When you create a lens on Squidoo, what audience are you writing for? Do you stop to consider who you want to find and read the lens? Do you plan your opening module to capture the attention of your next customer or does what you write confuse readers and send them to the back button before they ever get to the "meat" of the lens?
For instance, what if the opening sentence of a lens reads something like this: "I'm making this lens for a RocketMoms assignment." Or this: "There's a week left before the deadline for Giant Squid and this is my 50th lens!" Or even: "I've been on Squidoo for six months now so I decided to make a lensography."
If the sole purpose of the lens is to reach a particular audience within Squidoo, then those opening sentences might be just fine. However, if the eventual purpose of the lens is to provide information for a large audience of people from around the country and around the world and, especially, to convert those people to customers, then you might want to rethink your opening line.
Give each of your lenses an objective looking over. Make sure to address the main topic of the lens immediately so that you give your visitors a reason to read on. Don't chase them away with extraneous information or "insider talk" that adds nothing to the subject of the lens. Give them a reason to stick around, to find what they're looking for, to click through and purchase the item you were hoping they would buy. Make them feel like you wrote this lens just for them, your newest best customer and biggest fan.
If you want your lenses to succeed, to get traffic, to make sales, then write for your customers, not just for your friends on Squidoo.
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Thursday, June 18, 2009
A Special Shining Star on Squidoo
I've said it before and I'm going to say it again: I love lensmasters on Squidoo.
We have givers, helpers, teachers, leaders, and mentors far too numerous to name. They all shine like stars, but some stand out like the sun in a clear, blue summer sky. One who does is lensmaster Kim Giancaterino.
This week Kim published her 250th lens. To celebrate, she decided to use her SquidAngel powers to squid-bless 100 lenses chosen from those belonging to her nearly 1000 fans. She features all of those, plus a few bonus choices, on the lens she calls A Day of 100 Squid Angel Blessings.
Congratulations, Kim, for reaching that amazing 250 mark, and thanks for bringing sunshine into my day more times than I can count.
We have givers, helpers, teachers, leaders, and mentors far too numerous to name. They all shine like stars, but some stand out like the sun in a clear, blue summer sky. One who does is lensmaster Kim Giancaterino.
This week Kim published her 250th lens. To celebrate, she decided to use her SquidAngel powers to squid-bless 100 lenses chosen from those belonging to her nearly 1000 fans. She features all of those, plus a few bonus choices, on the lens she calls A Day of 100 Squid Angel Blessings.
Congratulations, Kim, for reaching that amazing 250 mark, and thanks for bringing sunshine into my day more times than I can count.
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
See Lens on Google
Giant Squid Summer School students and RocketMoms on Squidoo had an assignment this weekend to make lenses featuring the new "captions contest" module and oh, what great lenses they came up with!
Some topics were more on the serious side, but most were humorous lenses that became even more comical when visitors added their own creative captions to the pictures the lensmasters chose. Several people bravely used pictures of their two-legged family members while others featured animals, especially pets. My contribution included pictures of my cats watching their favorite bird movie on TV. I thought the pictures were funny before, but the captions people submitted made them downright hilarious.
That's the good news.
The better news is that my See Cats Watch Birds lens is now getting hits from Google. The best news is that the phrases that bring up that lens on the first page of Google include "bird video for cats to watch," which means that it's only a matter of time before someone buys the bird movie featured on that new lens.
See lens on Google. Watch lensmaster smile.
Some topics were more on the serious side, but most were humorous lenses that became even more comical when visitors added their own creative captions to the pictures the lensmasters chose. Several people bravely used pictures of their two-legged family members while others featured animals, especially pets. My contribution included pictures of my cats watching their favorite bird movie on TV. I thought the pictures were funny before, but the captions people submitted made them downright hilarious.
That's the good news.
The better news is that my See Cats Watch Birds lens is now getting hits from Google. The best news is that the phrases that bring up that lens on the first page of Google include "bird video for cats to watch," which means that it's only a matter of time before someone buys the bird movie featured on that new lens.
