Launch: How to Quickly Propel Your Business Beyond the Competition

Why Engage?

If you want to sustain long-term business growth, you'll need to figure out a way to connect with people.

The days of broadcasting one-way marketing messages to consumers are ending. Manipulative reciprocation attempts often result in general distrust and your base questioning your motives.

Instead, by giving genuine gifts to your base and experts—without expecting anything in return—you'll draw people to you in droves. Many will be happy to help share your great content, and some will become loyal customers for life.

Adding social proof mechanisms to your Web site will help turn lurkers into subscribers, commenters, and sharers of your content. It will also help justify people's decision to participate. This can produce a cyclical pattern that draws even more people to your business, propelling your rocket ship.

Finally, by employing strong and relevant calls to action, you'll greatly increase the number of people who act. This means more comments, more subscribers, more fans, and more experts agreeing to work with you.

I encourage you to study these psychological principles in action. Watch for them next time you visit a successful Web site. Then begin applying them to your business.

This chapter demonstrated the power of giving gifts, using social proof, and employing strong calls to action. It also revealed the improper use of the rule of reciprocity. By employing ...