Seasonal versus Evergreen Lenses

Really, there's no competition between seasonal and evergreen lenses.  Every lensmaster needs to have both.

My evergreen lenses are the meat and potatoes of my Squidoo business while the seasonal lenses add spikes of interest at various times around the calendar.  This is the week every year that my How to Make a Cow Costume lens peaks (thanks to a certain restaurant's annual Dress Like a Cow promotion).  The interesting thing is that the cow costume lens then continues to get traffic through the fall and all the way to Christmas  I'm thinking state fairs followed by Halloween of course and then nativity plays at churches.  For whatever other reasons people like to dress like cows, I am certainly grateful.

It's good to introduce an evergreen component to a seasonal lens.  Of course Christmas or Valentine gift lenses should be easily adaptable to birthday and other year-round gift-giving occasions.  And it should be easy for costume lenses to be adapted to a dress-up play for kids topic, or for a gypsy costume lens being made to appeal to belly dancers or fans of the Bohemian style, both of which are popular all year. 

Just as we enjoy an unseasonably warm day in February or a break from the heat in August, that touch of evergreen in a seasonal lens can send us surprise sales now and then.  But why not work a bit to make a seasonal lens perform all year long.  A good investment of time?  I think so.

Do you have any secrets to making seasonal lenses perform as evergreen?  I'd love to read your comments.

Putting Myself On The Line

Is this a perfect Squidoo lens?

What do you think?  Visit the link and chime in.

I can take it.

Why It's Okay to Make a Sales Lens

It isn't unusual for new lensmasters to worry about making "sales" lenses.  I know because I was one of those people who just wasn't sure why anyone would want to listen to me telling them what's best to buy. 

But I was looking at the subject the wrong way.  When I turned it around and put myself in the position of the shopper rather than the seller, then I remembered how appreciative I am, when I'm shopping online, to find a legitimately good product review or gift guide. 

When my outlook changed, then I became comfortable recommending products to people.  While I've made my share of awful lenses with product after product (the type of lenses that don't deserve the trust of a shopper) I finally learned to be a product reviewer, a personal shopper, a gift guide author who provides great customer service - instead of a salesperson who really doesn't care.

So if you're worried about making a "sales" lens, make a gift guide lens instead.  Research the products you present, anticipate and answer shoppers' questions, and provide a much-needed service.  This year the number of online shoppers is projected to be even higher than last year's huge number.  No doubt many of those folks will be looking for information so they can make good buying decisions.  Be their personal shopper.  Write your gift guides with real people in mind.  Pretend you're shopping with your best friend, providing advice and expert information to help her choose the best gifts.  Picture her smiling in the checkout line knowing that you, the Gift Guide, helped make her shopping - and buying - experience a good one.

Now, isn't that a great feeling? 

For more information, read 5 Tips for Creating a Niche Gift Guide.

Sales Lenses vs Product Review Lenses: What's the Difference and Why Should You Care?

I really like today's SquidBlog post, written by Robin about Brenda's recommendation of Katinka's lens about her favorite office chair.  But enough name dropping.  Let me get to the point.

Robin points out that to create a good, well-written "sales" lens, don't think sales.  Think product recommendation.

What do you as a consumer want to learn from a product review or recommendation?  You probably want to know a lot about the product, including details and specs, but you probably also want to know how a real person feels about that product.  I know that I am far more comfortable shopping based on personal recommendations than from "facts" that oftentimes sound as if they've been translated from a foreign language by a computer.

I agree with Brenda and Robin.  Katinka did a fabulous job presenting the product in her lens, covering both the technical aspects and the psychological or emotional aspects in a way that not only makes for a quality lens but is very likely to convert readers to customers.  Read the blog post, then visit the lens if you're interested in learning how to write a product recommendation or review lens that people will actually want to read.

Hot Dog! What a Lens!

Did you see today's Lens of the Day? It's Hotdog Halloween Costumes for the Whole Family by lensmaster luvmyludwig (Crystal). I think it's a brilliant sales lens, very well done with great content and keyword placement. Notice the black boxes dividing the sections and how Crystal included the best keywords shoppers are using to to find hotdog costumes for every member of the family. I checked "hotdog halloween costume" and the lens is on page 1 of Google!

I also like what Crystal included with the hot dog costumes. The ketchup and mustard costumes, the hot dog candy, a couple of videos, and a short link list plus just a few other things that fit her topic well but with the most important items at the top. I've seen so many lenses recently with a great main topic but that veer off into some other items that just don't fit. This lens is such a great example of what to include and what to leave off.

That's what I think. What do you think?