An interesting article comes from Dr. Ralph Wilson who writes an excellent ezine called Web Marketing Today:

Where Blogs and E-zines Overlap

"Could you give me an example of when it is appropriate to implement a corporate blog (with RSS feed) in addition to an opt-in email list?? It seems like these two functions are redundant." — Ryan DeShazer, NOEINK, LLC

Traditionally, e-zines would include well thought out, comprehensive articles, while blogs tended to feature shorter, more focused thoughts. While e-mail newsletters and blogs with RSS feeds do seem somewhat redundant, redundant communication is probably more realistic these days than expecting everyone to prefer and read the same communication channels.

One way to combine these might be to use a blog for frequent ideas and responses to industry news during the month. Some people will follow your blog because it is up-to-date and stimulating. But for those who don’t follow your blog, send out a monthly newsletter made up of the most important or enduring blog entries, carefully edited, with URLs to other important entries in your blog. For news junkies, a blog provides frequent information. For less intense customers with whom you still want to retain top-of-mind status, send your e-mail newsletter.

I agree with Ralph Wilson, especially where it comes to sending out an email notice to your list updating them on blog posts. Most readers don’t yet have a system for getting blog updates through a free service like Bloglet or Feedblitz, and don’t use RSS news aggregators.

So you have to tell them through email to go over to your blog if they want to read about your current topics, current postings.

Here’s a conundrum for ezine and blog writers: Do you go for clever, eye-catching, curiosity-piqueing titles that make people want to read your article or post? Or, do you make sure your title has your keywords in it so that search engines can index your stuff and people can find you easily?

Darren Rowse has an interesting post on his Problogger blog that says it makes sense to use keywords in your titles. Read what he has to say in his article "Use Keywords in Titles", and there are some good comments as well.

So I guess the challenge is, How do you make your title interesting and appealing to readers, AND use your keywords that people would use when doing a google search?

Your thoughts? Examples?

I know how hard it can be to build a list of subscribers to a newsletter, having done it several times in the last few years.

I am experimenting with my own free ezines by consolidating two of them: BizBook Nuggets ezine will merge into Newsletter Nuggets ezine as of Monday August 8.

In order to do this, I am asking everyone in my database to re-opt in, using a new subscription form on my website home page, www.customizednewsletters.com.

Instead of offering a free bonus report or informational product, I found something that could benefit both subscribers and children who read. For each new subscriber that signs up by entering their email and name on the subscription form on my home page, I will donate $.50 to the I AM Foundation. They will donate a book to a child for each $1 donation.

So, for every two new subscribers, a child gets a book to read. You can also go to their web site and make a donation: www.IAMFoundation.org. It’s a San Diego organization, and I found them through a tennis partner, Greg Scott Reid.

Greg has a great forehand, but more importantly, a big heart. His Millionaire Mentors site is promoting a big event in San Diego in November with proceeds going to the I AM Foundation.

So this is one of those win-win-win situations: You get weekly marketing nuggets about newsletters and blogs to grow your business, the I AM Foundation get a little cash, and children get books! How can you resist?

Stay tuned for more about the Millionaire Mentor’s It’s Who You Know event in November. Why not sign up and come see me here in sunny San Diego?

Don’t forget to sign up for Newsletter Nuggets on my home page www.customizednewsletters.com, and help us contribute books to children.

I hate speaking in front of groups, so I couldn’t believe it when I said yes to a breakfast meeting of consultants an hour away from home.  Maybe there will be an earthquake between now and July…

We writers are typically introverts and would rather be with books and computers. But sooner or later, if you want to grow your business and promote your services, you are going to have to get out there and spread the word.

One of the great take-aways from Adam Urbanski’s Small Business Marketing Summit this weekend was this: When speaking or presenting, don’t promote yourself and your services! Nobody cares about who you are at first, so give them information they can use. Deliver an informercial, like "the 3 mistakes to avoid when writing your newsletter or ezine," or "5 money-making ways to turn your information into info-products."

So last night I did a trial run at the San Diego chapter of PCMA. This is an dynamic group of Professional Coaches and Mentors. They asked me to do a 10 minute introduction about my business. So I started with questions for them and an outrageous statement:

Did you know you are in two businesses? Your own business of consulting or coaching, and what is the other one? Right, marketing! (This was a bright group!)

How many of you publish a newsletter or blog? (This response was akin to asking the group if they flossed every day and called their mothers on Sundays).

Did you know that 9 out of 10 independent professionals know they should publish something regularly, but just never seem to get around to it?

And then of course, I said that I understood their pain (I am after all a recovering psychologist), but I had three solutions for them that could make their marketing tasks effortless and automatic. (Call me, email me, and hire me for my services!- just kidding of course. I told them about ezines, blogs, and autoresponders).

Thanks to the great speakers at Adam’s Summit, I was able to learn these easy tricks and apply them right away, locking in the learning.

As always in life, things are easier when they are simplified. These speaking tips are great for writing articles as well. Next time you write, think in terms of "5 mistakes to avoid when…" or "3 things you should know about…" or "7 steps to take BEFORE starting to…"

Now if only I knew 5 ways to conquer speaker’s anxiety before that breakfast meeting the first week in July…