Writing On The Web by Patsi Krakoff, The Blog Squad

Content Marketing Strategies for Smart Professionals

Who and Why? 2 Questions Your Site Should Answer

By Patsi Krakoff in Content Marketing, Online Marketing, Writing for the Web

A client asked for feedback on their blog the other day. I visited and was amazed. While the content was definitely oriented to reader benefits (earn more money, have more time off, create a dream life) –always a good first step –the content was simply signed, "The Team."

There was no ‘about’ page or anywhere on the site to say who was authoring the content. There was a company but no company bio or any personal names at all. No way to know who was "speaking" to the reader.

When I suggested that they identify themselves, the client explained it wasn’t necessary since people come to the site through a link from someone and they would know who sent them there.

The two biggest questions people ask when they read a page is

Who is speaking to me? (and, Why should I believe anything they say to me?)
Why should I stay and read this?

You can’t hide behind a company name, or be vague if you want to create credibility and trust.

Free Publicity: How to Create a Media Plan

By Patsi Krakoff in Online Marketing, Pathway to Profits, Promoting Your Ezine +/or Blog, Writing Great Press Releases

How do you get free publicity for your business? How can you create a well thought-out media plan to catch the attention of frazzled news directors, busy reporters and grumpy editors?

If you don’t have a penny to spend on advertising and you want the world to know about your product, service, or cause, then you need to know how to get the attention of the media, according to Joan Stewart, aka The Publicity Hound.

Because of the importance of media publicity for a growing business, The Blog Squad is interviewing Joan Stewart Wednesday January 16, 2008 at 5 p.m. ET, for their monthly mentor program teleseminar series, Blogging and Beyond.

Attendance is free, but you must be a member of the Blogging and Beyond Mentor Program. You can join the program at www.theblogsquad.net/mentor. A 30 day trial membership is only $9.95.

The seminar will be delivered simultaneously via telephone and live webcast where participants can submit their questions directly to The Blog Squad and The Publicity Hound.

Sex Appeal: Do your blog posts have it?

By Patsi Krakoff in About Blogs, Content Marketing, Getting Read, On Writing Better, Writing Great Blog Content

When you write, do you try to seduce people?

Psychologists will tell you there are four basic temperaments, each with it’s own particular emotional triggers. Most TV sitcoms have characters who are prime examples of these.

Take Sex in the City. Each of the four women embody different personality styles:

Carrie serves as the Humanistic hub that brings all the others together, and she discusses and writes about her feelings and relationships

Samantha, the here-and-now, “I’ll try anything,” confident hedonist, represents the Spontaneous temperament

Miranda’s hard-edged, skeptical, career-minded “voice-of-reason” perspective corresponds to the Competitive temperament

Charlotte’s more traditional, conservative concern for “The Rules” marks her as a Methodical

Jeff Sexton writes a great guest post on Copyblogger entitled The Hidden Key to Cosmo Headlines: Sex and the City? He asks if as a blog writer, do you take into consideration each temperament when you write your headlines?

Content Marketing: It’s not enough to publish

By Patsi Krakoff in Content Marketing, Online Marketing, Pathway to Profits

Our friend Kathleen Gage, the Street Smarts Marketer, did a good job of answering an email from a client who questions the value of writing articles and submitting them to online article directories.

The person asks a question which many new to Web marketing wonder even if they don’t actually ask it: "I personally don’t know anyone who has gotten increased business from this tactic and none of my clients have either. Who is getting more business from this and what are they doing differently?"

This same question has cousins: "I’m not making any money from my blog/newsletter/website."

Kathleen turned this question into a great blog post entitled Maybe making money on and with the Internet is an out and out lie!

Here are Kathleen’s 8 key points you need to think about besides just writing content:

1. How well written is the article and is it specific to a market?
2. Do you have a title that grabs people’s attention?
3. Do you have a resource box at the end of the article?
4. Is there a compelling offer you are making in the resource box that would encourage the reader to visit your website, blog or a landing page?

A Kick in the Pants for Your 2008 Internet Marketing

By Patsi Krakoff in Online Marketing, Pathway to Profits, Teleclasses & Seminars

In 2004 I wondered if I’d done the right thing. I had quit doing my other jobs as a psychologist, a consultant, and coach. I figured that if I could focus my energies on doing just one specialty, newsletters and blogs, it would pay off and I could have the life I dreamed of: working from home on the computer with plenty of time to play tennis. No more offices, no more commuting, no more rigid working hours.

It’s now 2008, and for more than two years now, the income has steadily increased. In December, 2007 we had our best month yet, 66% more than December 2006. This year I plan to earn 50% more while working 20% less.

How? By implementing effective Internet marketing systems. When you’ve got the right systems in place, you get the right results.

