for your users, which leads to more conversions, repeat visitors, and better search rankings, all of which increases your opportunity to build your audience and, ultimately, build a business around it.

IÔÇÖd say thatÔÇÖs a pretty compelling case for taking performance seriously.

Well, with each new WordPress update, all the under-the-hood stuff is made more efficient. As was noted in a blog post at WPBeginner.com, WordPress 4.2 improved JS performance for navigation menus, and WordPress 4.1 improved complex queries which helped with performance of sites using those queries.

And the same is true for your theme framework. Its code gets updated to be more efficient and deliver better performance.

So, in review, here are the three massively important reasons why you need to keep WordPress and your theme framework up to date:

Security — it keeps your site safe.
New features and bug fixes — it keeps your site on the cutting edge.
Speed and performance — it keeps your site humming along like a well-oiled machine.

Now stick around for this weekÔÇÖs hyper-specific call to action.

Call to action

Here is my question for you: what is your current process for keeping WordPress and your theme framework updated?

Maybe your host does it for you. Maybe someone manages your site and thatÔÇÖs part of what they do. Maybe you have a recurring to-do item that reminds you to check for updates regularly. Or maybe you have resolved to update yourself whenever you log in and see that an update is available.

Whatever your process is — just make sure you have one. And if you donÔÇÖt, get one. And if this is something that you just donÔÇÖt want to worry about, thatÔÇÖs fine. Totally understanding. But you need to hire someone, or choose a host, that will handle it for you.

WeÔÇÖll obviously welcome you with open arms at StudioPress Sites. Just go to studiopress.com to learn more.

Okay, thatÔÇÖs it for this week. Next week we move on to strategy, and weÔÇÖre going to discuss repurposing content, and why focusing on quality over quantity is a smart idea. ThatÔÇÖs next week, here on Sites.

Finally, before I go, here are two more quick calls to action for you to consider:

Subscribe to Sites Weekly

If you havenÔÇÖt yet, please take this opportunity to activate your free subscription to our curated weekly email newsletter, Sites Weekly.

Each week, I find four links about content, design, technology, and strategy that you donÔÇÖt want to miss, and then I send them out via email on Wednesday afternoon.

Reading this newsletter will help you make your website more powerful and successful. Go to studiopress.com/news and sign up in one step right there at the top of the page. ThatÔÇÖs studiopress.com/news.

Rate and Review Sites on Apple Podcasts

And finally, if you enjoy the Sites podcast, please subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts (formerly known as iTunes), and consider giving us a rating or a review over there as well.

One quick tip on that: to make the best use of your review, let me know something in particular you like about the show. That feedback is really important.

To find us in Apple Podcasts, search for StudioPress Sites and look for the striking purple logo that was designed by Rafal Tomal. Or you can also go to the URL sites.fm/apple and it will redirect you to our Apple Podcasts page.

And with that, we come to the close of another episode. Thank you for listening to this episode of Sites. I appreciate you being here.

Join me next time, and letÔÇÖs keep building powerful, successful WordPress websites together.

This episode of sites was brought to you by StudioPress Sites, which was awarded ÔÇ£Fastest WordPress HostingÔÇØ of 2017 in an independent speed testÔÇÅ. If you want to make WordPress fast, secure, and easy — and, I mean, why wouldnÔÇÖt you — visit studiopress.com/sites today and see which plan fits your needs. ThatÔÇÖs studiopress.com/sites.

This blog was originally posted on Studiopress.com This post is in no way associated with Kembel.ca. For more posts by this author, please click here.

Sites Weekly: The Two Things You Need to Generate New Ideas

Welcome to another edition of Sites Weekly.

In this week’s edition, you will find links to articles about:

Content. Why each piece of content you publish should correspond to a single business goal
Design. The two things you need to generate new ideas
Technology. Google’s First Click Free is over, being replaced by Flexible Sampling
Strategy. #RealTalk on running a successful affiliate program
Bonus. Are you creating demand or fulfilling it?

But first …

Last week on Sites

If you donÔÇÖt know what to say, then how you say it isnÔÇÖt going to matter.

ThatÔÇÖs one of the concluding points of the blog post by Brian Clark that is featured in this episode ÔÇö a blog post that was inspired by one of the great films of our time.

Listen: [17] Content Marketing as Seduction

Genesis tips from Brian Gardner

Brian Gardner is currently designing a website as a favor to some friends, and he added a newsletter signup widget with an arrow. It struck him that this is the type of thing that he has been asked about before, so why not share how he did it?

Read: Add a Full-Width Newsletter Signup Widget with Arrow

And now, on to this week’s links …

Content: Why each piece of content you publish should correspond to a single business goal

Do you ever feel like a hamster running on a wheel when it comes to your content marketing? One reason for feeling like you’re just running in a circle, and not getting anywhere, might be that you aren’t being strategic enough about each individual piece of content you publish.

If that describes you, take heart in knowing that the majority of content marketers are right there with you. And there is a proven way forward.

“Though your overarching content strategy will likely have multiple content goals (awareness, lead generation, customer retention, engagement, etc.), each piece of content should focus on a single one. A campaign enables brands to build upon the successes of individual pieces of content to move their audience to conversion.

For example, a blog post may lead to a newsletter sign up, which leads to downloading an ebook, which leads to requesting information from a sales representative. ThatÔÇÖs an overly simplified roadmap, but it illustrates how you can use content to create a customized and efficient pathway for your target audience.”

Learn more about how to create goal-oriented content in this post from Convince and Convert:

HereÔÇÖs How Much Your Content Marketing Goals Matter

Design: The two things you need to generate new ideas

When it comes to your work online, ideas are currency. This is especially true if you are selling information.

That makes the key question for creating a thriving online business: how do you create and maintain a consistent stream of new ideas?

It’s not a question to take lightly. You need these new ideas to feed your business.

Rafal Tomal has a strategy that works for him, and may well work for you too:

We need to absorb good information from the world that surrounds us.
We need a place and time to process the information and generate ideas.

