Writing On The Web by Patsi Krakoff, The Blog Squad

Content Marketing Strategies for Smart Professionals

Horn-Tootin’ Friday: We make the “W List” and the “Execution Excellence” Hall of Fame

By Patsi Krakoff in About Blogs, Blogs We Love, In the News..., Online Marketing

This week Denise and I were honored on several lists for our Blog Squad services and blogging:

Thanks so much to Toby Bloomberg of Diva Marketing for adding Build a Better Blog to the W List of women bloggers, and to Susan Getgood for her comprehensive list of wonderful women bloggers. Now if only being on the ‘W List’ gave us rooms at The W… but, hey, I’m just grateful to be in such good company.

And to put icing on the cake, our dear colleague from waaay across the pond and down under, Ian Campbell initiated his blog’s Valu-Kudos "Execution Excellence" Hall of Fame by naming The Blog Squad as his first inductee!

Wow, I am so flattered! Part of me wants to say "We’re not worthy of all that," but then the other part of me says "You bet!" and wins out: I will brazenly re-publish his glowing testimonial here:

Ezine Alternatives: Which one gets the job done best?

By Patsi Krakoff in Email Marketing Tips, Getting Read, Managing Your Ezine & Blog Tasks, Online Marketing

Lately I’ve been wondering about ezines and subscriber lists: how much energy should you spend on this?

Obviously, if you’ve got a large list, publishing a regular ezine makes sense; also if your list is small but your open rates are 40% or more. Your ezIne should get your message out to people who want it and who are prospects for your business.

There are alternatives to publishing an ezine, and readers may be more inclined to register their email addresses for these:

An email autoresponder series such as a tutorial or mini-course: people are more likely to sign up for a 10-point tutorial or a 7-day e-course that is specific and has a start and end point.
A white paper: a well-written white paper that informs and educates can work well to generate leads.
A blog that readers can subscribe to and get updates via email: because blog posts are usually short and to the point, readers may prefer to read them over lengthy newsletters.

I have all three of these plus two ezines. Not every professional has time to do all. As far as effectiveness in getting your message out to prospects and building a list, which method do you think works the best for you and your business?

To read a recent discussion of ezines vs blogs, go here.

Book Publishing: What you need to know first

By Patsi Krakoff in Books, Online Marketing, Teleclasses & Seminars

How to Get Your Book in Print Without Breaking the Bank

August 23, 2007, 3:00 p.m. PT (6 p.m. ET)

Blogging and Beyond with The Blog Squad, Patsi Krakoff, Psy. D., and Denise Wakeman
With Guest Expert: Adam Witty, CEO of Advantage Media Group,

You may have written the greatest book in the world, but it doesn’t
get edited, formatted AND printed, it doesn’t exist. Today there are a
lot of choices for authors to get published, including self-publishing
and print-on-demand. Being fully informed can help you avoid costly
mistakes that will kill your book and break your budget. Learn the pros
and cons of traditional, self and on-demand publishing with Adam Witty
of Advantage Media Group.

Use this link to listen live on the air at 6:00 p.m. ET on August 23.

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White Paper Seminar in San Diego: last day for discount

By Patsi Krakoff in On Writing Better, Online Marketing, Teleclasses & Seminars, Writing Great White Papers

Don’t be caught telling your next prospect you don’t have one yet, when they ask to read your company white paper.

NEWS FLASH: You must have a professionally written white paper that gives in depth information in your field if you want respect and credibility.

Want to learn how to write one yourself so you don’t have to pay the high ticket price to a white paper writer? Today (Wednesday August 22, 2007) is the last day for the early-bird discount for Michael Stelzner’s White Paper seminar in San Diego, on September 21.

To learn more, read my previous post here with all the details including a registration link. (Tell Michael I sent you and I’ll buy you a frappucino…)

P.S. It’s a great excuse to come visit me in San Diego and stay on beautiful Mission Bay at the Hyatt…

Blog Writing: How to Avoid Negative Comments

By Patsi Krakoff in About Blogs, Writing Great Blog Content

Denise posted this week over at Build a Better Blog about negative comments. It’s amazing how many professionals express this fear. I’m reminded of the old Hollywood press agents’ response about "any press is good as long as they spell your name right."

Of course, if you really want to avoid people saying anything negative about you or your business, all you need to be is bland. Or try to be perfect. Or never express a strong opinion. In other words, be boring.

