Archive for Content Marketing – Page 42

Writing on the Web: Letting Go of the Words

By Patsi Krakoff
Thursday, April 15th, 2010

I think the Web is fascinating, don’t you? Yet frustrating. So much information, so many ways to entertain yourself, so many ways to get sucked into a time machine fantasy world.

Twelve billion web pages… and most of them talking about themselves, saying nothing that’s easy to understand in a blink…

It’s not unlike Alice in Wonderland, it can be anything you want it to be. I’m reading a good book called Letting Go of the Words, by Ginny Redish.

This is a really good book for anyone charged with writing on the Web. In fact, it’s a must-read for anyone with a website or blog. If you’re a fan of usability and you’d like to improve your site’s performance with better writing, definitely get this book.

Here’s what two really smart people who know the web well say about this book: Read More→

Categories : About Blogs, Attracting Clients, Books, Content Marketing, Writing for the Web

Search Engines Are Stupid… Help Them Out

By Patsi Krakoff
Wednesday, April 14th, 2010

Are you spread too thin? Over-committed? Is your blog too confusing, too many topics, too many choices for readers to make?

Oh, and by the way, how are your search engine results? Do you come up on the first page when people do a search for the problems you solve?

I’ve been told by someone who knows business blogging that I’m “diluted.” No, not “deluded,” in the psychological sense, although that might also play into it. “Diluted” in that it’s not clear. At least, I think that’s what he means.

I don’t think I’m the only self-employed entrepreneur that suffers from the problem of trying to cover too many bases, of trying to attract too many kinds of people, of offering too many products and services.

The key point my expert was trying to drive home is that online, you can’t afford to be “all over the map.” Why? Because search engines are stupid. They don’t understand variety and nuances. Read More→

Categories : About Blogs, Attracting Clients, Content Marketing, Online Marketing, Teleclasses & Seminars, Writing for the Web

How to Win a Blogging Award

By Patsi Krakoff
Tuesday, April 13th, 2010

Can you claim your blog to be award-winning? What kind of prize do you think you’d get if they put you on a best blog list? Most original? Best resource for time-saving tips? Most helpful, profound, smart? Funniest?

The first time I got onto Joe Pulizzi’s Top42 Content Marketing Blogs, back in 2007, I was kinda surprised. And extremely flattered, since I was in the company of some of the top blogs I look up to for inspiration, like Copyblogger, Online Marketing Blog, Conversation Agent, and Web Ink Now.

Now, 3 years later, the pool has quadrupled, and I’m still in the top ten… This quarter, this blog ranks #5. I’m very proud, but more than that, I’m grateful. Being on this list has added more than a few smart readers to the subscriber list, and put me in contact with some great people.

It is also makes getting up early to write everyday worth it, it contributes to my motivation and inspires me to write better.

I want to share with you what the benefits of being on an award list, and what I’ve done since to try to stay on the list. I think there are some good lessons for other bloggers. Read More→

Categories : About Blogs, Content Marketing, On Writing Better, Promoting Your Ezine +/or Blog

7 Fascinating Content Marketing Triggers

By Patsi Krakoff
Monday, April 12th, 2010

Sally Hogshead has written a captivating book that I’m still reading, called Fascinate.

David McGraw, a member of Leading Coaches, wrote a great review of her book on the Leading Coaches’ Center, which you can check out HERE.

There’s also a cool website where you to answer 28 quickie questions and get back instant results on your fascination score (or F Score as she calls it) and how to use it in your marketing. Very interesting…

It turns out my primary trigger is Mystique. I’m not sure being mysterious is a top quality for someone doing marketing, but hey, maybe I can intrigue and pique your curiosity! Mystique and Prestige are the two triggers I seem to gravitate towards, according to her F test.

In other words, when I’m writing on the web for content marketing purposes, I’m often trying to fascinate you by appealing to your sense of wanting to know more, and becoming the best you can be at blogging or marketing, (or at least getting you to look like you’re the best.)

For example, I’m really proud to have been named #5 Top Content Marketing Blog by Joe Pulizzi’s organization. I’m hoping to leverage that blogging award not just to impress my readers and friends, but to try to show you how you can also gain prestige with your own blogs. I want you to be the best in your field, and I want your blogs to show it.

Which triggers are you using in your business to persuade and captivate not only prospective clients, but current clients? Have you ever thought about this?

You have seven potential fascination triggers: Read More→

Categories : About Blogs, Attracting Clients, Content Marketing

Invisible Content Marketing: Is Your Attitude Showing?

By Patsi Krakoff
Sunday, April 11th, 2010

Funnyguy When I work with smart, successful people it’s usually to help with their blogs, newsletters, social media and content marketing strategies. And often there’s more to marketing than meets the eye. Much more that the actual words you use…

Most content marketing elements are easily visible. That’s a good thing, because it’s easy to see what’s been done and what works. (Also, what stinks, so to speak.)

But the stuff behind the visible stuff counts a lot. I call it the Invisible Content Marketing. It’s what’s inside the person doing the marketing and the writing that matters. You can’t write without bringing out your character, especially if you’re writing in the first person about things.

Invisible Content Marketing is your attitude. It’s your “tone of voice” on paper or the screen. It’s your personality and your values and …all that stuff that makes you attractive, or arrogant, or sweet, or bitchy, or whiny, or cool, really cool.

Of course you don’t have to be a trained psychologist like I am to know that what’s inside a person really matters, nor do you need a graduate degree to pick up on the attitudes and values of someone when they “speak” to you on the Web.