Read this blog post to see how Rafal uses this simple strategy to help him generate new ideas and release his own creative beast, so that you can do the same.

Release Your Creative Beast

Two of the most important decisions you will make about your WordPress website are your theme and your hosting. Wouldn’t it be great if they worked together to make your website more powerful?

Now they can.

Discover why over 213,675 website owners trust StudioPress.

Technology: Something to keep an eye on if you’re publishing premium content

Google has been working with big-time publishers (think: New York Times) to figure out how to best display search results and help publishers drive more subscription revenue. This is a smart long-term strategy for Google to take on, for obvious reasons.

And they are now shifting their strategy up a bit, in hopes that it will work even better.

“Content and news publishers will now control whether and how many articles they want to let searchers access before showing a paywall or subscription prompt. The company is also working on an array of other tools to help boost publisher subscriptions.”

Discover the details at Search Engine Land. While you might not be in a position to take advantage of this yet, it’s certainly something to monitor for the future.

Google: First Click Free is over, being replaced by Flexible Sampling

Strategy: #RealTalk on running a successful affiliate program

If you have considered launching your own affiliate program, or want to improve your current affiliate program, consider this #RealTalk from Pippin Williamson, the creator of AffiliateWP:

“An affiliate program takes work. ItÔÇÖs another part of running your business and you need to be mindful of that and be prepared to put some effort into it.”

To see Pippin’s expounded thoughts on the kind of work it takes to succeed with an affiliate program, as well as tips for communicating with affiliates and the importance of being selective, read this article from BobWP:

Three Tips for Setting Up and Running Your Own Affiliate Program

Bonus article: Are you creating demand or fulfilling it?

A friend of mine, Keith Reynold Jennings, poses an interesting question in this blog post. He wonders if you are creating demand or fulfilling it. And, more importantly, he wonders if you know the answer.

Read it and consider, then make sure you know the answer for your own projects.

Which Business Are You In? HereÔÇÖs Why Knowing Which Matters

So …

Which of the ideas in these posts will you put to good use immediately?

I’ll be back with a new edition next week.

Keep building.

This blog was originally posted on Studiopress.com This post is in no way associated with Kembel.ca. For more posts by this author, please click here.

[18] How to Create Visually Effective Calls-To-Action

The greatest call-to-action copy in the world wonÔÇÖt make a lick of difference if your CTA isnÔÇÖt visually compelling enough to draw attention to it. So thatÔÇÖs what weÔÇÖre going to discuss this week: how to create visually effective calls to action.

Click to subscribe to Sites on Apple Podcasts

Important links from this episode:

Try StudioPress Sites
Sites Weekly Newsletter
Subscribe to Sites on Apple Podcasts
@JerodMorris on Twitter
Original blog post: How to Create Visually Effective Calls-To-Action by Rafal Tomalk

Transcript

IÔÇÖm your host Jerod Morris.

Welcome back to another episode of Sites — another week of unpacking a strategy that will help you build a better, more powerful, more successful WordPress website.

Last week, we talked about how your content can seduce your audience. This week, weÔÇÖre going to talk about how to capitalize on that moment when the seduction actually works. How do you close the deal?

Whether itÔÇÖs a small, relatively easy deal — like getting an email signup. Or a larger, more complex deal like asking for a recurring purchase.

ItÔÇÖs all about crafting effective calls to action. And the greatest CTA copy in the world wonÔÇÖt make a lick of difference if your CTA isnÔÇÖt visually compelling enough to draw attention to it.

So thatÔÇÖs what weÔÇÖre going to discuss this week: how to create visually effective calls to action.

And we have a great blog post from Rafal Tomal to help us do it.

Here is my reading of RafalÔÇÖs blog post: How to Create Visually Effective Calls-To-Action.

How to Create Visually Effective Calls-To-Action

Designing your pages for conversion is a tricky job. ItÔÇÖs a constant fight between what works and what doesnÔÇÖt. ItÔÇÖs a never ending process of testing, measuring, and making changes.

One of the most difficult tasks I have found in my work is to point your visitors right into your call to action — in order to catch their attention and interest them in your offer.

While your copy is probably the most important part of this process, itÔÇÖs still very important to support it with suitable design techniques that can put an emphasis on your message.

The good thing is that human behavior is mostly predictable and we can use it for our own advantage.

People love repeatable visual patterns. People will also quickly find any distractions from a well-defined pattern. We can use that knowledge to get their attention.

The question is, how can you lead your visitors right into your call to action in a subtle way without being too annoying and screaming with exclamation marks?

Every call-to-action wants some attention

Ok, before we dive into talking about the design of your website, letÔÇÖs think about getting attention for a moment. Why do you even need to get someoneÔÇÖs attention and why is it so hard that you have to use some kinds of visual tricks?

The purpose of most websites is to attract the target audience and call them to action. The action can be an email sign up, social interaction or a product purchase.

Of course, the action you want people to take is usually not that attractive for first time visitors. You canÔÇÖt just invite people to your website by saying ÔÇ£come and sign up for my email newsletter!ÔÇØ That wouldnÔÇÖt convert wellÔÇª

So, it is the content that attracts your target audience. It can be a sales page with compelling copy, your blog posts, an infographic, a free ebook, you name it.

Once you have them in, and you have their attention, thatÔÇÖs the time when you want to point them in a certain direction — the next level of your conversion funnel.

Now, getting someoneÔÇÖs attention and calling them to take the action is hard. The bigger the commitment to make, the harder to convert. Different types of actions may also require different approaches.

For example, asking people to sign up for your email newsletter in exchange for valuable free content is much easier than asking them to pay for something.

A call to action with a smaller commitment can be more direct. You can put it right in front of your visitors in the form of a popup or a big top banner.

However, the same approach wouldnÔÇÖt work well if you used it for your buy button on a sales page. Before asking someone to purchase your product, you want to prepare them, educate them, resolve their concerns and build interest.

ThatÔÇÖs why a sales call to action should be positioned more strategically. You need to be careful not to ask for the conversion too early or your visitors may not be ready yet.

