Take A Walk On The Wild Side

Having a bit difficulty grabbing some attention for your products? Well, have you considered that you may be playing it too safe to be noticeable. Let's face it, people who get attention aren't usually the timid and unadorned kind, they are the more extroverted and boisterous crowd. So, is your product too sedate to actually pursue the traffic on the web, and generate genuine interest and exuberance? Well, then you may want to think about taking a walk on the wild side.

Controversy Sells

If you discover yourself shying away from controversy, this represents one area you truly need to explore. It does not even have to constitute your own created controversy, it can be someone else's controversy, and all you are doing is contributing to the conversation. For instance, when eBay first came out with it's policy to not permit info products on their auction listings unless sellers delivered a physical product, like a compact disc or videodisc, it rendered a immense controversy around the Internet.

While others where moaning about the collapse of their business models, there were smarter business people who made use of the opportunity to get some free publicity by offering products to help marketers transform their business model so they could continue to sell on eBay. Irrespective what side you were on, whether it was a bad or a beneficial policy, the reality is that the amount of controversy that it produced allowed for a perfect opportunity to ride a wave of free publicity, if you are able to help people overcome some of their issues.

Walk A Fine Line

So, yes, you do want to perpetually watch out for opportunities that accompany issues of great controversy. They generally have a short window, but during that window, you will be able to acquire instant product and name recognition, if you play your cards right. What you do not want to do is align yourself with one side or another and alienate half your clients. There is a fine line you must walk if you dare to walk on the wild side. You want to pursue the controversy, but you do not want your name affiliated with negatives of the entire thing too. And, for certain in that respect there are some controversies that are plainly “too hot to handle.”

Don't Burn Yourself Out

Unless you are Planned Parenthood, the odds of a classic online business desiring to engage an abortion controversy is almost non-existent. It's just a controversy that is exceedingly explosive and can end up burning people out rather than creating exuberance and genuine interest in the topic. So, engage controversies that are stimulating, have some desirability, but avoid the ones that are going to cause problems for your public image or alienate too many of your customers. If you do find that you've unwittingly done that by accident, retract your support immediately, issue an apology to all your purchasers, regardless of the issue, and move on. So, it does take a bit of daring to engage controversy, but the strategy can invigorate your business overnight, if done properly. If you do that, you will be able to take a walk on the wild side, and learn how to position your products to profit with a wave of free publicity