Content Marketing Strategies for Smart Professionals

3 Things to Write (or Speak) About…

By Patsi Krakoff in Article Ideas, Content Marketing, On Writing Better

Here are 3 things to write about if you want to attract readers, showcase your expertise, and get clients:

Problem
Solution
Action steps

I know this is really simplified, but anytime you have to write a blog post, article, newsletter, email promotion, or speech, you can’t go wrong if you follow these three points.

Most of us try to include the kitchen sink. We go into all the problems, the history of the problems, and all of the manifestations possible. Keep it simple: Problem – solution – action.

This is a great outline to follow if you’ve got to write a speech or presentation. Denise and I are using this outline for our speech about The Blog Squad’s expertise in business blogging. This week we’re in Manhattan Beach at the Ayres Hotel, addressing a group of professionals at the Speak Your Way to Wealth conference.

Problem – Solution – Action: Now, for those readers who are more experienced in making presentations, this may seem like a no-brainer. The problem is that when you’re an expert in a particular niche, you want to teach everything you know to your audience.

Don’t do that. You know too much. Don’t tell them everything you know. Listeners will be lucky if they can retain those 3 items: problem, solution and action.

Here’s how we’re approaching our speech, for example.

The problem: business professionals haven’t optimized their blogs (when they have them) for business. It’s like having a Ferrari and leaving it parked in the garage.

The solution: Do a 4-point checkup to see where your blog could use a tune-up:

Is your blog optimized for business?
Is your brand optimized in your online presence?
Is your content valuable and relevant and persuasive to readers?
Do you extend your brand and your blog posts by participating in social networking sites?

The Action:

Learn how to optimize your blog for business. Get some help from an expert. Use The Blog Squad’s products and services to find out more. Take advantage of special programs that can help get you started fast.

If you want to learn more about this, join us at Speak Your Way to Wealth this Friday and all weekend, August 22-24, 2008. There is a fabulous roster of speakers, including Mark Victor Hansen and Adam Urbanski, who will give you solutions and action steps.