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 72

My One Best Tip for How B2B Marketers
Should “Do” Content Marketing

By Patsi Krakoff

Thursday, May 21st, 2009

Don’t you love it when you get asked for “your one tip?” Actually, I do love it, even though it’s always hard to figure out what just “one tip” would be. It kinda helps me sort out all the stuff that goes through my mind and find bare essentials.

(This question reminds me of the game where you ask someone what three books they’d want with them on a desert island… how can you decide on only three?)

Anyway, Ambal Balakrishnan of ClickDocuments asked me this question and I thought I’d share my answers with you:

1. What is your one tip on how B2B marketers should do content marketing?

I hear so much being blogged and tweeted about “Content Marketing” these days, it’s like the Buzz-du-Jour. I’m sure it means different things to different people, depending on the size of your company and the type of products or services you’re trying to market.

Forget “how to do content marketing.” Just remember one key thing: be real. That means that you have to talk to readers and customers like real human beings do.

Categories : About Blogs, Content Marketing, Online Marketing

Top 20 Things You Should Know About SEO Copywriting

By Patsi Krakoff

Tuesday, May 19th, 2009

According to SEO expert Heather Lloyd-Martin, here are the top 20 things you need to learn about small business SEO copywriting. (And if you're not sure what SEO copywriting is, then you really need to learn this and sign up for Heather's online course!

   1. How to give your customers the exact information they need, exactly when they need it!
   2. How the search engines work (and what it means to you)
   3. Tried and true marketing “power words” that get results
   4. Powerful low-budget small business keyphrase research strategies
   5. How you can make more money during seasonal sales

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

Content Marketing Contest Winners:
Targeting Boomer Women

By Patsi Krakoff

Tuesday, May 19th, 2009

Congratulations to Phyllis Goldberg, Ph.D. and Rosemary Lichtman, Ph.D. of HerMentorCenter and NourishingRelationships blog: this pair of dynamic professionals won the drawing for a free Content Marketing Review for May.

If you signed up and didn't win, don't worry, you still can win in the next drawing. If you haven't signed up yet, be sure to get on the list: click here to enter the contest.

Categories : Coaching/Personal Development, Content Marketing, On Writing Better, Online Marketing

Small Business SEO Copywriting Training
with Heather Lloyd-Martin

By Patsi Krakoff

Monday, May 18th, 2009

For a long time, I've advocated organic search techniques, i.e., write for readers, focus on your expertise and the problems you solve, and let the search engines do their job correctly.

Not any longer. Although I still don't believe that you should write content for search engine spiders or robots, I do believe that Search Engine Optimization techniques have greatly improved and blended with copywriting for spectacular results.

Bottom line: if you write your own copy, if you are chief content marketing strategist for your business, then you need to learn the basics of search engine copywriting.

Here's a way to learn from one of the best experts on the web:

Small Business SEO Copywriting Training by Heather Lloyd-Martin –
This is a great way to learn what all those techie people know about how to get really good search results for your business. It's not that hard to learn how to do this yourself. Trust me.

Categories : About Blogs, Content Marketing, Online Marketing

Be Happy – or Get Mad and Get Writing!

By Patsi Krakoff

Sunday, May 17th, 2009

Here's a question for you to think about …Does it help you to write when you're happy…or angry? I think about this a lot.

For example, I'm reading a couple of books on happiness right now. Did you know that the US isn't even in the top ten countries based on a measure of people's happiness?

This is from an article in Forbes, World's Happiest Places by Lauren Sherman:

Where in the world do people feel most content with their lives?

According to a new report released by the Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD), a Paris-based group of 30 countries with democratic governments that provides economic and social statistics and data, happiness levels are highest in northern European countries.

Categories : Books, Content Marketing, On Writing Better

Extreme Popularity: Chris Brogan Interview
with David Meerman Scott

By Patsi Krakoff

Friday, May 15th, 2009

Chris Brogan, uber blogger and Tweeter (can't call him a Twit!), reveals his secrets to being one of the most popular guys on the web: (via WebInkNow, David's blog post, Chris Brogan: popular with jocks, nerds, cheerleaders, and teachers too

This doesn't surprise me. Being helpful is one of the smartest marketing tools around, and it's free. Whoops, that doesn't sound right to tell you that you should be helpful because it will bring you business. You should be helpful anyway, period.