If you want to think about how this would look visually, just think about websites that you visit every day.

Where do you typically see an email sign-up form — which is a low-commitment call to action? In the sidebar, in a banner beneath or even sometimes above the header, or maybe even in a pop-up that appears when you start scrolling.

Contrast that with where you see the CTA for a sales page. ItÔÇÖs typically near the end of the page after a lot of copy — the more complicated and expensive the product, the longer and more explanatory the copy (typically).

Okay, now letÔÇÖs talk about defining visual patterns — because you have to define them first, before you can break them.

Define your visual patterns first

As I mentioned before, you canÔÇÖt convince someone to take the action just by your design. ItÔÇÖs your copy that does all the heavy lifting, but you can help to emphasize the message and point some visitors right into your CTA through design.

And this brings us to the main point of this whole episode, which is how to effectively break your visual patterns to get a visitorÔÇÖs attention.

Your websiteÔÇÖs visual identity is defined by typography, colors, layout and all the user interface elements. Together, all of these elements create certain repeatable visual patterns.

Try to make navigating and browsing your website predictable. You want to create a consistent and positive user experience in reading your content. That should be your base and foundation.

Now, consistency is the main point here. The more consistent your visual patterns are, the easier itÔÇÖll be to break it in a more subtle and elegant way.

And why would you want to break your beautiful design? To lead your visitorÔÇÖs eye right into your offer on a busy page full of content.

In other words, to get your visitorÔÇÖs attention where you need it.

To explain better, imagine youÔÇÖre invited to a party where everyone is dressed in whatever they want. So, you have all different colors and styles. It would be pretty hard to stand out from the crowd if you wanted someone to pay attention to you. ItÔÇÖs still possible, but you would need to take some ridiculous steps to do so.

Now, imagine that youÔÇÖre going to a party where everyone is dressed in black and white. What could you do to stand out from the crowd? It would be as easy as wearing a red t-shirt. People would notice you and you wouldnÔÇÖt have to run around and scream.

As you can see in this analogy, it all makes sense only when there is a certain consistent theme applied as a base. Without it, when everything is different, nothing can clearly stand out.

Now, break your visual patterns

In your design, emphasizing your call to action can be easily achieved by using contrast. IÔÇÖm not talking about just color contrast, but a contrast in size, boldness, space or even position.

Some techniques work better for some people and may not even affect another group of visitors. So, the best idea is to combine at least a few of them.

For example, your call to action can be placed on a contrasting background and the title font set in bold. Additionally, you can add some extra space around it to make a bigger content/space contrast.

Using white space is a great way to make something more prominent without adding more noise to your design. By simply creating more space around something, you separate it from the rest of the content. That separation and a clear layout break can quickly draw the userÔÇÖs eye.

You can also break your grid if your design is set on a layout grid.

Layout grid is a common design tool used by web designers these days. ItÔÇÖs a good topic for a whole new episode, and Rafal covered this concept deeper in his ebook, The Essential Web Design Handbook, if youÔÇÖre interested in learning more about it.

For now, all you need to know is that a grid is nothing more than just an invisible web of vertical and horizontal lines that dictate your entire layout.

By placing all your content elements along those lines, you can create an organized and consistent design structure throughout the entire page. It helps to create a visual pattern in your website layout.

Breaking that grid will make your call to action stand out. ItÔÇÖs that simple. Just by positioning a certain element loose on the grid will put more emphasis on it.

Our eyes love patterns and we follow them. Every human eye will catch such a distraction in a perfectly designed layout.

And that, my friends, is how you get your visitorÔÇÖs attention.

Now stick around for this weekÔÇÖs hyper-specific call to action.

Call to action

Here is this weekÔÇÖs call to action:

Open up your website ÔÇª

Take a look at it. What visual patterns do you see? DonÔÇÖt spend any time judging yet. Just look. Get a feel for it.

Next, focus on your calls to action. What jumps out about them? How do they fit in with the visual patterns on your site? Do they fit in too much? Do they clearly stand out? In other words, why is your eye drawn to them — or, conversely, why is your eye NOT drawn to them?

Take what you learned from RafalÔÇÖs insight and use it to make your CTAs stand out more. Perhaps itÔÇÖs adding more contrast. Perhaps itÔÇÖs adding more white space around it. Perhaps itÔÇÖs moving a sales page CTA further down the page — so youÔÇÖre not asking for the sale before someone is ready to move forward.

Look at your site, analyze the patterns ÔÇª and then break them. Do this for at least one call to action. Then track it.

Okay — coming next week, weÔÇÖre back to technology. WeÔÇÖre going to talk about WordPress updates.

Finally, before I go, here are two more quick calls to action for you to consider:

Subscribe to Sites Weekly

If you havenÔÇÖt yet, please take this opportunity to activate your free subscription to our curated weekly email newsletter, Sites Weekly.

Each week, I find four links about content, design, technology, and strategy that you donÔÇÖt want to miss, and then I send them out via email on Wednesday afternoon.

Rate and Review Sites on Apple Podcasts

And finally, if you enjoy the Sites podcast, please subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts (formerly known as iTunes), and consider giving us a rating or a review over there as well.

One quick tip on that: to make the best use of your review, let me know something in particular you like about the show. That feedback is really important.

And with that, we come to the close of another episode. Thank you for listening to this episode of Sites. I appreciate you being here.

Join me next time, and letÔÇÖs keep building powerful, successful WordPress websites together.

This blog was originally posted on Studiopress.com This post is in no way associated with Kembel.ca. For more posts by this author, please click here.

Add a Full-Width Newsletter Signup Widget with Arrow

I am currently designing a website as a favor to some friends, and added a newsletter signup widget with an arrow. It struck me that this is the type of thing that I have been asked about before, so why not share how I did it?

In just a few minutes, you can intentionally grow your business by upping your email marketing game. Because email moves the conversation about your business to a more personal environmentÔÇöthe inbox.

