I am about to embark on an historic expedition.
I mean, excursion.
Let me back up a bit (insert squealing brakes and engine noises).
At least once a year I take a good look at my web site (every day if I’m feeling particularly narcissistic) and figure out what’s working, what’s not, and how it could better communicate what I do and who I help.
It’s hell.
Well, the figuring out part is kind of fun. I usually know what I want to offer. I certainly know what I do. I absolutely have a lock on just being me (I just can’t do it any other way anymore).
Oh, I can make it look nice. Sure. I’m a visual dude. I can even tackle some WordPress stuff. Heck, I actually help people with this stuff.
But I draw (heh) a blank on my own site. I know, I know, it’s weird.
Digging for the Gold
Enter Prospector Extraordinaire, Sarah Bray. It’s no secret that I’m a huge fan of her blog. Her words are enormously helpful and she’s well… she’s just Sarah. No crap standing in the way of her message. So when I read about the Gold-Digging Excursion she’s leading in April I checked the battery on my mining helmet and kissed my family goodbye.
Then I read further and found out it would be online, so I don’t have to actually descend into the bowels of the Earth. That was fortunate because I don’t do well in small enclosed spaces. I didn’t have to put on a brave face just to learn this stuff. And my family was relieved.
I’ll be honest. Originally I only signed on as an affiliate because:
A. I knew Sarah would make this awesome, so I could promote it without any hesitation (I’m super picky about affiliate stuff).
B. Those icons would look really good on my site.
As I got in deeper, I realized how much I actually need this. It was hard to be that honest with myself about my site, but considering that 90% of my business is from online sources, it’s not really a question. I need to go digging.
What am I expecting? It might be easier to explain what I’m not expecting (or wanting). I’m not looking for cheesy get-rich-quick schemey tactics to “rake in the dollars.” I don’t have that kind of site and I don’t want it.
I have a lot of stuff to offer here. Some of it is free content that is created specifically to give my clients a boost with their graphics. But I think it’s getting lost. That means it’s not actually helping very many people, which is a big fat fail.
a-gold-digging we will go.
I was going to simply tweet this and post a cool button in my sidebar, but speaking of helpful content getting lost, HELLO?!!??
I needed to post this. You needed to know about it. Even if I wasn’t an affiliate for Sarah’s program (I am) I would still be promoting the hell out of it. It promises to be awesome and I don’t like doing stuff that’s almost awesome. It has to be at least awesome. So there you go.
This looks like there’s a community element to this, so if I see you on the excursion, tip your helmet so I know it’s you. In fact, please come along. I need someone to help me watch the canary.
