Fibonacci Financial

“Okay,

First, it is a rich, generous, cornucopia of insight and opinion.  I wish I could have had access to all this that was bubbling around inside your head before I had to learn the hard way about so many things.  I really needed this kind of insight, in a “studyable” format, laid-out to be read.  And so, people like me are one of your target markets:  Small businessmen, aggressive traders.  But that’s only a small part.  And that leads me to the next point:  who is your target market?  Who is your readership?  More importantly, who are you trying to attract?  I’ll get back to that in a minute.

We need to organize the cornucopia.

Start at the top.  You need a mission statement.

Most readers don’t know “fibonacci.”  Sure, it sounds cool. But you need a sub-heading explaining just what your website is.  How about, “World Market Insights for the Rest of Us.”         Or…. “Pelosi Swallows.”

Right under Fibonacci.

Don’t want to be too INTELLECTUAL if you are trying to attract readers that need your insight.  You must not make it a Club for Clever Insiders, people that know the inside references and sophisticated lingo and just like to show how smart they are to each other. This is a fault of so many writers and advisers.  Mr. Newsletter Writer (name deleted) does this. He only keeps his readership because of mass emailings and an endless list of other writers. He writes to a group of “in the know” wealthy veteran investors for the most part.  As do a dozen others that I could name.  They are useless to the common investor/ common man trying to figure out what to do next.

You don’t show any arrogance throughout the website.  You are simply, to smart for your own good.  You’ve got to dumb it down.  Yes, you have links to more intellectual discussions for sophistocated readers, but not on the home page.  The home page needs to be, always, an introductory page.  A page that is designed to grab the attention of the newest browser.  Your regular readers will know to brush the  attention-grabbing stuff.  One technique is to personalize it; get the reader to internalize what you are saying.  Newsletter writers do this buy leading in with stuff like, “How to Make Sure the Meltdown Doesn’t Drag You Down With It,”  or “Double Your Nest Egg By Understanding Gold’s Next Moves.”

Okay, back to the readership that you’re trying to attract.  A survey is good.  The Ayn Rand book offer is good.  You may want that to be your lead line above your first article.  “Win a free book just for commenting on this website…..”  You could do a survey.  Super brief, with just a few questions about what readers are thinking about.  “Milk Michael’s MInd:  Get Free Insight from a top analyst.  Just ask.  Answer the five (5) questions below, and let me attack the issues you bring up.”  (By the way, you can say “top analyst” all you want.  You’re My top analyst, so there, you’re fine.  It is called “puffing” in legaleze and it is absolutely legal.

So why aren’t people making comments?  If you’ve had 600 hits and comments from only 3 or 4 people, there are a few things I’d point out.  First of all, 1% comment ratio is not bad; it’s probably right on.  Two, maybe you want to use some Google Ad words for a month to generate a fresh base of new readers, a broader range where you haven’t been fishing before.  Three, your site is so full of big words that you intimidate the potential commentors.  Simply put, Michael, they don’t want to ask a simple question and look stupid.   Even I don’t want to post a comment on your page and look stupid.

How do you solve this? Engage them on a lower level.  Guide them in, don’t hit them with references to authors and works that, or them, are obscure and intimidating.  People don’t know economists and theorists and thinkers.  They just want some guidance.  Use phrases like, “A lot of people are worried about…..,  are you concerned about this too?….”  “There was an author that addressed this…..”   People don’t want to admit that they’ve lost 60% of their assets, or everything at all.  They feel stupid and don’t know what to do.  They have heard soooo much talk from the heads on CNBC, CNNFN, and all the media.  Talking heads are in the business of sounding smarter than everybody else and CYH, covering thier hineys.

Shift your “call to action” areas down from the “intro/guidance” areas.  Have a “take action, i.e., “buy silver,” “write your congressman,” area, “small businessman perspective,” “from the housing trenches,” “traders’ forum,” areas…   but not mixed in with the intro area of the home page.

Remember above all else, that you are doing great.  You are trying to do something that millions of other people are not doing.  And your readers will appreciate that.  If they do not, well then, you don’t really need them as your readers, do you?

!Mucho suerte!

Mateo”

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