Here are the steps I used to add a full-width newsletter widget:

1. Register the Newsletter widget area in the functions file:

View the code on Gist.

2. Hook the Newsletter widget area before the site footer. This should be done by adding the code below into your theme’s functions file:

View the code on Gist.

*Note: Feel free to place these snippets at the bottom of the functions file.

3. Add CSS for the newsletter section to your theme style sheet:

View the code on Gist.

If you’re looking to add your newsletter section in another location, here’s a comprehensive list of Genesis Hooks for you to use as reference.

We have published additional Genesis Quick Tips for you, so feel free to use what you see to build something awesome.

This blog was originally posted on Studiopress.com This post is in no way associated with Kembel.ca. For more posts by this author, please click here.

[17] Content Marketing as Seduction

If you donÔÇÖt know what to say, then how you say it isnÔÇÖt going to matter. ThatÔÇÖs one of the concluding points of the blog post by Brian Clark that is featured in this episode — a blog post that was inspired by one of the great films of our time.

Click to subscribe to Sites on Apple Podcasts

Important links from this episode:

Try StudioPress Sites
Sites Weekly Newsletter
Subscribe to Sites on Apple Podcasts
@JerodMorris on Twitter
Original blog post: Content Marketing as Seduction by Brian Clark

Transcript

IÔÇÖm your host Jerod Morris.

Welcome back for another of Sites. It is wonderful to have you here with me for another week of talking about how we can build more powerful and successful websites.

Last week, we discussed how to decide which content to sell and what to give away for free with some excellent rules of thumb from Chris Garrett.

This week, weÔÇÖre going to talk about how to use your content to properly seduce your audience members and prospects to continue along on their journey with you.

Because whether itÔÇÖs free content or paid content, youÔÇÖre always trying to help people take the next step — and you want that next step to be with you, of course. But how do you establish that strong of a connection? Your content has to do a lot of the heavy lifting.

But if you donÔÇÖt know what to say, then how you say it isnÔÇÖt going to matter.

ThatÔÇÖs one of the concluding points of the blog post by Brian Clark that IÔÇÖm about to read to you — a blog post that was inspired by one of the great films of our time.

LetÔÇÖs jump right into it.

LetÔÇÖs talk about content marketing as ÔÇª seduction.

Content Marketing as Seduction

Phil Connors is having a bad day ÔÇª over, and over, and over.

The arrogant Pittsburgh weatherman has once again been sent to cover the annual Groundhog Day event in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. He soon discovers that visiting once a year wasnÔÇÖt all that bad, given that heÔÇÖs now living this particular Groundhog Day again, and again, and again.

It all begins at 6:00 a.m., the same way each day. The clock radio clicks on with Sonny & CherÔÇÖs I Got You Babe, followed by the declaration, ÔÇ£Okay campers, rise and shine, and donÔÇÖt forget your booties ÔÇÿcuz itÔÇÖs COLD out there today!ÔÇØ

After the initial shock wears off, Phil (played by national treasure Bill Murray) realizes heÔÇÖs in a time loop. No matter what he does each day, there are no lingering consequences for his actions, because he wakes up and starts over again fresh the next morning.

This initially leads to hedonistic behavior, such as binge eating and drinking, manipulative one-night stands, and criminal acts. Eventually despair sets in, and Connors repeatedly attempts suicide.

No dice ÔÇö he still wakes up the same way the next morning. ItÔÇÖs not until Phil commits to bettering himself and serving others that he achieves redemption and breaks out of the loop.

The film Groundhog Day is regarded as a contemporary classic. In 2006, it was added to the United States National Film Registry and deemed ÔÇ£culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.ÔÇØ

Further, the movie has been described by some religious leaders as the ÔÇ£most spiritual film of our time,ÔÇØ in that it represents the concept of transcendence.

Buddhists and Hindus see the repeated day as a representation of reincarnation on the long path to enlightenment. In the Judeo-Christian tradition, the time loop can be thought of as purgatory.

DonÔÇÖt get me wrong. Groundhog Day is a hilarious film, and Bill Murray considers it his finest performance. But itÔÇÖs also seriously deep. Jonah Goldberg of the National Review said, ÔÇ£ÔÇª we have what many believe is the best cinematic moral allegory popular culture has produced in decades.ÔÇØ

Groundhog Day also contains an example of marketing gone terribly wrong. This travesty happens all too often in the real world, which means itÔÇÖs what you want to avoid at all costs.

A tale of a data-driven marketing fail

In between his hedonism and subsequent despair, Phil decides to achieve a different goal. He begins romantically pursuing his news producer, Rita Hanson (played by Andie MacDowell).

He starts by being uncharacteristically kind to her, and then asks her to describe her ideal man. Through day after day of similar encounters, he amasses an amazing amount of information about her.

Phil finds out her favorite drink, and her ideal toast to drink it to. He knows she hates white chocolate and loves Rocky Road ice cream. He even quotes from Baudelaire (Bodell-air) after finding out she majored in 19th-century French poetry.

Through his unique situation, Connors discovers all the right information in order to arrive at the ÔÇ£perfectÔÇØ romantic evening with her ÔÇ£idealÔÇØ man. It takes weeks, but as far as Rita knows, Phil has simply transformed from the jerk she works with to an amazing person in a single day.

Talk about marketing research, huh? HeÔÇÖs got his ÔÇ£whoÔÇØ down cold.

Except thereÔÇÖs one problem ÔÇö PhilÔÇÖs only goal is to have sex with Rita. ThereÔÇÖs literally no tomorrow for him, so he has to close the deal on the first date, or not at all. Hence, he canÔÇÖt contain his insincerity despite all the valuable intelligence he has on her.

Phil even stoops so low as to tell her he loves her when she resists his advances. Each evening invariably ends with Rita slapping PhilÔÇÖs face, and what she says to him is especially telling:

ÔÇ£I could never love you, because youÔÇÖll never love anyone but yourself.ÔÇØ

Content marketing as seduction

In marketing and sales circles, thereÔÇÖs a running joke about losing a prospect thanks to the equivalent of trying to propose marriage on the first date. And yet, it doesnÔÇÖt stop it from happening, even with people who should know better.

