25 Lessons You Can Learn From Sonia Simone

1. Find one or two voices you trust

Sonia talked about this further in Obey Me or Fail

There are many paths up the mountain, but if you try to put a foot on every one, you’re not going to get very far.

Find a map-maker you trust and follow her map to the end goal. It’s generally a good idea to make sure that someone else has used this map to get to where you’d like to go.

I have accomplished so much more since I've started doing this. Every post in this series covers someone whose voice I trust. Writing each one of these posts has allowed me to follow their path and learn where I want to go.

2. Create an autoresponder

Sonia expanded on this in her post about better email marketing.

The autoresponder feature of your email provider lets you create defined sequences to send to your readers. The millionth subscriber has the same experience that the first did.

A great autoresponder builds a strong foundation for your relationship with your new subscriber. The old cliché is true: you never get a second chance to make a first impression. The warm, friendly feelings you’ll establish with your first 10 or 15 messages will carry over throughout your relationship.

I've yet to try email marketing so really appreciated this post. It has given my a greater understanding of reader experience.

3. Let Them Know They’re Appreciated

Sonia wrote about this  Dumb Things Small Businesses Do #6: Ingratitude

Customers drift away because they don’t think you love them. They don’t hear you saying how grateful you are for their business, and they don’t hear that they’re valued and cared for.

Existing customers already know you’ve got good things to offer. They’ve demonstrated that they’ll pay for what you provide. But they need to know you appreciated their business last time.

Sometimes, the simple act of feeling unappreciated has been the main motivator in me canceling a subscription or even asking for a refund. This is usually in learning environments which have been promoted as having an active community and support.

4. Get Obsessed with Your Audience

Sonia discussed this in one of her fabulous Copyblogger posts.

Your blog is about your readers.

Whether you’ve been blogging for 1 day or 1000 days, you need to know who’s showing up to read, watch or listen to you.

What do they care about? What are they interested in? What’s worrying them? What makes them smile? Who/what do they lust after? What do they fear? What do they loathe? What do they cherish?

What do they devoutly wish someone (maybe you?) would write about? What kind of content would feed their minds, their pocketbooks, or their souls?

You never have to pander to your readers. You’re not their slave. But you do have to know them.

I have found twitter is very useful to help me get to know my readers. Many have read a post and then contacted me via twitter. In many cases, this has led to talking on other social media profiles or even developing a friendship.

5  One person can become many.

Sonia talked about this in her post about the horizon realty group

Think you just have 20 followers? Think again. Your tweets are findable both on Twitter search and Google. And it’s a routine practice for any smart company to look for its name regularly using both services.

Think the customer who just infuriated you has just 20 followers? Think again. Angry tenant Amanda Bonnen’s megaphone was tiny, but the social web can’t resist a juicy story. And the social web really can’t resist a juicy Twitter story.

This is where things will get really interesting in the world of social media. Any comment can be misconstrued so its best to be VERY careful about what you say.

6. Advertise your free material offline

Sonia wrote about this in 7 Things Big Dumb Companies Do That You Can’t Afford (Especially Now). She recommended that you 'offer a free educational series by email (like my marketing tool kit or email marketing class), then create an insert that tells customers how and why to subscribe.' I think this is incredibly effective and something I aim to use in my social media strategy.

She also gave two other tips to market your small business:

• Create a monthly paid newsletter, delivered electronically or by physical mail, in addition to your free content. Include more detailed how-to and reference information than you would on your free site.
• Offer a free teleclass to build interest in your business. You can do all the talking yourself, or work with a partner in an interview format. Remember to record the class—the recording will also be valuable content that you can use in future marketing.

9.Success is a brand

Sonia expanded on this in Things to Do Before You Get Famous

You don’t need mass appeal or millions of customers to be a success. But your definition of success needs to be a keystone of your brand. You decide what success is, then show the world how magnificently successful you are by that light.

No one is going to notice your amazing talent and elevate you to fame and fortune. You’ve got to create the fame and fortune in your own outlook first. Claim your position.

Be your own fan club. Other fans will catch up to you eventually.

I've done this. I'm not too fussed what others think - I just continue to pump out awesome content and try to connect with as many people as possible.

10. Be incredibly good

Sonia discussed this in The Nice Guy’s Guide to Authority

True authority springs from true expertise. Become insanely good at what you do. If you’re already very good at one or two things, become obsessive about perfecting them.

Does “best in the world” sound scary? Remember that “the world” probably means the micro-world you and your customers happen to swim in (the Internet; mid-sized ad agencies in your zip code; barbecue joints in Duluth).

