Patsi Krakoff | Writing On The Web by Patsi Krakoff, The Blog Squad

Writing On The Web by Patsi Krakoff, The Blog Squad

Content Marketing Strategies for Smart Professionals

Author Archive for Patsi Krakoff – Page 71

Do You Commit These 2 Blog Writing Errors?

By Patsi Krakoff

Wednesday, June 3rd, 2009

Uh-oh. When I heard the siren I pulled over immediately. But this cop isn't like most. She's the grammar police, a business communications expert. This is what Barb Sawyers has to say in this week's guest post:

Bloggers, I love your raw energy. After decades of writing for often-stuffy business and government leaders, it's exhilarating to ride your wave.

But, there are two things you do that drive me crazy. So listen grasshopper, as I reveal the two of the most closely guarded secrets of the masters.

I'm not going to make you relearn all those boring grammar rules from school, just two easy ones that will help readers understand and remember what you've written.

They are:

Confusing sound-alike contractions and possessives (e.g. it's; its). By doing this, you not only look bad, but also become more difficult to understand.
Unnecessarily long lists. Ask yourself: how many items can I remember if I forget my grocery list?

Categories : About Blogs, Content Marketing, Grammar & Common Usages, On Writing Better

Good Is the Enemy of Great Content Marketing

By Patsi Krakoff

Monday, June 1st, 2009

Read this post: How Martha Stewart's Cupcakes Can Help You Find Inspiration by Francis Raymond on Connect the Docs Blog. Besides being a clever headline, and even if, like me, you don't like cupcakes, this post tells you a couple of ways to spice up your blog writing.

Go read stuff outside your field.
Research what other people are doing and writing.

This is why I've been running a series about what other people are doing with content marketing. You may understand everything about your field. But do you understand what others struggle with and excel at in your field?

If you're not reading your competitors' and colleagues' stuff, how can you know? There's good stuff out there, very good stuff. And a lot of bad stuff and just so-so stuff. You can get inspired by the good, bad and the mediocre.

Even if your stuff is clearly way out in front…it can be better. Here's a quote from author Jim Collins about this:

Good is the enemy of Great.

Collins says the reason we have so few great companies, great schools and great governments is because we've got so many good ones. We stop trying. It's true for your blog, your writing on the web, and your content marketing.

HerMentorCenter Does Content Marketing
How Barb Sawyers Does Content Marketing
How John Agno Does Content Marketing
Sales Autopsy: Alive and Kickin'

Categories : About Blogs, Content Marketing, On Writing Better, Online Marketing

HerMentorCenter Does Content Marketing – a Review

By Patsi Krakoff

Sunday, May 31st, 2009

Content Marketing Review for Phyllis Goldberg, Ph.D. and Rosemary Lichtman, Ph.D. www.HerMentorCenter.com: These two dynamic women are writing a book about healing family relationships, and to attract a following they are writing on a website and blog, NourishingRelationships.com.

They're attracting a following of mid-life people who face family issues caring for both adult children and aging parents. When they won the Content Marketing Review Contest, I was interested to see how their content marketing efforts are bringing the results they would like. Here's the review:

“Her Mentor Center – Mentoring women through mid-life”

The first paragraph on the home page is:

Are you facing mid-life challenges?

Perhaps you are in the midst of relationship, health or career transitions. You are not alone. Millions of other boomer women are searching for solutions. We the Mentors have been there, learned from our experience, and are here to guide you.

Let Her Mentor Center™ support and empower you.

Categories : About Blogs, Content Marketing, On Writing Better, Online Marketing

How Barb Sawyers, Newsletter Expert,
Does Content Marketing

By Patsi Krakoff

Friday, May 29th, 2009

I've been asking people what content marketing means to them for their businesses. And I've been getting some interesting responses that I'm featuring here. Hopefully, you will gain a better understanding of what this popular buzz term means to people like yourselves, in small businesses.

This response is from Barb Sawyers, who runs the successful site Stickemail, Communications that Stick, and the blog, Sticky Communications. Barb has had mixed results from her efforts so far, and candidly expresses a few doubts. She'd like to see more action, more quickly, yet wants to avoid the "hard sell" copywriting of many internet marketers. Perhaps some of you can relate?

Q: What does Content Marketing mean to you in your business?

I was thrilled to discover content marketing because it gave a new respectability to what I've been doing for the past 30 years. I'm a corporate communication writer, with the first half my career in government, associations and the private sector and the last half as an independent. I have never enjoyed hard-sell marketing communication, but love writing for people who want to educate and inspire.

Q: How are you doing it now?

Categories : About Blogs, Content Marketing, Online Marketing

How John Agno, Leadership Coach,
Does Content Marketing

By Patsi Krakoff

Wednesday, May 27th, 2009

I've been asking you to think about what content marketing means to your business, and how are you using it in your niche.

