For almost four years, Steve has been writing about “personal development for smart people” and posting the articles on his blog. Today, his first book is among Amazon’s Top 100 in sales — three months before its release!

“It currently has a sales rank of 94. It also sits at #13 in the self-help category, #4 in the personal transformation category, and #5 in the motivational category. Those rankings are adjusted hourly, so they may be different by the time you read this.”

Steve has posted about 700 articles. That’s it. No outside promotion or advertising. Just quality content and word of mouth buzz, which have generated an incredible number of incoming links. Even his Google pagerank is a modest 4.

Not only has his writing attracted a publisher, Hay House, (yes, they came to him), but Steve claims the advertising and affiliate links on his blog earn him over $10,000 a month income.

It’s not the mere fact that he’s writing that has brought him this success. It’s the quality of his material.

JD Supra is a Web site that gives consumers legal information while helping lawyers raise their profile. The site hosts its members’ articles, court papers, legal briefs and other tidbits of their craft. Along with each document is a profile of the lawyer who wrote it. Thus, if you have a legal problem and want to do some online research, you’ll presumably find not only the information you want — but a lawyer who can help.

Says the New York Times:

Contributing lawyers get publicity and credit for the socially useful act of adding to a public database, and visitors get free information, said Aviva Cuyler, a former litigator in Marshall, Calif., who founded the business. “People will still need attorneys,” Ms. Cuyler said. “We are not encouraging people to do it themselves, but to find the right people to help them.”

It also levels the playing field in a competitive field. “The site puts solo practitioners like me on an equal footing with huge law firms, providing exposure that would otherwise be nearly impossible to get,” said Mitchell J. Matorin, a lawyer in Needham, MA, who launched his own practice last summer.

The MediaPost headline says it all: “Majority Of Online Shoppers Check At Least Four Reviews Before Buying.” Take-away point: A solid 68% do their homework before making a purchase.

As a savvy marketer, how do you respond to this knowledge?

1. First, make sure you satisfy this hunger by providing all the facts and figures your prospects need to make a buying decision. The more complex — or expensive — your product or service, the more information you need to provide.
2. Differentiate yourself. Find something different, unique, special about your widget that nobody else can claim, and emphasize that in your collateral.
3. Make your product data available in a variety of formats to please every kind of buyer: Web page, pdf, print (e.g., spec sheets), free samples, etc. Give the people what they want, the way they want it.
4. Triple-check your facts. Make sure everything is accurate and complete. Fresh eyes find mistakes that eyes tired miss.
5. Add a case study or two. Customer “success stories” demonstrate how you’ve helped other, similar customers in the past. Pretty compelling and persuasive stuff.

Then, of course, you somehow still have to find a way to keep all these facts interesting — better yet, fascinating — to your prospect. After all, you can’t bore someone into buying. A few tips:

• Good copywriting and graphic design are essential. Here’s how it works: An attractive layout catches the eye and encourages further reading. The headline makes you want to read the first sentence. The first sentence makes you want to read the second, then the third, etc.
• Effective copy itself begins by addressing the buyer’s wants, needs, fears, etc. Don’t just start bragging on how great you are. Instead, tell me how my life is going to be better if I make your widget part of my life.
• Balance features and benefits throughout the copy. Don’t just tell me about the advanced anti-lock braking system (feature), for example. Tell me why I should care. Safety, peace of mind, better protection for my loved ones — those are benefits.

And benefits are why people buy.

But after nearly three years on Blogger, it was time for this blog to get a facelift. (No Botox shots, however.)

So now this baby has a whole new look, a sporty leather interior and fuel-efficient hybrid engine. It even has its own domain, www.attract-more-customers.com. So gentlemen (and ladies), start your engines and adjust your bookmarks.

Don’t forget, you can also subscribe via RSS by clicking the icon in the right sidebar. That way, every post will come waltzing into your feed reader with no effort on your part. Life is good.

Now if only spring would arrive… (sigh)

I hate ads that are annoying, intrusive and insulting. (Just like you, I suspect.) So I was delighted when PC World recently spotlighted the Ten Most Annoying, Frustrating, Irritating, and Sinister Online Ads. Author Tom Spring nails ’em:

“Some of these ads flash, blink, vibrate, and somersault around your browser window. Others expand, pop open a window (even if you have a pop-up blocker), and play sounds or video. The most sinister don’t appear to do anything at all and quietly attempt to hijack your PC.”

Call me old fashioned, but pissing off prospects doesn’t seem like a smart way to do business. Sure, you might lure in a few suckers — once — but it’s no way to build a long-term relationship.

The article even has the guts to mention annoying ads on their own website.

“I asked one advertising insider (who didn’t want to be identified) if he would confirm my suspicion that some advertisers intentionally make it impossible to find the Close button. His response? ‘Of course they do. These advertisers know they are getting away with something. And that ‘something’ is not about making your life easier.'”

That’s why I urge my clients to attract clients by offering them information of value — rather than using old-fashioned marketing tricks. Would-be customers want to study and learn what makes one product or service better than its competitors. And the closer they are to a buying decision, the more eager they are to learn, and the more details they want. After all, their goal is to make a decision, place their order, and move on to the next thing. Why not give them the facts and figures they want?

PS: If you use Firefox with the AdBlock Plus extension, you may never even have seen these aggravating ads. (grin)