Once you know the size of your world, keep narrowing your focus. Divide and refine what you do until you hit the point where no one can outclass you.

I aim to be incredibly good in my local social media community. Of course, it doesn't help living in the same region as Problogger, but I aim to go in a totally different direction.

11. Keep a testimonial file

Sonia talked about this in How to Take a Punch (Without Hitting Back or Sinking to the Mat)

Ideally you’ll do this before some brute rains on your parade. Create a file of great things people have said about you. Keep it where you can always find it. (The Web is nice for this–I’m never far away from my Backpack.) Unless you are Osama Bin Laden, your fans are going to massively outnumber your critics. Keep a lot of evidence from your fans, and make a point of referring to it frequently.

This is not vanity, this is a simple reality check. Most of us weigh criticism far more heavily than we do kudos, an unhelpful and unhealthy habit. We need to make a point of remembering to focus on the good stuff.

I keep track of the nice things people say about me. As I get more testimonials, I'll be linking to them from my sidebar. The hope is that people will see this before they criticize.

12. Don’t know everything

Sonia wrote about this in her post on successful bloggers

Authority is attractive, but so is vulnerability. 21st century readers aren’t looking for a silver-haired guy in a white lab coat to solve all their problems.

Authority still matters, but it has a friendlier face now. Today’s trusted authorities are dorkier and more openly flawed than they ever have been.

Self deprecation will always create a stronger relationship than chest beating. Write what you know with confidence, but also make some time to share your screw-ups, your insecurities, and your downright failures.

Your readers will learn as much (or more) from what you got wrong as they will from what you did right. And you’ll come across more like a smart, trusted friend, and less like a doctor in an aspirin ad.

I will be doing many posts about the mistakes I've made, in the hope that my readers will learn from them. I am very open about my flaws and the things I've done wrong. I do worry people might use this as ammunition but I'm hoping for the best.

13. Understand the thing you have to offer

Sonia discussed this in How You Will Make Your Fame and Fortune

Some people have one thing that really works. A lot of people have a small collection of things that work uniquely well together. Even people with very grave mental disabilities usually have a thing, and for almost everyone, that thing has the seed of something remarkable.

So what's your thing? What comes easily and joyfully to you, and hard to others? Consider the great gift you can make by offering that to those who have a hard time with it.

I've discovered my thing. I get how social media works for small business, and am frantically trying to learn the things I don't understand. I've had people who were dismissive of my blogging who are now saying 'Wow - I can't wait to see what you offer in the coming months!.'

Knowing exactly what I offer has made this process considerably easier.

14. Get nitty gritty

Sonia wrote about this in her post on holding reader attention

Abstraction is boring. Ever read a psychology textbook in college? The theoretical discussions and clinical descriptions made for an excellent sleeping aid. But the case studies–real-life stories of crazy people and how being crazy affected their lives–woke you right up again.

Content with lots of specific details will hold reader attention much better than content that waffles on about general concepts. Vague, abstract generalities are hard to relate to. But when you get down to nitty-gritty specifics–exactly what goes into a technique, or the scary details about how you were almost homeless before you discovered this new business strategy–your reader wakes up again.

I usually click off the page at the first sign of waffle. When I read something, I want to know what its about and be able to get the relevant information immediately.

15. Be succinct

Sonia talked about this further in New Media Workshop: What Do You Do When the Conversation Gets Ugly?

A social media spat isn’t the place to lay out mountains of evidence on your behalf. Point to your supporting evidence elsewhere on the Web, or create a special report if you have to. Keep your actual posts pithy.

I agree with this. When the conversation gets ugly, its best to state your argument and move on. The more information you give can provide more ammunition to be used against you.

16. Be Yourself

Sonia wrote about this in 10 Resolutions for the Remarkable

Quit spending so much energy trying to bullshit yourself and everyone else. Be what you are–glorious, dorky, embarrassed, proud, miraculous. The world’s wisest people agree on one thing: you are fundamentally good. Quit hiding and start celebrating.

It took some time for me to find my writing style. I also tried to be a different person because I thought it would be better for branding. Now, I am very open about my flaws. I will mention my anxiety disorder where appropriate. I don't try to sound eloquent - I'm a 22 dork whose favorite word is awesome.

17. Write a handwritten note

Sonia discussed this in Make a Connection for 50 Cents

A handwritten note is about the cheapest and easiest way to make a memorable micro-connection. But when you’re going to be memorable, take an extra minute to get it right.

