I was hanging out a few evenings ago, checking my Twitter (as I do) and this popped up in my Must-Read stream:
Would anyone be interested in getting a 30-minute SEO consult in exchange for a blog post? (you’d be guaranteed to get 3 solid action plans)
Oh, Derek Halpern is such a smart guy. We had our 30-minute chat (at 4am his time, madness), and now I have about eight solid action plans. And now, in exchange, I am writing the blog post about his website, Social Triggers.
Seriously, all I would really need to do is to talk about that tweet. In it, Derek proved he:
- had something of value to offer
- is generous – and willing to stay awake until 4am helping people
- understands social capital
- is confident in his website (it doesn’t say it has to be a nice post)
- uses benefits and features cleverly
- knows his followers (a later tweet: i’m happy I decided to say this at 1am on a saturday night. ton of inquiries. if i said this during prime time, i’d be dead.)
- knows how to use social proof
- can get what he wants… by asking for it
In short: Derek knows his stuff. But since I said I’d review the website and not its owner, here we go…
What Social Triggers does well
Derek’s core topic is using psychology in your marketing. That’s both simple enough to be accessible, and different enough to be remarkable.
It has a very simple, clean layout where there is nothing present that doesn’t serve a purpose. It shows how minimalism can be effective and beautiful on websites. (And how to use Thesis well. I’m pretty darn sure that’s Thesis.)
Damn useful titles.
One article, one idea. Every article is useful; you can instantly understand and apply the ideas inside.
What Social Triggers does less well
Psychology and marketing are both hoodoo fields: we’re wary of people who are masters of either because we think they know Super Sekrit methods of manipulating us. Derek is using both, without showing much of his personality to offset that fear and give us something to trust.
This is good information, but less distinctive and memorable without that personality behind it. Even a rant about Symantec and their exquisitely dodgy shopping cart practices has no heat, no passion. It doesn’t build a relationship.
In fact, Derek has withdrawn into the background so far he’s almost invisible. You need to scroll down twice on the About page for him to finally be seen, with no Twitter link and no personal information that’s not providing proof.
But that could just be me. I rather liked Derek in our chat, and would like to see more of him on the site.
Anyway, it’s smart, useful and backed up with studies: Social Triggers. Enjoy.