See lens on Google. Watch lensmaster smile.
Friday, June 12, 2009
Color My World Squidoo
Lots going on at Squidoo this summer. RocketMoms has launched a second semester, the Giants are starting summer school, and today the new Squidoo lens layout is being released. Along with the new layout comes a fabulous new feature for your lensmaking pleasure: themes.
Having been one of the lucky giants to test the new themes on my lenses, I thought I'd share some of my impressions with you. There are seven new themes plus the new color scheme that goes along with the updated lens layout. The layout is the same on all the themes; only the colors and fonts are different. All of your maxed lenses will revert to the new layout first, then you'll be able to edit your lenses to give each one its most suitable look.
The default theme is orange and blue, very recognizable as Squidoo, bold and bright yet tasteful. If you code in a lot of color on your lenses, you might be disappointed that things don't match quite as well anymore, but then again they might. If colors tend to clash with the default design, don't panic; try one of the new themes first. Each has a different color scheme and one might be perfect. I'd recommend trying "Moment of Zen" for a nice, neutral light gray look or try "Easy Street" for a strong, black background that sets off coded-in colors or striking photographs very nicely.
If you think green, then you're going to love the "Gone Camping" theme. Have a passion for purple? Think "Purple People Eater;" you'll love it. Bold yellow bands behind module title fields give the "Highlighter" theme its name. A cool blue and white look dominates "Paintball," making me think of waterfalls and icebergs. Interestingly, "The Professor" theme was a good match for my homeschool planners lens; consider it for instructional lenses.
You'll find the theme choices in the workshop when you edit your lenses; look up and right. Click on the name of the theme to see a preview, then make your choice and apply it to the lens. Publish the lens and take a look. Have your ooh's and ah's ready; you're going to need them.
Having been one of the lucky giants to test the new themes on my lenses, I thought I'd share some of my impressions with you. There are seven new themes plus the new color scheme that goes along with the updated lens layout. The layout is the same on all the themes; only the colors and fonts are different. All of your maxed lenses will revert to the new layout first, then you'll be able to edit your lenses to give each one its most suitable look.
The default theme is orange and blue, very recognizable as Squidoo, bold and bright yet tasteful. If you code in a lot of color on your lenses, you might be disappointed that things don't match quite as well anymore, but then again they might. If colors tend to clash with the default design, don't panic; try one of the new themes first. Each has a different color scheme and one might be perfect. I'd recommend trying "Moment of Zen" for a nice, neutral light gray look or try "Easy Street" for a strong, black background that sets off coded-in colors or striking photographs very nicely.
If you think green, then you're going to love the "Gone Camping" theme. Have a passion for purple? Think "Purple People Eater;" you'll love it. Bold yellow bands behind module title fields give the "Highlighter" theme its name. A cool blue and white look dominates "Paintball," making me think of waterfalls and icebergs. Interestingly, "The Professor" theme was a good match for my homeschool planners lens; consider it for instructional lenses.
You'll find the theme choices in the workshop when you edit your lenses; look up and right. Click on the name of the theme to see a preview, then make your choice and apply it to the lens. Publish the lens and take a look. Have your ooh's and ah's ready; you're going to need them.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
How to Get Squidoo Traffic From Big-Name Websites
Tip: Set up google news alerts for subjects that you write about on your lenses. News outlets online often have blogs that allow readers to leave comments. Some even allow you to leave a link via a URL field which is linked through your name when the comment is published.
When you receive a news alert, check the source and see if there is a place to leave a comment. If the subject is relevant to yours and you have an appropriate comment to leave, do so. Make your comment interesting and on topic. Don't spam or your comment likely will be removed. Don't put the link in your comment, only in the URL field. Use your lensmaster ID in the name field.
This works for blog alerts as well, but news outlets usually receive more traffic and, thus, your chances of someone finding your comment and clicking through on your link are better on those bigger sites.