Phil has a treasure-trove of data about Rita, just as modern marketers have big data about you. And yet Phil tries to fake authenticity, engagement, and connection, which Rita sees right through.

The same thing happens every day at all levels of the marketing spectrum.

Think of it this way ÔÇö Rita reveals her core values, and Phil tries to reflect them back to her. It works, up until the point that PhilÔÇÖs desire to close the deal on his terms, based on his own desires, tramples all over RitaÔÇÖs core values.

IÔÇÖve described content marketing as a story you tell over time. If that story places the prospect at the center of the story and delivers the right information at the right time, you have a courtship.

If you take it a step further and deliver the information in a way that delights the prospect at each step, you have something even more powerful. You have a seduction.

The word seduction can certainly have a manipulative connotation. But when you truly know your prospect, and your core values truly do align with theirs, and you truly do communicate based on their needs first, well ÔÇª

They get what they want, and you get what you want. ThatÔÇÖs not manipulation; thatÔÇÖs just good business.

Empower the journey

Before the internet, inadequacy marketing ruled. Without access to alternative perspectives, prospects were targeted by marketers with messages that positioned the brand as the hero, which promised to save the poor prospect from the anxiety manufactured by the message.

The imbalance in access to information favored the seller. Now, prospects are empowered to self-educate, which means the buyerÔÇÖs journey is well underway before any particular seller is even aware of it.

Today, prospects face a different form of anxiety. The abundant access to information from thousands of competing sources threatens to overwhelm the prospect. ThatÔÇÖs where you come in.

Your brand becomes heroic in the sense that you arrive to further empower the prospect to solve their problem. You help them make sense of the relevant information. And in the process, you demonstrate ÔÇö rather than claim ÔÇö that your product or service is the perfect solution for that particular person.

So yes, your brand can become a hero. As long as you never forget that the prospect is the main hero, or protagonist, of a journey that they are at the center of.

This is why Joseph CampbellÔÇÖs monomyth, or heroÔÇÖs journey, provides the perfect metaphor, and map, of a content marketing strategy that succeeds. It forces you to keep your focus on empowering them, with you and your content playing the role of the mentor, or guide.

The easiest way to understand this is to look at the character relationships in some of the best-known examples of CampbellÔÇÖs heroÔÇÖs journey in popular culture ÔÇö films such as Star Wars, The Matrix, and The Wizard of Oz.

The prospect is Luke Skywalker; youÔÇÖre Obi-Wan Kenobi.
The prospect is Neo; youÔÇÖre Morpheus.
The prospect is Dorothy; youÔÇÖre Glinda the Good Witch.

Structuring your content marketing strategy in this way leads to success. By understanding your prospect as well as possible, youÔÇÖre now in a position to guide and empower her to solve the problem with you.

What you say matters most

ÔÇ£What you say in advertising is more important than how you say it.ÔÇØ
ÔÇô David Ogilvy

It might come as a surprise to hear that from Ogilvy, a famous ÔÇ£Mad ManÔÇØ and copywriter who made millions by finding just the right way to say things. But heÔÇÖs right ÔÇª if what youÔÇÖre saying is wrong, it doesnÔÇÖt matter how well you say it.

And the when matters too.

The key point of this episode is for you to understand that because weÔÇÖre guiding the prospect on a journey, when is an inherent aspect of the what.

You can choose to rush things and lose, or travel alongside the prospect and eventually win.

Phil Connors does end up with Rita, but only when he actually becomes her ideal man instead of trying to fake it. The time loop ends thanks to an authentic seduction.

HereÔÇÖs to not making the same mistake over, and over, and over again ÔÇª at least with your content marketing.

Now stick around for this weekÔÇÖs hyper-specific call to action.

Call to action

Here is my question for you, based on what we just learned about content marketing as seduction ÔÇª

How are you empowering your prospects to solve their problems?

If you donÔÇÖt know the answer to this right off the top of your head, if it isnÔÇÖt a guiding principle in what youÔÇÖre doing, then it now might be a good time to rethink how you view your relationship with your audience.

Remember: you are not the hero. THEY are the hero, and you are there to further empower them to solve their problems, to help them make sense of the relevant information they are bombarded with, and, in the process, you demonstrate ÔÇö rather than claim ÔÇö that your product or service is the perfect solution for that particular person.

So try to answer that question: How are you empowering your prospects to solve their problems?

And if you have trouble answering it, take this as an opportunity to rethink how youÔÇÖre approaching your content so you can be better at properly seducing your prospects.

Okay — coming next week, weÔÇÖre back to design. Once youÔÇÖve properly seduced someone, you do eventually have to close the deal — and when weÔÇÖre talking about the closing the deal online that usually gets done with a button. WeÔÇÖll discuss how to create visually effective Calls-To-Action based on insight from Rafal Tomal. I hope youÔÇÖll join me.

Finally, before I go, here are two more quick calls to action for you to consider:

Subscribe to Sites Weekly

If you havenÔÇÖt yet, please take this opportunity to activate your free subscription to our curated weekly email newsletter, Sites Weekly.

Each week, I find four links about content, design, technology, and strategy that you donÔÇÖt want to miss, and then I send them out via email on Wednesday afternoon.

Rate and Review Sites on Apple Podcasts

And finally, if you enjoy the Sites podcast, please subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts (formerly known as iTunes), and consider giving us a rating or a review over there as well.

One quick tip on that: to make the best use of your review, let me know something in particular you like about the show. That feedback is really important.

And with that, we come to the close of another episode. Thank you for listening to this episode of Sites. I appreciate you being here.

Join me next time, and letÔÇÖs keep building powerful, successful WordPress websites together.

This blog was originally posted on Studiopress.com This post is in no way associated with Kembel.ca. For more posts by this author, please click here.

Showcase a Grid of Photos on Your Homepage

Last year a group of friends and I took a much-needed getaway trip to the mountains of Colorado. Naturally, I had to design a website for this event we call Brocation. You can view the website here.

