Thinking about a topic for this week’s blog, once again I came across one quite by accident. Joking about my logo, and the *magic* element of my company name and logo, I was suddenly struck by the fact that what I do for clients is really NOT magic. Creating content as a path to online success that is.

That statement is not mean to diminish its importance. As you have read here and elsewhere, content – for your website, your blog, your E-Newsletter, your social media accounts – is more important than ever. And this is not to say that researching and writing and editing and revising and getting approval is an easy process! But I mean to say, if you make the commitment to share

As mentioned in a recent post, it has become increasingly difficult to differentiate yourself on the Internet with technology. There can only be so many Yahoos or Googles online. You’re either one of the huge fish, or one of the countless minnows. But providing great, insightful content and commentary on your category, whatever it is, can still provide you with a space you can stake out as your own online. You may never be the next eBay, but you CAN be the best St. Louis-based provider of exposition services.

And there really is a blueprint that you can follow to grow your business online, a step-by-step set of instructions to follow for success. That doesn’t mean that the path is exactly the same for every business, or for every category or field. You may have lots of competitors with a head start. You may be in a field with a few entrenched brands, or with many smaller ones. You may be in a niche market, with few natural customers, or an industry that is a little “behind the curve” in a technological sense.

But if you consistently share good information, and spend some time and resources on SEO work and social networking and just plain old word of mouth (how old fashioned of you!) to promote your content, you will find that more and more potential customers will begin to find you.

Now the fact that you need to provide a quality product or service, at a competitive price and with good customer support or client service, to be successful online or anywhere else hopefully goes without saying!

But whatever your business, one thing I can assure you is this: If you make a commitment to create,  share and promote great content – you will eventually build the web presence that you are looking for. I’ve seen it happen. Big time, and multiple times.

And sadly (for the rabbit in my hat, at least), it wasn’t *magic*…

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all.