Archive for Attracting Clients – Page 9

Are Your Content Readers Thinkers or Feelers?

Have you ever read an e-newsletter or blog post and got a feeling of disappointment? Maybe it was just too subjective, airy-fairy and touchy-feely? If so, then you may be like me, a thought-processing person who wants facts and data when reading content online, an e-newsletter or blog post.

Several years ago, my friend John Agno published this review of personality types in his newsletter.  It contains important information to consider when writing your blog, e-newsletter or content marketing to attract clients, and it still applies today.

The Myers-Briggs Personality Inventory is a method for helping people match their communication styles to others’ personalities.  Understanding Myers-Briggs allows you to foster the kind of interpersonal climate that paves the way toward better understanding.

One of the four Myers-Briggs dichotomies is Thinking/Feeling — that people use to assess their preferred ways of communicating, processing information, analyzing that information, and coming to a decision.

The population is evenly divided between thinkers and feelers. Two-thirds of men are thinkers and two-thirds of women are feelers, but 70% to 90% of businesspeople are thinkers, regardless of gender. The name of this dimension is slightly misleading. Thinkers aren’t unfeeling, and feelers aren’t fuzzy-headed. Both process information carefully. The difference is in what facts each group considers to be most salient. Read More→

7 Ways to Format Blogs to Engage Readers’ Brains

What are the two most important parts (a.k.a. opportunities to engage readers) of your business blog post? Most experts will tell you this:

  1. The headline
  2. The call to action

The headline is what gets read and spread. It’s your “shout-out” on social media sites, in feed readers, and email updates. It’s the bait on your fishing hook which draws people over to your blog site to read your stuff.

Writing magnetic headlines is crucial. And you know yourself that a well-crafted headline gets more traffic than a bland one.

The call to action is what gets you business results and turns readers into clients. Even when it’s not a direct “go-buy-click-here” request, it’s part of your funnel process. It starts the participation process.

But hold on there, wait a minute.  There are 7 ways to format your blog posts that will help prime your readers for action. It happens before you ask readers to do something. It must happen, otherwise your readers won’t even read your complete post, they won’t get to the call to action part.

You must engage their brains. You must get inside their heads by triggering unconscious desires and thoughts.

Okay, that sounds a bit oowy-woowy and sneaky, maybe even dangerous. I’m not talking hypnotic suggestions or even tapping into Freudian drives of sex or fear…(although, heck, that sure works, too!)

But if your blog content doesn’t appeal to one of several persuasion triggers (reciprocity, social proof, etc.) then you’re not doing enough with your posts. Your readers may scan your post, without getting their thought processes going, and move on.

It’s not complicated. You’re probably already doing it (unconsciously)! How? Read More→

Why Content Marketing with Video Is Key

Content marketing using video is a key marketing tactic if you want to get found online, get known, and get clients.

Here’s what’s important about publishing video on your sites: Your business can get quick, effective search engine results that used to take months or even years to achieve, all for next to nothing to produce (you don’t need to buy expensive equipment and hire a producer).

Your physical presence and voice on video creates a powerful connection to potential new clients in a way that text can’t accomplish. Images are simply attractive to the human brain, and we’re hard-wired to pay attention to faces.

A few years ago I invested considerable time, money and energy to go through the mentorship program of Tom Antion. Even back then (2005?) Tom had installed a video production studio in his house and was gearing up for making his own infomercials and training videos.

As a professional speaker, it was a natural marketing vehicle for Tom. And it is for anyone who sells themselves as a service provider: executive coach, consultant, trainer, author, financial consultant, doctor, lawyer…

Tom always taught that he never invested in marketing tools he couldn’t master himself. Even though as an Internet guru and millionaire, he has staff and plenty of money to throw at marketing, he believes that any professional can master video marketing with a few basic skills and smart tips.

On Thursday, May 19, 2011 at 5 p.m. ET, you can learn from the two video marketing experts who work for Tom, Colin Martin and Marc Bullard with this free webinar.

If you haven’t registered, be sure to do so – you’ll reserve your seat, receive the access link, and the Webinar replay info:
YouTube Secrets Webinar: register here. Read More→

Content Marketing with Videos: Free Webinar

You probably already know you should be using video to attract readers to your website, but you might not know how easy and quick it is. Publishing video on your site is like a client magnet.

Trust me on this, you don’t need to buy expensive tools and hire a producer. It’s the best way to get new viewers to your website and blog. (And it’s really easy when you use a monthly production service like I do: iMotionVideo, who does it all for me!)

But what if you want to do it yourself? What are the basics you need to know? How can you learn to use video quickly?

This week, when two of Tom Antion‘s people called me up with an offer of a free webinar on video marketing, I immediately saw the value in sharing these video tips with you.