One of the things I wanted on the site was a section to showcase members of our tripÔÇöa way to display photos with a link to our Twitter accounts.

Here’s a screenshot of what I came up with:

I thought it might be helpful to show you how I did that. Implementing in your custom theme will vary depending on what you have.

Here are the steps I used to add a grid of photos to my homepage:

1. Register the Photo Grid widget area in the functions file:

View the code on Gist.

2. Hook the Photo Grid widget area after the site header. This should be done by adding the code below into your theme’s functions file:

View the code on Gist.

*Note: Feel free to place these snippets at the bottom of the functions file.

3. Add HTML for the member images into a text widget:

View the code on Gist.

Note: The images used on my site are 800×800, but you can upload something smaller such as 400×400.

4. Add CSS for member images in theme style sheet:

View the code on Gist.

If you’re looking to add your photo grid section in another location, here’s a comprehensive list of Genesis Hooks for you to use as reference.

We have published additional Genesis Quick Tips for you, so feel free to use what you see to build something awesome.

This blog was originally posted on Studiopress.com This post is in no way associated with Kembel.ca. For more posts by this author, please click here.

Business Pro: Be the Solution Your Prospect Is Looking For

Business Pro is elegant, bold, and built to turn prospects into customers.

Built on the Genesis Framework, and designed by our friends at SEO Themes, Business Pro is “the result of valued customer feedback, feature requests, and years of Genesis theme development experience.”

It is a smart choice for creative agencies, service providers of all shapes and sizes, and even brick-and-mortar businesses that want a contemporary look and feel online.

As most great themes are, Business Pro is designed to be simple yet flexible. It leverages the built-in core functionality of WordPress like custom logos, custom header videos and images, the new image and video widgets, featured images, and more.

And, as an added bonus, the team at SEO Themes built in additional schema.org microdata to help search engines understand your content.

Here is everything you get with Business Pro:

Custom Colors: Business Pro provides custom color settings with transparency/opacity options, giving you even more control over your theme’s colors.
Hero Image or Video: Upload your own video or a YouTube URL for the background. Each page can also have its own hero image by simply setting a featured image.
Widget Columns: Create your own front page layouts with easy-to-use widget column classes.
Beyond Optimized: Extensive schema microdata implementation to ensure search engines understand your content and business.
Lightbox Gallery: Show off your work with the built-in responsive lightbox gallery shortcode.
WooCommerce: Fully integrated with the world’s most popular WordPress eCommerce plugin WooCommerce.
Masonry Grid: Business Pro includes a masonry portfolio and blog that looks great and works at all screen sizes.
Testimonials: Display your best customer reviews with the easy-to-use, search-engine-optimized Genesis Testimonial plugin.
Google Fonts: This theme uses minimal, super fast loading and great looking Google Fonts for the fastest performance.
Fully Responsive: Needless to say that this theme looks great and works at any screen size on any device.
Fixed Header: Enable a fixed header easily by adding one line of code to your theme.
Templates & Layouts: Custom page templates and layouts provide plenty of options for displaying your content.

And more.

Get the Business Pro theme by SEO Themes

This blog was originally posted on Studiopress.com This post is in no way associated with Kembel.ca. For more posts by this author, please click here.

[16] How to Decide Which Content to Sell and What to Give Away for Free

What content should you give away for free, and what content should you sell? ItÔÇÖs a tricky question. There is no perfect, one-size-fits all answer. But there are guiding principles. And some of the best guiding principles IÔÇÖve ever come across for this question come from a blog post that Chris Garrett wrote back in July of 2015.

Important links from this episode:

Try StudioPress Sites
Sites Weekly Newsletter
Subscribe to Sites on Apple Podcasts
@JerodMorris on Twitter
Original blog post: How to Decide Which Content to Sell and What to Give Away for Free by Chris Garrett

Transcript

IÔÇÖm your host Jerod Morris.

Welcome back for another of Sites. So glad to have you here with me.

Last week, we discussed how to avoid a catastrophic plugin decision with five questions that you should ask yourself before installing any plugin.

This week, weÔÇÖre going to be discussing another important, and at times perplexing, question that you will undoubtedly end up asking yourself if you ever plan to build a business around your website.

What content should you publish and distribute for free ÔÇª and what should you hold back and make people pay for?

In other words: what content should you give away for free, and what content should you sell?

ItÔÇÖs a tricky question. There is no perfect, one-size-fits all answer.

But there are guiding principles. And some of the best guiding principles IÔÇÖve ever come across for this question come from a blog post that Chris Garrett wrote back in July of 2015. The principles Chris lays out in this post were relevant then, they are relevant now, and theyÔÇÖll be relevant well into the future.

ItÔÇÖs one of the best blog posts IÔÇÖve ever read, and IÔÇÖm excited to share it with you this week on Sites.

Here is my reading of Chris GarrettÔÇÖs blog post How to Decide Which Content to Sell and What to Give Away for Free.

How to Decide Which Content to Sell and What to Give Away for Free

You are all well aware by now that content is vitally important to your business.

But how do you decide which content should be freely available and which content you ought to charge for?

Is it possible to give away too much?

People struggle with this question all the time.

On the one hand, giving away information clearly works. After all, Copyblogger is based on that premise.

That said, we know that selling information is good business.

So where is the line drawn between freely available content and content that is locked behind a paywall of some kind?

Of course the answers will differ between different industries, topics, businesses, and writers. But hopefully this episode can help you arrive at an approach that works for you.

First, we need to decide what your free content should do for you.

What can you achieve with free content

The reason you are putting together all these free articles, podcasts, videos, and presentations, is that you want to attract an audience that grows your business.

With that in mind, here are 11 benefits that free content can provide for you and the types of content that you should share:

1. Free content can attract your specific target audience

We want more people ÔÇö specifically our most sought-after prospects ÔÇö to be aware of us. Of those, we want as many as possible to keep coming back, and to opt-in to our email.