I haven't done this that much, as I don't have the addresses of my peers. But its something that I really want to do because I know how much I appreciate thank you cards. It only takes a little bit of extra time but is a brilliant way to really make an impression.

18. Capture two ideas every day

Sonia expanded on this when she wrote about boring content blues.

Every day, write down two ideas for blog posts. Keep these somewhere you can always access them. I use the 37 Signals program Backpack because it’s cheap and easy, and because I keep everything there. You could use Google Notebook or a text file on your laptop or a hipster PDA. It doesn’t matter at all.

I do this all the time. I first write down various ideas in my notebook and transfer relevant ones into Backpack. It is easy and allows me to see all my ideas and compare them to others.

19.  Take PayPal.

Sonia wrote about this in Trust me, I’m a marketer

Your customer feels reassured that if you turn out to be some 14-year-old crook in Kuala Lumpur who wants to finance a porn film on their credit card, their payment information is protected.

I prefer paypal over any other form of online payment. Some businesses have lost hundreds of dollars, and future business, because of their inefficient payment processors.

20. Paragraphs can only do one thing at a time.

Sonia included this as one of 5 editor’s secrets to help you write like a pro

A paragraph supports a single idea. Construct complex arguments by combining simple ideas that follow logically. Every time you address a new idea, add a line break. Short paragraphs are the most readable; few should be more than three or four sentences long. This is more important if you’re writing for the Web.

This is something that most new web writers don't realize. People prefer the information broken down into bite sized chunks. This can apply to ebooks and some forms of information products as well.

21. Creative people make things for the sake of making them

Sonia talked about this in Make something for its own sake

Artists (if they’re any good) make pictures because they want those pictures to exist. Composers make symphonies, bakers make cakes, gardeners make gardens for the same reason.

Many people don’t realize that the same impulse drives nearly all successful entrepreneurs. Really successful businesses are usually useful, exciting, or both. A creative mindset—the mindset that makes a thing because you want that thing to exist—is more likely to make something useful and exciting.

I wrote this series partly to see if I could pull it off. I was curious to see whether I had the commitment, but was also curious about how people would react. Its been a fascinating learning experience and it wouldn't matter if I didn't get any traffic.

22. Good articles stand out

Sonia expanded on this in Can anyone write an article?

There is one nice thing about all of this. If you can write a good article (it does not have to be a great article), it will stand out. Going back to Godin’s The Dip, the fact that it’s hard makes it more valuable once you learn to do it. And yes, I’d say that almost anyone willing to work at it can write a good article. You might need someone else to look it over and fix a few problems (especially if you’re writing English as a second language—idiom is tricky). But you probably know someone who can do that for you.

Some of my favourite articles are ones that are 3 or more years old. Parts of the post may be outdated, but the overall quality still stands out. Most people don't get the attention because the article is similar to the rest of the content out there and is just rehashing the same concepts.

23.  Don’t promote crap.

Sonia wrote about this in Tumblr and the Thirty Day Slap

I want to be very clear about this. Trying to pump Google, Stumble or De.licio.us steroids into unbaked or bad content is wrong. You’re stealing attention from content that is worthwhile. You’re stealing time from readers who don’t have enough of it. You’re stealing energy from the employees of companies like Squidoo and Tumblr that are trying to provide quality content, and who have to waste time cleaning up your garbage.

I took the thirty day challenge a few years ago. The ideas were good, but during the learning process many people uploaded poor quality content. Promoting crap makes it harder for people to find the really good content.

24. Give it all you’ve got

Sonia discussed this in her post on online marketing resolutions.

Generosity goes hand in hand with audacity.

Make a commitment to put everything you’ve got into your content. Don’t hide or hold back. Whether your content is free or paid, throw yourself into it.

Holding your “good stuff” in reserve, whether it’s for a paid product or a bigger audience, is the key to writer’s block and poverty. When you give your very best, you’ll attract more and better ideas (and more and better customers).

I try to give all of my posts everything I have including guest posts and interviews. This has gotten me far more attention than the subpar posts I used to write.

25. Create a series.

Sonia included this as one of her top content ideas

Spend a few minutes mind-mapping, and come up with 5 or 7 spin-off ideas based on that original post. A series is a tremendous traffic builder, even more so when it starts with a strong concept. You might try putting a well-selected, relevant keyword phrase in the title of each post to start collecting search engine traffic.

I prefer writing one longer post instead of a series, but I have seen this work out for many others. It makes the information easier to digest. I do recommend collating the information onto one major page so people can easily find and share the series.