Chris spells out exactly how he does this on the Web. For example, he says that there is a big difference between saying this:

"I just figured out how to…"

and this:

"Here's how you can …"

Words make a big difference. How can I help you write better?

Here's how else you can learn about gaining popularity: Subscribe to both ChrisBrogan.com and WebInkNow by David Meerman Scott.

Categories : About Blogs, Blogs We Love, Content Marketing, Online Marketing

What Makes Your Office Space Creative?

By Patsi Krakoff

Thursday, May 14th, 2009

What kind of office space do you work in? Did you know that your environment has a real effect on your creativity and how well your brain works?

Well, you probably intuitively know that, but now the behavioral scientists have done some empirical studies to prove that high ceilings boost creativity. Maybe that's why I love our home and my office here in Ajijic: the ceilings and windows go up 18 feet in some rooms.

Here's an interesting recap of the scientific research from Scientific American Mind magazine and the Neuromarketing blog (which I highly recommend you subscribe to if you're interested in how your brain works).

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

Mexico Update: All’s Well

By Patsi Krakoff

Wednesday, May 13th, 2009

Update from Mexico: All's well here in the lakeside town of Ajijic. There are some cases of flu in Guadalajara but so far none in our area. But the government and health agencies are all being precautious and Walmart and other workers all wear face masks just in case.

The worst part of this "pandemic" has been the shop and office closures. Retailers and restaurants have really lost business. That's a pity. But apparently cautions have paid off since there isn't really disease out of control.

I'm catching up on some work projects and will be back to blog posting in a day or two. Hasta luego!

Categories : Fun and Irrelevant Things About Patsi

Best Darn Content Marketing Tool on the Planet:
7 Steps to Sustainable Blog Success

By Patsi Krakoff

Monday, May 11th, 2009

You may have heard me say this before…As The Blog Squad, I’ll come right out and tell you that blogs are the best darn content marketing tool on the planet!

But maybe you don’t see it that way. You may have a blog and find it a pain to keep up. Maybe you tried blogging for a while, but you didn’t see big benefits for your business.

I hear these complaints from people all the time…

“Help! Patsi, I’ll confess, I’m a reluctant blogger. I’ve been writing on my blog for the last couple of months. But I’m only getting a few visitors a week and no comments. I haven’t sold any products and no new clients have come to me from the blog. It’s getting harder to write on it, since no one seems to read it and I’m not seeing any results."

And quite frankly, after all the effort, what’s the big deal? If it’s not bringing in clients, sales and money, why waste time posting on a blog?

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

Brain-Based Content Marketing: Write with Respect

By Patsi Krakoff

Thursday, May 7th, 2009

As a former psychologist with a passion for how our minds and brains work, I'm writing this series of blog posts about how neuroscience contributes to content marketing.

When you write to readers on the web, you have an opportunity to connect and engage with people globally. What an opportunity, and what a daunting challenge.

What can we learn about the human brain that makes it easier for us to write good content that works?

So far, I've stressed how important it is to compel people to read your stuff, including:

Brain Based Blogging: Lessons from Neuroscience for Content Marketing
Compelling Content: What Are Readers' Hot Buttons?
Business Blogs Deliver Content Marketing: 4 Keys to Great Results
How to Turn Your Blog into a Content Marketing Ferrari

The lessons so far are that you must:

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

Author Archive for Patsi Krakoff – Page 72

My One Best Tip for How B2B Marketers
Should “Do” Content Marketing

Top 20 Things You Should Know About SEO Copywriting

Content Marketing Contest Winners:
Targeting Boomer Women

Small Business SEO Copywriting Training
with Heather Lloyd-Martin

Be Happy – or Get Mad and Get Writing!

Extreme Popularity: Chris Brogan Interview
with David Meerman Scott

What Makes Your Office Space Creative?

Mexico Update: All’s Well

Best Darn Content Marketing Tool on the Planet:
7 Steps to Sustainable Blog Success

Brain-Based Content Marketing: Write with Respect

Content for Coaches and Consultants

Serenity Virtual Assistant Services

Social Buzz Club