If all of your content is behind a barrier, then this goal is going to be more difficult to achieve because you will have fewer opportunities for visibility.

The more content you have out there in the open, the more opportunities to reach your prospect exist.

2. Free content can encourage sharing your ideas

In addition to attracting people who might become loyal members of your audience, you also want those people to bring friends.

If your content is locked away, then they can say nice things about you, but their ability to share your content is limited. Therefore, your exposure is limited.

3. Free content can connect you with peers

ItÔÇÖs not just prospects that you want to connect to.

With your ideas, experience, and knowledge out on the web for anyone to consume, you are going to attract industry, networking, and partner contacts.

4. Free content can inform the audience of your value

What is the problem that you solve? What can you help them achieve?

ItÔÇÖs going to be tough to get people to pay money before they know what you can do for them!

People often put their problems into search engines looking for answers. You want to make sure your solutions can be found when they go searching.

5. Free content can position you against competitors

Your free content will not just educate, it will also show your uniqueness.

It will inform people why they should connect with you versus other people, and why your approach or solutions have the advantage.

6. Free content can answer objections

Once a prospect has started to get to know your value, then they will have more questions ÔÇª of the ÔÇ£yes, butÔÇØ variety.

ItÔÇÖs best to answer these objections and put your prospectÔÇÖs mind at ease before those objections become reasons to not do business with you.

Answering objections also demonstrates your empathy ÔÇö and the service provider who best shows they understand a prospectÔÇÖs problem tends to be the one who gets the business.

7. Free content can show proof and results

A great way to answer objections, and to establish yourself as the go-to person, is to prove your value through existing results and case studies.

8. Free content can provide more reasons ÔÇ£whyÔÇØ

Sometimes your prospects will not warm up to your solutions right away. They need to know what you are talking about and why it is important to them.

Providing ÔÇ£serving suggestionsÔÇØ and ÔÇ£use casesÔÇØ allows your prospect to understand how what you do fits into their life or business, and to imagine getting those benefits.

Tutorials and demonstrations can also help existing customers get more out of what they paid for.

9. Free content can give a ÔÇ£free tasteÔÇØ that builds desire for the full meal

When your business makes money by selling advice or information, it is a good idea for your prospects to get some early results.

This allows them to build trust with you so that they feel confident that your more in-depth or advanced information will also deliver on your promises.

The quicker and easier they get these results, the more ÔÇ£bought inÔÇØ they will be.

10. Free content can tell your story and show people who you are as a person

In many industries, who you work with can be as important as what they do for you, especially if they will be working with you closely for a while.

In general, we prefer to work with people we actually can stand being around. That means establishing your personality in addition to your credentials.

Use personal anecdotes and let your voice come through your free content.

11. Free content can reward prospects for their attention

Sonia Simone calls the concept ÔÇ£Cookie Content.ÔÇØ This idea is crucial.

You want your readers to look forward to your articles, videos, podcasts, and seminars. That means the time they spend with you should be time well spent.

They should be informed and entertained. Your prospect needs to perceive that there is more good stuff to come, so that they will want to deepen their relationship with you.

A good habit to get into is to always provide actionable takeaways and ideas the audience can use.

Hopefully that will give you plenty of ideas on what free content can do for you.

To recap:

Free content can attract your specific target audience

Free content can encourage sharing your ideas

Free content can connect you with peers

Free content can inform the audience of your value

Free content can position you against competitors

Free content can answer objections

Free content can show proof and results

Free content can provide more reasons ÔÇ£whyÔÇØ

Free content can give a ÔÇ£free tasteÔÇØ that builds desire for the full meal

Free content can tell your story and show people who you are as a person

Free content can reward prospects for their attention

But with that said ÔÇª

HereÔÇÖs when you should hoard information

If you are giving away so much value in the free content, what are people going to be willing to pay for?

ItÔÇÖs my instinct to give a lot, but there is a circumstance where your information is worth holding back and providing only to paying customers.

That is when:

1. People really want the information because it has significant value

If the information could ÔÇª

Provide a massive transformation in their life or business
Make them a great deal of money
Save them lots of time
Make them more popular

ÔÇª then they will be much more willing to invest in your solution.

2. The information is difficult to acquire

Yes, Google has exposed many things for free that had previously been knowledge reserved for the elite few.

But that doesnÔÇÖt necessarily mean that your prospect can find it, or that the information is even out there and indexed.

People still innovate. People find new approaches. Every day, new technologies are developed. Brand new systems are tested and released.

Many of the thought leaders and gurus we know are in their positions because they hopped on a shiny new platform or tool and mastered it before anyone else.

Of course as soon as you start sharing this information, someone you have shared it with will inevitably start sharing it too.

As more and more people fight against the noise in their marketplaces, you will see more and more valuable information being shared for free.

Here is why people buy content …

With all the free content out there, you would be forgiven for believing thatÔÇÖs all anyone really needs.

But, actually, paid content has never been more in demand ÔÇª from books to coaching to training courses.

Part of the reason people will pay is because of trust.

ItÔÇÖs a weird psychological factor that people will trust education that they paid for more than something you gave away. The reason is because it has a higher perceived value, and also there is an implied ÔÇÿwarranty.ÔÇÖ

In addition, people will pay for these 5 things ÔÇª

1. People will pay for in-depth, step-by-step guidance

In general, your free content is going to be a collection of granular, randomly organized pieces of the puzzle.

People will happily pay to be given the whole thing wrapped up in convenient packaging ÔÇö even if the information was previously available for free.

2. People will pay for access and tailored advice

I was shocked when this first happened to me (Chris Garrett wrote this blog post, remember), but I have since found this is true in many niches.

When I started out, I was giving away articles that helped developers solve programming problems. People started approaching me asking me to train and coach them, even though I thought there was little I could add to the knowledge I had already put out there free to consume.

It doesnÔÇÖt matter how complete you think you have made your education, it only serves as better proof that you are the person who can best help.

A great example of this is our own Authority training and networking community.