I asked them to deliver this webinar exclusively for professionals who don’t have a lot of time for marketing tactics.

Join me, along with Colin Martin and Marc Bullard, in a free webinar next Thursday, May 19, 2011 at 5:00pm ET to learn the secret tactics successful marketers are using on free hosting sites such as YouTube that are bringing an avalanche of traffic to their websites.

Register to attend and get the recorded webinar here:

http://bit.ly/jfLTBt

Online video is THE most powerful tool on the Internet for driving traffic to your websites and services. Search engines are focusing on online video to deliver the content their customers are looking for and have even changed their search parameters to push video to the top of the search results. Read More→

The Sociology of Social Media: TED TV Talks

Having fun while learning has become my idea of a really good time. Forget drugs, booze and rock and roll. Now you can learn all about social media and the sociology of the Internet through video lectures.

If you’re an information junkie like I am, you spend way too much time over on TED.com watching fascinating videos on every topic of major importance in this world.

Unbelievable, non? It combines education with entertainment. It’s a great way to learn about the sociology of how people are using computers to connect with a global community.

My actual big screen TV is ignored (except for tennis  and we’re waiting for the French Open at the end of May.)

What I find fascinating is the sociology of social media: we’re still operating with the same primitive brains. We crave connection with others and to find meaning in our lives. Now, however, we’re doing it online, on the Internet, using social media tools. Twitter is like a town square for the globe.

It’s hard to choose which lecture to watch on TED TV as there are so many good ones. I was glad to see this blog post over at OnlineCollege.org because my colleague Carol Brown has posted about 15 terrific TED Talks that pertain to social media and the Internet.

Here are some of the great talks that will help you learn more about new ways to use traditional media and innovative ways to bring more to the digital sphere – and the sociology that’s evolving.

  1. Peter Hirshberg on TV and the web: Take a look back at media and technology history with this talk. You’ll get a chance to see why watching TV on the web can be so much more engaging.
  2. James Surowiecki: When social media became news: Most of us spend a pretty good part of the day using social media, whether it’s reading blogs or using social networking sites. Here you can learn a bit more about the role social media is starting to play in reporting the news and what it means for more traditional media.
  3. Seth Godin on the tribes we lead: When you hear the word “tribe,” you probably think of it in the more traditional sense. But in this talk from marketing guru Seth Godin, you’ll learn about how it can be applied to how we use the web– with powerful results.
  4. Jimmy Wales on the birth of Wikipedia: It’s hard to remember a world without Wikipedia, but a decade ago the site was just getting its start. Learn how founder Jimmy Wales helped to create the amazing new media giant from this talk.
  5. Evan Williams on listening to Twitter users: You can’t do much on the web, or off of it for that matter, without hearing about Twitter these days. Check out this talk to gain a better understanding of how the site came to be what it is today.
  6. Stefana Broadbent: How the Internet enables intimacy: The internet is generally deemed a tool that makes humans more distant from one another, engaging in less real-time interaction. Broadbent argues against that here, claiming that this powerful new media tool actually lets us get closer together.

Now that’s my idea of a good time!

4 Content Marketing Goals for a Coach Website

How should content marketing be used on the home page of your website? What makes good website copy? More specifically, if you’re a professional service provider, like an executive coach, a consultant, a lawyer, health care or financial adviser… how do you create a website that attracts clients and gets potential new leads?

No matter what business you’re in, your content must achieve 4 things. Here are 4 goals of your online content:

  1. Connect immediately (by speaking to your readers’ challenges or problems)
  2. Answer questions and educate (by suggesting solutions)
  3. Provide choices without confusion (by providing 3-4 places to read more)
  4. Compel readers to take action (simple sign-up form or contact link)

That’s a basic outline that you could follow, not just for websites, but for your blog and other content marketing pieces.

Let me give you a great example so that these 4 goals come alive:

Here’s a screen shot of the newly revised website for ScholzandAssociates.com. Chip Scholz is an executive coach. His previous website was well designed, but it had too much information, in my opinion.

Like other executive coaches, he offers many services: facilitation, assessments, leadership development, speaking and books. The challenge is to present all the services to readers, while maintaining the focus on them and their problems.

I think this site does a good job because it’s about the outcomes and benefits of coaching. It backs that up with case studies from Chip’s clients. It’s brief and to the point: Read More→

Content Marketing Tip: Use Ready-to-Publish Articles

Content marketing is easier when you can outsource some of the writing and researching to qualified writers. A great way to short-cut the time needed to research, write and publish quality online content is to find a good writer to supply articles.

For example, as a former executive coach and psychologist, I write for other coaches and consultants who are too busy with clients to write their own newsletters and blogs. You can find good writers in just about any field.

While this has created a good business for me, doing what I love, I don’t see many people using other people’s content for optimal results. Furthermore, when they do use writers, they don’t personalize it to make it their own.