John Agno, a fabulous leadership coach I've known for some time now, has been calling himself an "infomediary", long before the term 'content marketer' ever became popular. Here are his answers to my questions. (See the post The Content Marketing Two-Step Trap for background.)

Dear Patsi,

Your questions:

• What works for you in your business?
• What kinds of content work to attract and stay in touch with readers, build your KLT factor (Know, Like & Trust), and makes sales?

The thread that goes through my executive/business coaching practice is "leadership."

Sub-categories are:

1. Coaching women executives/business owners in succeeding by better understanding how their male boss, peers and customers think–in order to succeed in their business and/or career.

Categories : About Blogs, Buying Content, Content Marketing, Online Marketing

The Content Marketing Two-Step Trap

By Patsi Krakoff

Wednesday, May 27th, 2009

Every where you go on the Web these days you hear blog and Twitter talk about "Content Marketing."

Seems it's the new buzz word among Internet marketers. But if you're like me, an independent professional who does her own marketing, and who doesn't use paid advertising, you're no stranger to Content Marketing. You've already been doing it.

Anytime you write content on the Web (or elsewhere) you present yourself, your personality, and your knowledge so that readers get to know you. They like you (you hope!), they begin to trust you, and they eventually become clients or customers, or at least regular readers.

Or not. It's not always easy to write quality content that works to actually bring in business.

Although it seems self-evident, it's not. Why not?

Categories : Content Marketing, Managing Your Ezine & Blog Tasks, On Writing Better, Online Marketing

Can You Be Nice AND Sell the Sh*t Out of Your Stuff?

By Patsi Krakoff

Tuesday, May 26th, 2009

A smart biz mentor once told me that success is in the 1% nuances. He said the difference between someone selling and making money online and someone doing all the work and NOT making money is in the details, those little tweaks to your email and web copy content marketing.

If you're like me, you don't want to come across like an internet marketing sleeze-bag and hype yourself up so bad you're embarrassed to read your own stuff. Especially if you're selling your own writing or services. There's something funny about selling yourself.

I just had a sale on my article and e-newsletters subscriptions and boy, did it start out slow. Happily, it ended with a bang of new orders. So I had a chance to analyze my own marketing efforts. Here's what I found.

Categories : Content Marketing, On Writing Better, Online Marketing, Teleclasses & Seminars

Content for Coaches: Save 15% during Memorial Day Sale

By Patsi Krakoff

Sunday, May 24th, 2009

Just a quick heads up if you're an executive or leadership coach or consultant in need of quality content for your newsletters and blogs.

You can get 15% off of article and newsletter services subscriptions at my other site, Content for Coaches, if you order before Tuesday May 26, 2009.

If you're interested, go to ContentforCoachesandConsultants.com and click on the article subscriptions and ezine services pages.

When you order, use the coupon code SUBSCRIBE-15 and get 15% off annual orders of $400 or more. I usually do a sale twice a year on articles with reprint rights, but this is the first time I've offered a discount on higher priced services like the All-in-One Ezine services.

You can get complete services: content, formatting, template design, distribution and database management and save $360 off the annual fee of $2400. That's a pretty sweet deal, if you consider how much time and money it costs to do a quality e-newsletter yourself.

Take a look at the article titles page to see if the Content for Coaches article topics are appropriate for you and your business.

Categories : About Blogs, Buying Content, Coaching/Personal Development, Content Marketing, Managing Your Ezine & Blog Tasks

Marketing for Nice People Makes You Laugh Out Loud…

By Patsi Krakoff

Friday, May 22nd, 2009

I'm taking a course called Marketing for Nice People with two of my favorite peeps on the Web, Sonia Simone and Naomi Dunford. These two have teamed up to deliver some really important lessons on content marketing for your business. They take a devil/angel approach, and you can guess which one wears the horns…

Click here to view more details about Marketing for Nice People…

If you're familiar with Naomi Dunford's blog, Ittybiz, you know she's got one of the most famous potty-mouths around, but she's also got a heart of gold, writing smarts, and is one keen biz whiz. She knows how to make money online, and knows how to teach you to do the same.

Sonia is the gifted writer/marketer behind the blog Remarkable Communications. She's such a talented writer that Brian Clark snapped her up as one of his permanent guest writers on Copyblogger.

If you want to know more about these two, I suggest you read this brilliant interview, Content Marketing Gets Real. Then go sign up for Marketing for Nice People, it's a gas (as we used to say)…Click here to view more details

Here's a sample lesson from something called 101 Tweaks to Fix Your Marketing and Your Business:

Categories : About Blogs, Blogs We Love, Content Marketing, On Writing Better, Online Marketing