I type fast, really fast. I double check most links and numbers before hitting send or broadcast. Except yesterday…oops.
…sigh. I'm wiping the mud off my face. I'm rescheduling the call for Monday, November 16 at 4 p.m. ET with Milo Sindell. You can still register and get the recording. Heck, you can even come to the call and ask questions…this time I mean it… honest.
Join me on Thursday, Nov. 12 at 4 p.m. ET to find out about My Knowledge Genie, with founder Milo Sindell.
If you can't make the call, the recording will be available to you if you register.
You may have heard the buzz about it already, My Knowledge Genie is a content creating wizard that will save you a ton of time and energy.
I don't promote products unless I see them as having really good value. As soon as I set up a free account at MyKnowledgeGenie.com, I had to stop my fist from hitting my forehead too hard. This tool really is a genie.
I started a free trial last week, and I'm almost finished with a comprehensive ebook that includes chapters, checklists, definitions, learning reminders, and summary questions. I'll be publishing it soon, and selling it for $97. Cost for all this? $5/month hosting fees, nothing else.
If I wanted to create a free info product, I wouldn't need to upgrade my account. My "genie" would be completely free, yet hosted, created, formatted, and organized and published on their site. Easy as pie.
If you need to create and sell info products like ebooks, books, and training materials, don't miss this free teleseminar:
Join me on Thursday, Nov. 12 at 4 p.m. ET to take a virtual tour with founder Milo Sindell.
I hate to be a purveyor of gloom, there's too much of that around these days. But I've been thinking about this and want to share my thoughts with you.
Here are some reasons content marketing is getting more challenging. There exists:
Is your content gated or not? This is a new term for me, but it captures this marketing tactic:
When you offer an ebook, audio file, white paper or special report off your site, it's "gated" if you require a reader's email address. It's not gated if you allow digital downloads freely without any exchange of information.
This is stirring up a big discussion on blogs such as David Meerman Scott's Web Ink Now, Joe Pulizzi's Junta 42, and Newt Barret's Content Marketing Today.
Here's an example of gated: The Blog Squad's free ebook Better Business Blogging. It's an free give-away with plenty of information on how to use a blog for business results. We've used it for a while now as a lead-generator.
Here's a checklist for rereading your content before you publish. For anything important, i.e. that's being sold or delivered to clients, I use Barbara Feiner, a professional editor. She not only corrects errors, but evaluates for clarity and flow.
But for blog posts and everyday content creation, I put on my editor's visor and those green sleeve thingys, and act like a detached newspaper editor with a red pencil. Here's what I look for:
How do you make sure your ebook has good content for marketing purposes? How do you write web-savvy content that works for the Web, that markets your business, gets you found, and is link-friendly?
I mean, it's all good to say you're going to get on the Content Marketing bandwagon… but how exactly do you do that? Here are 12 steps you need to think about:
Before you write that ebook, or blog post, or other content on your website, think about your audience. Once you've defined who you're writing for, then define the problem you're going to solve. Then figure out how people would be using keyword phrases to find their solutions if they were doing a web search.
Write a list of 3-5 keyword phrases and keep those in mind as you write your content.
Once you've defined your audience, the problem, the solution, and the keyword phrases. you should be able to make a list of subtopics or steps you need to cover. With a list, you can expand on each point to create a logical progression to solving the problem.
Ebooks are nothing new. Do you have one? Are you offering a free ebook on your site? You should. I'm in the process of setting up a brand new site for one of my businesses, and I'm writing an ebook this weekend. It's not that difficult and it should be one of your main lead generators on any site.
Newt Barrett on Content Marketing Today just posted Five Reasons an e-Book Should Be a Core Component Of Your Content Marketing Strategy:
Here's why I can't stress this form of content marketing enough:
I think I’m falling in love again… I just got my Amazon Kindle delivered today! I feel so… ah, what’s that feeling, yes, young again, free again, in love. I’m the worst kind of kid with a new toy, an electronic toy and first in my Starbucks to get one, I’ll bet. Except I don’t go to Starbucks anymore, I’m getting ordinary coffee at Einstein’s Bagels, but that’s another story.
What I love about the Kindle: Instant free downloadable samples of books. When you decide which to buy, you order them onto your Kindle for about $10, and you get books instantly delivered via the wireless connection to your Kindle. 
There’s instant access to newspapers and magazines, and even blogs if I wanted to pay the $.99/month subscription to a blog i can read for free on my iPhone…huh?
What I don’t love about the Kindle: I can’t get my recent book purchases onto my Kindle without paying a $10 fee/per book.
I can access my Google calendar, send email through Gmail, visit Wikipedia and other favorite bookmarks… I can even listen to MP3 music or podcast files…it’s like a mini-laptop. This is particularly great for traveling when I hate stuffing books into my purse because they weigh so much…
Several top speakers sang the same tune at the Mega Speaking Event last weekend: Write that book! It’s clear that getting a book published (self or otherwise) provides 6 powerful elements to your marketing:
Here’s Gerry Robert’s (The Millionaire Mindset, Life Success Publishing, LLC) tips for easily and quickly writing a book…in just 40 hours:
