Archive for Online Marketing – Page 57

Web Content: Bringing Readers to Your Company for Results

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"All people and organizations – nonprofits, rock bands, political advocacy groups, companies, independent consultants, everyone – possess the power to elevate themselves on the Web to a position of importance."– David Meerman Scott, The New Rules of Marketing & PR, (p. 35)

I’m loving this book and have got it underlined with yellow marker on many pages. David gets it: the power of Web content for business.

He also says, "You are what you publish on the Web." It is all making more sense now. Content isn’t just your newsletter article of the month, or your blog posts. It the accumulated effects of everything you write and publish on the Internet that reflects your credibility as well as your understanding of your customers.

That includes white papers, images, audio, video, press releases, ebooks…and the conversations we have with other people that get accessed on the Internet.

Tune in Thursday, June 14th as The Blog Squad interviews David Meerman Scott on Blogging and Beyond, BlogTalkRadio, 3 pm PT (6 pm ET):

David Meerman Scott Talks Marketing and PR

Blogging and Beyond with The Blog Squad, Patsi Krakoff, Psy. D., and Denise Wakeman
With Guest Expert: David Meerman Scott, www.WebInkNow.com.

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Web Site Woes: Why Can’t I Just Kill It & Blog?

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I get such dismal traffic to my Customized Newsletters website that I wake up with dreams of trashing it altogether. Why can’t I just put it all on a blog? Blogging is something I know how to do and building traffic isn’t such a problem with a blog.

Every time I go in to update or change something on my website, I feel insecure and frustrated. It’s not a Dreamweaver problem either. No matter what I do, it doesn’t attract more potential clients.

I even know what some of the problems are, but redesigning it from scratch is too expensive for the potential payoff. Each time I’ve tried major re-writes, well, the problem persists…not enough of the right kinds of eyeballs.

So Denise and I will more than likely convert it to a blog, especially now since Typepad now has stand alone pages that can serve as landing pages.

It seems I’m not the only one who struggles with websites, and home pages, and is considering moving to a blog platform instead. Tom Chandler of The Copywriter Underground talks about it here, and also tells about Matt Ambrose of The Copywriter’s Crucible who both get more traffic to their blogs than their websites.

Tom and Matt ask, "Is the Home Page Dead?" in true copywriting style – it seems dead stuff attracts readers. So if I kill it, will they come? I bet they would if I blogged… stay tuned.

Let me know your thoughts on this by commenting. Good idea? Bad?

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Word Game: What’s Your One Word That Says It All?

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I’ve read several posts over the last month that talk about finding one word that sums you and your business up. And there’s the whole long copy vs. short copy debate rekindled.

In his book, "Words That Work: It’s Not What You Say, It’s What People Hear," Frank Lutz writes:

It is no accident that the most unforgettable catchphrases of the past fifty years contain only a single- or at most two-syllable words. And when they initially haven’t been so simple, someone inevitably has stepped in to shorten them.

Just ask the makers of Macintosh ("Mac") computer. And when was the last time you used the words "International Business Machines" rather than "IBM"? Federal Express is now officially "FedEx," Kentucky Fried Chicken is now "KFC," Oil of Olay is just "Olay," and Dairy Queen now refers to itself as "DQ."

What if you asked your clients this question: "What’s the ONE word you would use that best describes what we do well?"

John Jantsch suggests:

Is it fast, attentive, welcoming, creative, cheap, cool, techie, smart, caring? One word is tough, but you need to get there. One simple word that sums up how you are different. If you can do that, and it’s a word that means a lot to a lot, your marketing job will be significantly easier.

Pamela Slim on her Escape Cubicle Nation blog gives some one-word descriptions of a few well-known Internet business people, in her post "Can a Single Word Define Your Brand?"

So we gotta ask: what word do you think your clients would use to sum you up?

And, what one word would you suggest as a possibility for The Blog Squad?

All comments welcome!

The point is, if you can distill your essence into one or two words, you can construct your marketing around that word. Brevity is golden.

A Content Plan: Goes with Your Business & Marketing Plan

Do you have a content plan?

Content, Content, Content: Why Having a Content Plan is as Important as a Business Plan

Blogging and Beyond with The Blog Squad, Patsi Krakoff, Psy. D., and Denise Wakeman
With Guest Expert: Allen Voivod, www.EpiphaniesInc.com

June 7 2007, 3:00 p.m. PT (6 p.m. ET)

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If you’re marketing your business online you need content and your
success depends both the quantity and the quality of your words. Yet
few businesses develop a content plan. A Content Plan focuses on
informing, educating, and entertaining your ideal audience. Strong
Content Plans take the "Know, Like, and Trust" factor and formalize it
into an ongoing relationship-building habit.

Tune in as The Blog Squad interviews Allen Voivod of www.EpiphaniesInc.com about how to use content to get found online and win the hearts and minds of your clients.

Use this link to listen live on the air at 6:00 p.m. ET on June 7.

Landing Pages: Where to Publish Your Advertorial

Last week we covered how to write an advertorial, described as persuasive copy written from the readers’ perspective, designed to educate and inform AND with a specific call to action (sign up, download, buy).

This is a form of sales copy dressed up in Sunday best. Even if your reader doesn’t buy, they will have learned something, or have been entertained, and you at least gain a favorable impression for next time.

Landing pages are one-page web site publications designed to get readers to click, register, or buy. This is where you publish your advertorial. There are smart ways to construct a landing page.

Roberta Rosenberg, the Copywriting Maven, has  guest authored a post all about landing pages over on Brian Clark’s Copyblogger site. It’s a great learning piece because she critiques a landing page and gives 10 tips for improvement.

If you’re like me, you learn from examples, so I suggest you hop on over there now and learn more about what should go onto a landing page, besides good advertorial copy.

You will see she links to David Meerman Scott’s post about landing pages, and critiques his landing page for his new book The New Rules of Marketing and PR

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Catch Clients with Words: Writing White Papers

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How to Lure Prospects with Words: Using White Papers to Attract New Clients
Teleseminar with Michael A. Stelzner and The Blog Squad
Wednesday, June 6th, 2007
5 pm ET (2 pm PT)
Register now at http://www.blogsquadteleseminars.com/wp/

One of the biggest challenges for consultants and professionals is
how to attract more clients, especially when you are selling yourself, not a widget.

Leads are the fuel that drives business growth. In fact,  acquiring new customers is the TOP priority of marketing professionals in 2007  (as reported by the 2007 Marketing Priorities and Plans survey).

How can you lure a steady stream of prospects?

The answer: The well-crafted white paper.

Why?  Because white papers are attractive to people early in the buying cycle.

Now you can learn the critical strategies to producing effective white papers.

In an exclusive one-hour teleseminar with The Blog Squad, Michael Stelzner will reveal how to create white papers that attract leads.

Space is limited.  Reserve your spot today by clicking here.

Related posts: Articles on Steroids: White Papers (with audio file)
Could Your Business Use a White Paper?
Marketing Your Business with White Papers
What the Heck Is a White Paper?

White Papers: Articles on Steroids

White Papers: The Ultimate Lead Generator
(34:31 min)

Blogging and Beyond with The Blog Squad, Patsi Krakoff, Psy. D., and Denise Wakeman
With Guest Expert: Michael A. Stelzner, White Paper Source and author of "Writing White Papers: How to Capture Readers and Keep Them Engaged

Michael Stelzner really delivered on this week’s radio show. He started
off by defining white papers and why most businesses can should have
one.  Essentially, a white paper is a cross between an article and a
brochure, they are sponsored by a company and are typically 6 to 12
pages. 

The reason businesses (including coaches and consultants) use white
papers is to

1) generate leads

2) for sales support (a document to
assist with the sales process)

3) to educate and inform.

There’s a lot of good info in this interview including resources for
learning more about how to write and market your business with a white
paper.


MP3 File

We have a post outlining what a white paper is and join our teleseminar on June 6 with Michael Stelzner on how to create white papers to generate leads! 

Advertorial: Step 9- A Clear Call to Action

Buy_it_keyboard The final section of a good advertorial asks readers to do something. It follows your irresistible offer, where you sweeten the pot by throwing in bonuses and extra features. But why should anyone act now?

Unless you mention reasons to act now, people will put it off, maybe say they will think it over, and then forget about it. You should include scarcity and urgency in your copy to get your readers to act and act now.

How can you let people know that your offer is only good for a certain time period, or until a certain number of sales or registrations is reached? The key is to be rigorously honest and authentic. Anything less and you will trigger your readers’ BS antennae and they will abandon at the point of purchase.

I once got an email promoting an ebook in which the author insisted there were only a few copies left. That’s actually a pretty funny thing to say since most people know ebooks are digital publications, but the author destroyed his credibility by not letting people know it was a joke.

If you are doing a teleseminar and the telephone line really truly is limited to 100 or 1000 people, it better be true. Most people know that when registrations fill up, the professional can simply get a bigger bridge line.

Including scarcity and urgency issues in your advertorial makes a lot of sense, as long as you are honest.

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White Papers as Lead Generators

White Papers: The Ultimate Lead Generator

Blogging and Beyond with The Blog Squad, Patsi Krakoff, Psy. D., and Denise Wakeman
With Guest Expert: Michael A. Stelzner, White Paper Source

May 31st 2007, 3:00 p.m. PT (6 p.m. ET)

In an era of overloaded inboxes and marketing hype, a well-crafted white paper can generate serious leads for your business. White Paper expert, Michael A. Stelzner, author of "Writing White Papers: How to Capture Readers and Keep Them Engaged, will reveal the art and science of marketing with white papers.

Michaelstelznerstreet2tm Michael A. Stelzner is a leading authority on the topic of writing and marketing white papers, and authored the bestselling book, Writing White Papers: How to Capture Readers and Keep Them Engaged. He has written more than 100 white papers for many of the world’s most recognized companies, including Microsoft, FedEx, Motorola, Monster, Hewlett-Packard and SAP. Contact information.

Use this link to listen live on the air at 6:00 p.m. ET on May 31.

P.S. Don’t miss our teleseminar on June 6 with Michael Stelzner on how to create white papers to generate leads!

Advertorials: Step 7- Provide Proof

Business_conceptWhen writing persuasive copy, you want to come across as trustworthy as possible. One way to this is to be transparent about the fact that readers have doubts. Many people have been burned by buying worthless ebooks with nothing but fluff.

What kind of proof can you present to show you are real and your services good? Case studies are an excellent way to present a customer experience. Testimonials should also be included, but be sure they are specific and use full names and quantifiable results.

How has the product or service you’d like readers to try had an impact on the lives of others? Can you get people to record their stories? Audio files are very powerful. Your clients can use a telephone recording service to report their experiences. Video is even more powerful.

Here is how I include a section on proof in our Blog Squad Mentor program advertorial:

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