Every time you write content for your business, people are “listening” to your tone of voice, trying to pick up your attitude, values, and trust-worthiness. Read More→

Categories : About Blogs, Attracting Clients, Content Marketing, Online Marketing
Tags : ,

Convince & Convert: #1 Content Marketing Blog

By Patsi Krakoff
Saturday, April 10th, 2010

Congratulations to Jay Baer who writes the Convince & Convert Blog. He tops the list of Top 42 Content Marketing Blogs published quarterly by Joe Pulizzi. I took a look at Jay’s blog and I can understand why he’s #1 on a list that carries some excellent content marketing blogs.

Here’s what impresses me with his blog.

  • The name says clearly what he’s writing about, what his goals for the readers are.
  • His tag line for the blog, “Social Media Consulting & Coaching” says what he’s all about, what he’s in business for.
  • His banner has both his name and photo in it, so it becomes personal right away (no wondering, who’s writing this)
  • There are several offers made clear through the navigation bar and right-hand column: Speaking, free Social Media Tools, Newsletter, etc.
  • It’s not confusing, it’s very clear what Jay’s expertise is and how he works.

I love the work that Joe Pulizzi and his team put into finding great content marketing blogs for us. I also love that I’ve made the list consistently now for three years since it’s inception.

And I’m very proud to be named #5 this time! I’m especially honored because I’ve maintained a strong presence on this list which has grown from 81 to 353 possible contenders over the last 3 years. Thanks, Joe & Junta42 team!

Here are the criteria for selection: Read More→

Categories : About Blogs, Content Marketing
Tags : , , ,

Goals for Online Content Marketing

By Patsi Krakoff
Wednesday, April 7th, 2010

Goal What do you want your content marketing to do for you?

When I was a freelance journalist in Paris, I wrote some outrageous things. The point was to get read and remembered by as many people as possible. I figured if I was going to spend my time writing, I wanted to be read. I made up things. That was allowed because I was writing humorous essays for Vogue Homme. The goal was to be edgy and outrageous.

Writing on the Web for marketing purposes is different in some ways, similar in others. But the key is knowing what your goals are for your content pieces.

Do you want to collect email addresses so you have a list to marketing to? Do you want people to subscribe? To download, to buy? Or is your goal to get people to think seriously about a few concepts? Establish yourself as a thought leader? Maybe sell your books, or get consulting gigs?

In any case, I’ll bet there is an underlying — or is it overarching?– goal of wanting to be happily successful.

Read More→

Categories : About Blogs, Coaching/Personal Development, Content Marketing, Getting Read

Lame Excuses for No Online Content Marketing

By Patsi Krakoff
Tuesday, April 6th, 2010

Blue_sky_laptop_clipping_path Are you ready to grow your business? It's a serious question and before you answer, think about it a little bit more.

Who isn't ready to make more money, drive more traffic to their sites, grow their marketing database numbers? I mean, you'd be a little crazy to say "no, thanks" to that, wouldn't you?

And yet, people do it all the time. People make excuses all the time for why they're not using content marketing and writing on the web. Here's how:

  • "I'll start a business blog when my new website gets up."
  • "I've got a blog; I'll write on it soon."
  • "I just want to get a new photo done, then I'll be ready."
  • "I'm getting some triple fold brochures printed first." (OMG, do people still do that?)
  • "Just as soon as I finish my Famous Guru Internet Millionaire Course, then I'll start."

I'm exaggerating, and I'm serious. I've heard some really solid reasons people put off content marketing. Some of the smartest professionals I know have really great looking websites that have been done at considerable expense.

Read More→

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

Work Better, Write Better: How to Make More Mojo

By Patsi Krakoff
Monday, April 5th, 2010

Woman_and_graph_from_money Do you believe you can change? I mean, seriously change your behaviors and habits? You know, like stop doing some things and start doing others? How do you improve your work habits so you are more productive and effective?

For example, if you've been struggling with blog writing, can you decide you're going to stop struggling, get on that beast and ride it to glory? How do you become a better writer? …and get better blog results?

Last year, I noticed my blog traffic was getting better, but I didn't think it was enough. So I decided to double my blog publishing frequency. I started posting every day instead of every other day.

It worked. Traffic has actually more than doubled since then. The behavioral change, i.e. writing twice as often, wasn't too hard since I enjoy it.

The secret key was a tip I read somewhere: always have one post "in the hopper," saved as a draft for the next day. I think I might have got that from Sonia Simone of Third Tribe and Copyblogger. This writing tip works for other projects as well. If you just get something started, it's easier to get back and continue working on it.

Read More→

Categories : About Blogs, Content Marketing, Ethics & Writing, How to...Tips, Managing Your Ezine & Blog Tasks, On Writing Better

What Is Intelligent Content Marketing?

By Patsi Krakoff
Wednesday, March 31st, 2010

Blue-man-student Good question, similar to "what's a great restaurant" or "what makes for a beautiful woman?" No one right answer and it depends on who the "consumer" is.

My recent post on books for intelligent content marketing shows my preference for psychology and how people think. Obviously, when it comes to writing on the Web for business purposes, you've got to consider the preferences of your readers/clients/prospective buyers.

I'm reading a book called Fascinate: Your 7 Triggers to Persuasion and Captivation, by Sally Hogshead. This is an unbelievably intelligent book that will fascinate your socks off and give you a barrel full of ideas for content marketing.

Fascinate explains the triggers behind viral marketing campaigns. I've never read anything quite like it before. Although many of the stories are familiar to me, Ms. Hogshead puts them into a marketing context.

Whether the book talks about fascinating personalities or products, it's enlightening and useful from a marketing viewpoint.

Here are the 7 triggers that cause us to be fascinated by people and stuff:

Read More→

Categories : Attracting Clients, Books, Content Marketing, On Writing Better
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