As an example, check out my comment on the Newsday.com American Idol blog. I'm anxious to check my stats to see if it brings my lens any traffic. If the right person clicks through, it could be someone who ends up leaving me with a nice commission on that lens. Woo-hoo!
When you receive a news alert, check the source and see if there is a place to leave a comment. If the subject is relevant to yours and you have an appropriate comment to leave, do so. Make your comment interesting and on topic. Don't spam or your comment likely will be removed. Don't put the link in your comment, only in the URL field. Use your lensmaster ID in the name field.
This works for blog alerts as well, but news outlets usually receive more traffic and, thus, your chances of someone finding your comment and clicking through on your link are better on those bigger sites.
As an example, check out my comment on the Newsday.com American Idol blog. I'm anxious to check my stats to see if it brings my lens any traffic. If the right person clicks through, it could be someone who ends up leaving me with a nice commission on that lens. Woo-hoo!
Monday, June 8, 2009
Raise Your Hand if You've Done This On Squidoo
I mean today. If you've promoted another lensmaster in any way, today, raise your hand.
If your hand is in the air, pat yourself on the back. If your hand isn't, read on.
Where can you promote another lensmaster?
If your hand is in the air, pat yourself on the back. If your hand isn't, read on.
Where can you promote another lensmaster?
- On the SquidU forum in the "Lenses we like" category.
- On twitter. Tweet a link to a lens and tell why you like it. (If you're not on twitter yet, please join today. You'll be glad you did.)
- On your blog. You do have a blog, don't you?
- On one of your own lenses. Add a Featured Lenses module or a Featured Lensmasters module. Choose a lensmaster you admire and show and tell everyone why you do.
- To give back. Chances are some lensmaster has helped you on Squidoo, somewhere along the line. Now it's your turn to help somebody else.
- To build community and credibility. What's good for one lensmaster is good for the entire Squidoo community. Not only will you boost traffic, you'll boost Squidoo's reputation as a group of givers.
- To build your own reputation, even your own brand. Being known as a giver on Squidoo is a great thing. People will remember you and seek you out. Plus, it makes you feel really good about yourself.
- Because Megan and Seth said so. The Giants had a telephone conference recently and this is part of the advice that was given to us in answer to the question, "What can we do for Squidoo?" It was a great answer.
Monday, June 1, 2009
Moms are Taking Off on Squidoo
What are Rocketmoms? They're not a group of female astronauts or scientists and they don't dance in a famous theater in New York City, although it wouldn't surprise me if there happened to be a scientist, an astronaut, or a dancer in the group. Actually, Rocketmoms are some of the smartest women on the web, and they're all lensmasters on Squidoo.
Turns out that many of the busiest, brightest, and best lensmakers on Squidoo have something in common: They're moms. Stay-at-home moms, working moms, single moms, grandmoms, stepmoms, but moms nonetheless.
Rocketmoms is a boot camp of sorts, organized for a small group of moms by Squidoo's own Megan Casey and lensmaster/Giant Squid Organizer BDKZ, with the creative touch of lensmaster SusanVillasLewis who designed the gorgeous template and fantastic logos. These lensmaster-moms network together, encouraging and motivating each other while being challenged to step outside their comfort zones by completing lensmaking assignments on topics that some of them never would have attempted on their own. By all accounts this project has been a rip-roaring success, not surprising when you consider that we're talking about moms here, the kind who invented the verb "multitask."
The first session of the Rocketmoms boot camp is coming to a close (I hear graduation was awesome) and the next session is about to begin. If you're a lensmaking mom on Squidoo and would like to participate in Rocketmoms in the future, read this SquidBlog post to find out how to apply. If you're a smart lensmaster but not a mom, keep your eyes peeled for other networking opportunities sure to pop up when you least expect it somewhere on Squidoo. Or hey, start a group yourself. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to stir up excitement on Squidoo.
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