For the past few weeks we’ve been blogging about our new kick-butt teleseminar The Law of Action we’re doing with Kathleen Gage, the Street Smarts Marketer. Most of the posts are on our Internet tips blog at www.BizTipsBlog.com and you can read about it there.

The Law of Action says any action is better than none. We’ll help prioritize and simplify 4 action steps a week to you take the right actions to get results for your business. There are a few seats left, so grab yours now, it starts on Monday January 7.

Great Content vs Marketing: What do I write about?

By Patsi Krakoff in About Blogs, On Writing Better, Online Marketing, Writing Great Blog Content

So now you realize that you need to publish content to get found online and use the Internet to grow your business; then there’s that big question looming like a dark cloud: What do I write about?

Brian Clark writes If Content is the New Advertising, What Does Your Advertising Say About You?

You need to attract attention and make people aware of who you are and what you do.
You then need to transform that attention into revenue or some other measurable benefit.

The plain truth is, great content is the most effective way to advertise online, because to be considered great content, it can’t look anything like what we consider advertising.

Great content naturally shows readers that you’re knowledgeable about your field of expertise, and that’s why it works so well.

Here’s an example. When you tell a story about a client with a problem and how you provide help, people are drawn into it. Especially if it is a common problem, people are identifying with the character in the story, and visualizing the results as you reveal how you solved the problem.

By engaging people through your story or anecdote, you are stimulating their own thought processes and imagination. They become one step closer to hiring you or to buying your product.

When I was starting my therapy business and needed clients, the first place I advertised was a family magazine. I bought space to write stories of people

3 Tips for Blog Writing When You’d Rather Not…

By Patsi Krakoff in About Blogs, Content Marketing, On Writing Better, Online Marketing

So far, looking at the poll results, it looks like readers want to master writing information products and blog posts for marketing success in 2008. I suspect many people haven’t voted yet, as some are still away on Holidays.

(Then again, if you’re like many people, reading blogs and surfing the Internet has a big appeal after spending a series of days with the relatives!) My blog traffic didn’t go down over these last few weeks, even though I haven’t been posting as frequently. But that’s another story…

Here’s a few quick tips to help you quickly get into the swing of writing good blog posts. I myself struggle with "writing rhythm:" when you’re hot, you’re hot, and when you’ve been away from it for a few days, you’re likely to write with the passion and enthusiasm of a librarian on Valium.

"Get-back-to-writing" tips:

Go check with what your readers want to know. (See first paragraph above…and run your own poll.)
Go check with what your competitors and/or peers are writing. (Then do something different!)
Make a list of 3 helpful tips to help readers solve a problem that interests them.

Articles for Sale: 25% Discount on Executive Coaching Articles

By Patsi Krakoff in Buying Content, Coaching/Personal Development, Executive Coach Ezine Article Topics

Every year since 1999 I offer an end-of-year article sale discount through Customized Newsletter Services. This is a niche company for executive coaches and management consultants that is part of Krakoff Wakeman Associates Inc., providing article content suitable newsletters and blogs directed at executives in corporations.

If this is something that interests you, go visit the article directory site at www.CustomizedNewsletterArticles.com using the discount link here:

http://snipurl.com/articlesale07 – Sale is on only until Dec. 31 midnight ET.

The 25% discount applies to all the content there, except for the new article The End of Management as We Know It. The articles are evergreen (not dated) and can be used with your name, and can be revised; you can add your own marketing info to them.

This is a great way to save time because the articles are well-researched based on leading business books and journals such as the Harvard Business Review.

New Poll: What Do You Need to Master for 2008?

By Patsi Krakoff in On Writing Better, Online Marketing, Pathway to Profits, Writing for the Web

I’d like you to vote on which writing tasks you feel you need to learn to master the most, if you want to explode your Internet marketing results in 2008.

As you may have noticed, I’ve changed the name of this blog so that I can cover all the different ways writing is used to grow and market your business online. I need to know what topics interest you, the readers, the most so I can make this blog as useful and relevant to you as possible.

The poll is on the right side bar. You can pick two out of this list. If you don’t find what you want on this poll, hit the comment link and tell me what you need to learn the most. Thanks, and all the best for 2008!

Writing on the Web: New Blog Name

By Patsi Krakoff in About Blogs, Content Marketing, Email Marketing Tips, On Writing Better, Online Marketing, Pathway to Profits, Writing for the Web

Here’s why I’ve changed this blog’s name from CoachEzines, to Writing on the Web: I started in 2004 primarily focusing on writing great ezines and blogs, but today’s Internet marketing includes many more ways to communicate. If you want to leverage the Internet to Attract, Sell, and Profit, you must learn new ways of Writing on the Web.

Read this page if you want to know more: Why Writing on the Web is Key to Internet Marketing