Content marketing can’t work well without unique and personalized copy. I get frustrated because people use canned articles ‘as is’. They don’t take the time to add their own stories, to explain how it is for them in the work they do.

You need to connect the dots for readers.

  • Tell them why this article and these ideas are important to them.
  • Tell them about the work you do with your clients.
  • Tell them how they can learn more about what you’re publishing.

In my ebook Content Marketing with Blogs, I talk about the 4 Es: educate, entertain, engage and enrich the lives of people each time you write and publish on your blog. When you write, think about elements of each goal: Read More→

What’s Missing in Content Marketing: Who and Why

Storytelling and personalization is the biggest missing piece in content marketing as I see it. People are good at writing about what they know. They aren’t as good about expressing who they are and why they do what they do.

If you’re not writing real stories, your content – on your blog, in your newsletter, on your web pages – runs the risk of being boring. You may be excited about what you do as a professional, but your clients will get bored or overwhelmed if you just throw information at them.

In the Content Marketing Webinar last week, I talked about communicating your back-story… the background about the why and who of your business. It’s especially important in service businesses where people hire you to help them solve a problem.

I once asked a guy who founded an online training service what his back-story was, and he didn’t know what I meant.

He thought I would see the obvious, that there was a gap in what was available online and an opportunity to make money. Okay, that’s exciting… to you and your spouse for sure.

But there’s always more to the story than that: Why did he personally spend considerable time, energy and money creating what he did?

There has to be drive, passion and love. He had to care. That’s the story people need to know. Read More→

Content Marketing Tips: Find Your Online Voice

How do you find your voice and create your brand story so that readers are inspired and emotionally triggered? How do you get content marketing results?

This and other key tips will be discussed Wednesday April 20, 2011 on an open webinar I’m giving:

Time-Saving Tips for Content Marketing Results

Register to get the recording if you can’t come at 5 pm ET, plus I’ll send you handouts, a list of outsourcing resources, a marketing road map and discount coupons for services.

“Before you can truly understand your customers, you have to understand yourself,” says author and content-marketing evangelist Joe Pulizzi.

If you are a coach, doctor, lawyer, any professional, you are trying to differentiate yourself in a crowded market. There are a gazillion websites in your field. To succeed, you need to forge a separate and unique identity and create an enduring and memorable brand.

You need a brand story. You need a brand personality. You need to stop sounding like everyone else.

I think this is one of the hardest things for busy professionals to communicate in writing content for the Web.

Why? Because it involves personal creativity. It’s one thing to write what you know. You can type 350 words of knowledge into your blog post in about 10 minutes or less. That’s the easy piece.

Don’t believe me? Come on, you explain stuff on the phone to clients all the time. Read More→

Content Marketing: Connect the Dots and Drive Results

How do you master the art of writing content for the Web so that you provide quality information on your web pages, blog, and newsletters that works to convert readers to clients? Ahhh, that’s what I’ve been trying to figure out for the last 12 years. In the World Wide Web, there often seems to be no rules.

But that’s not true. You have to find what works for you in your business, with your target audience. And then publish a lot of content in many different forms. But if you’re a busy professional, unless you have staff, you don’t have time for everything.

So on Wednesday, April 20, 2011 at 5 p.m. ET, I’m giving an open webinar to share my tips and tools that make online marketing manageable, especially for service professionals, solo entrepreneurs, busy consultants, coaches, etc.

Time-Saving Tips for Content Marketing Results – Register to get the recording, handouts and a marketing road map.
Wednesday April 20, 2011, 5 pm ET

Here’s a sample of what you’ll learn: For example, your content should accomplish these 4 goals:

  1. Connect with readers right away (ask them about their problems or challenges)
  2. Answer reader’s questions and educate
  3. Provide choices without confusion
  4. Compel readers to take one action

These goals apply to your website, your blog, your newsletters and everything you publish on the Web whether in text, audio or video.

Outsourcing your content needs will save you a lot of time, but only if you do it right.

Let’s say you’ve outsourced your newsletter and blog content to a professional writer, an expert in your field. The writer gives you content for your blog or newsletter. You publish it under your banner or logo, therefore it’s up to you to get it personalized and provide context.

This means you’ve either got to add your own stories, or introduce it with a personal note. (Or have the hired writer do this for you, which may cost more.)

Context: What I mean by providing context is that you need to connect the dots from your content to your business. You don’t want readers to read your content and say, “Oh, that’s interesting.”

I’m mean to say, sure you do, but that’s not enough. Draw a picture for them.

  • How does this content apply to the work you do with your clients?
  • Tell a story about a real person that illustrates the concepts in the article
  • Tell how you personally interact with and interpret these principles in your work Read More→