3. People will pay for exclusivity

Of course people will always want the secrets or to be ÔÇ£an insiderÔÇØ ÔÇª especially if these secrets will give them an unfair advantage over competitors.

4. People will pay for higher quality and better technology

The quality of your information is paramount, but people will be willing to pay more for higher quality production value, more comfort, and the latest technology.

How much of a difference this makes can be difficult to predict.

5. People will pay for experiences

ItÔÇÖs an often-shared piece of advice, but it is true: People will forget what you say, but they will remember how you made them feel.

Yes, people happily pay for things, but we really value a memorable experience.

If you can entertain, inform, and provide a stellar experience, then you are going to create something truly valuable.

To recap:

People will pay for in-depth, step-by-step guidance

People will pay for access and tailored advice

People will pay for exclusivity

People will pay for higher quality and better technology

People will pay for experiences

So now you have some ideas of what you should give away, and what you can sell, but how do you know if your free content idea is a good choice?

What you should never give away

ItÔÇÖs difficult to give hard and fast rules, because for each of these ideas someone out there will be the exception.

But in general here are six things that your free content should not be:

1. Free content shouldnÔÇÖt be too complete

DonÔÇÖt be tempted to answer every question or to answer questions too completely.

This is partly because you may be overwhelming your audience rather than helping them. And partly because, as mentioned above, someone who has not paid will have less trust and patience for you to get to the point.

2. Free content shouldnÔÇÖt reveal too much of the ÔÇ£howÔÇØ

Free information should focus more on the ÔÇ£whatÔÇØ and the ÔÇ£why,ÔÇØ rather than go deep into the ÔÇ£how.ÔÇØ

ItÔÇÖs good to give some ideas and tactics, but you need to work up to introducing your full strategies and systems on the paid side.

Consider giving away step one, or even steps one, two, and three, while keeping the remaining steps back for paying customers only.

3. Free content shouldnÔÇÖt provide free access

DonÔÇÖt make the mistake I did of being too available, too much.

Your time and energy is limited. DonÔÇÖt give away access to you, and certainly limit how much support you provide for your free stuff.

Hold the customerÔÇÖs hand through the entire process if you like, but free readers should not expect white-glove treatment.

4. Free content shouldnÔÇÖt involve a high barrier to entry

People are willing to jump through hoops after they have discovered there is value on the other side.

This means the first free content a prospect discovers should have zero barriers to consumption.

5. Free content shouldnÔÇÖt cover advanced topics with many prerequisites

If you need a degree and a spy decoder ring to understand your free content, then people will not put in the effort. They might even think bad things about you.

Your job is to help, not confuse people or impress them with your massive intellect.

6. Free content shouldnÔÇÖt require hard work by the reader

People will put in effort once they are sure there will be a substantial pay off.

But if a reader has only just discovered you, then they will lose interest long before they start seeing results, in which case you will have lost their attention and trust.

To recap:

Free content shouldnÔÇÖt be too complete

Free content shouldnÔÇÖt reveal too much of the ÔÇ£howÔÇØ

Free content shouldnÔÇÖt provide free access

Free content shouldnÔÇÖt involve a high barrier to entry

Free content shouldnÔÇÖt cover advanced topics with many prerequisites

Free content shouldnÔÇÖt require hard work by the reader

The bottom line

People worry about this issue of which content to sell and what to give away for free.

And yes, it involves a lot of subjective judgment.

But the good news is that I have yet to find someone who has given away too much.

I donÔÇÖt believe it is possible to be too helpful or too generous ÔÇª provided you manage your time and energy, and that people know you are in business.

As I mentioned earlier, you can give away everything you know and there will still be people who want to hear it from you ÔÇö and who will pay you to help them implement it.

So share your best ideas, build your Minimum Viable Audience, and then make offers at the appropriate time.

It works.

Now stick around for this weekÔÇÖs hyper-specific call to action.

Call to action

There are a lot of different directions we could go in for this weekÔÇÖs call to action.

LetÔÇÖs do this ÔÇª

I want you to take a look at your free content. And analyze it through the prism of the six elements Chris Garrett advised that your free content should NOT be:

It shouldnÔÇÖt be too complete
It shouldnÔÇÖt reveal too much of the ÔÇ£howÔÇØ
It shouldnÔÇÖt provide free access
It shouldnÔÇÖt involve a high barrier to entry
It shouldnÔÇÖt cover advanced topics with many prerequisites
It shouldnÔÇÖt require hard work by the reader

Decide if you need to adjust your free content offering to avoid doing any of those six things.

Are you making your info too complete? Are you revealing the how? Are you giving away too much access to yourself? (I fight this problem often). Are you requiring too much of your free content consumers — to the point where they are dissuaded from truly engaging with your content?

Chances are there is at least one of these elements that you can improve upon. Determine which one it is ÔÇª and then enact a plan to improve on it!

Okay — coming next week, we move from strategy back to content. One thing that you want your free AND your paid content to be is seductive. WeÔÇÖll discuss how content marketing works to seduce browsers into audience members and audience members into customers in next weekÔÇÖs edition of Sites. I hope youÔÇÖll join me.

Finally, before I go, here are two more quick calls to action for you to consider:

Subscribe to Sites Weekly

If you havenÔÇÖt yet, please take this opportunity to activate your free subscription to our curated weekly email newsletter, Sites Weekly.

Each week, I find four links about content, design, technology, and strategy that you donÔÇÖt want to miss, and then I send them out via email on Wednesday afternoon.

Rate and Review Sites on Apple Podcasts

And finally, if you enjoy the Sites podcast, please subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts (formerly known as iTunes), and consider giving us a rating or a review over there as well.

One quick tip on that: to make the best use of your review, let me know something in particular you like about the show. That feedback is really important.

And with that, we come to the close of another episode. Thank you for listening to this episode of Sites. I appreciate you being here.

Join me next time, and letÔÇÖs keep building powerful, successful WordPress websites together.

This blog was originally posted on Studiopress.com This post is in no way associated with Kembel.ca. For more posts by this author, please click here.

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