On the other hand, if you want readers to pay attention to what you have to say, write with passion and purpose: be strong. Take a risk and say something controversial.

Yesterday I expressed doubt about the effectiveness of email newsletters in today’s email environment, yet nobody responded.

So what? I probably don’t get hordes of vociferous commenters to this blog anyway, but that doesn’t stop me from making a strong statement that has many sides to it.

Lord knows, I love ezines and have built a business providing customized newsletters for consultants. I don’t want them to stop. But if blogging or white papers are more effective, then I want to be among the first to announce it.

Our business blogging clients often complain about lack of comments to their blogs, and I say: "When’s the last time you came out with a bold statement and dared readers to disagree or take a side?"

If you’re afraid of negative comments, then maybe you shouldn’t be blogging. Try to find a place where you can hang out and be perfect, or bland, or boring.

Here’s an excerpt from an excellent post I found on How to Avoid Negative Comments by British blogger Mark White:

Core Message of this Blog: Writing Great Ezines & Blogs

By Patsi Krakoff in Managing Your Ezine & Blog Tasks, On Writing Better, Writing Better Ezines, Writing for the Web, Writing Great Blog Content

Writing for your online business is one of the
most important tasks you have. The style of writing is always evolving for the
Web, and it’s important to learn how to write effectively for your
business. No other marketing task will involve you as much as writing
for your business.

One of the things we teach in our blogging and online marketing classes is to know your audience and know your core message. I am student for life and have always found the best way to learn something is to teach it. So I am always learning these things over and over and each time I go a little deeper.

When I started this blog (September 4, 2004), it was to have a platform to write content for an ebook, Secrets of Successful Ezines. Since then, I discovered the power of blogs for professionals who want to get their message out to people. Blogs or ezines, blogs AND ezines – it doesn’t matter if you do one or both, as long as at least one is a blog!

In the next phase of evolving an online business, I realized the importance of interesting, relevant, keyword-rich content: articles, information products such as special reports, tips, white papers, and ebooks.

Online marketing must include other pieces of writing for the web: landing pages, sales letters,

Got a New Subscriber? 7 tips for writing a great first message

By Patsi Krakoff in Email Marketing Tips, Managing Your Ezine & Blog Tasks, Writing Better Ezines

What do you say to a new subscriber to your ezine? That first email may be one of the best times to communicate to a new prospect. It’s certainly one time they open and read your message.

My advice? Skip the canned and expected confirmation message that everyone sends and write in an original voice. Be friendly and clear about what they can expect next, and give them an unexpected bonus.

Here are 7 other tips from the Email Experience Council:

1. Use a recognizable "from" line and a subject line that includes the brand name.

2. Fulfill email subscriptions quickly.

3. Be clear on "what comes next" in terms of content and frequency.

4. Ask them to add your address to their address book.

5. Offer something of value for signing up.

6. Use a series of onboarding emails to introduce them to your offerings.

7. Don’t be afraid to include promotional content in welcome emails to capitalize on the high read rates.

15 Ways to Find Content for Your Blog

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

Denise and I kicked off our first advanced blogging class yesterday, Better Business Blogging, with a select group of 10 professionals all eager to improve their blogs. It is so great working with a small group of passionate people, as opposed to spouting the blog gospel to the hordes on large bridge lines.

Each week we highlight several of their blogs and give suggestions for improvement. We’re following our CODA system for blog improvement: paying attention to Content, Outreach, Design and Action. Yesterday we worked on blog content issues.

Here’s my list of 15 ways to find content for writing your blog posts:

Finding Content for Your Blog

1. Set up Google Alerts for your topics and subtopics
2. Set up Technorati WatchLists
3. Monitor your blog feeds of your favorite blogs
4. Use other people’s blog posts as inspiration and jumping-off points to write your own post
5. Use a poll tool such as Vizu.com and set up a vote from readers on biggest challenges,

Things to Do When You’re Brain Dead

By Patsi Krakoff in Fun and Irrelevant Things About Patsi

Check out this viral site, where you can get mashed up and dance just for fun…

http://www.paloozahead.com/1526286-9375-231902

Publishing Your Book: Here’s what you need to know first

By Patsi Krakoff in Books, E-Books, Online Marketing, Teleclasses & Seminars

How to Get Your Book in Print Without Breaking the Bank

August 23, 2007, 3:00 p.m. PT (6 p.m. ET)

Blogging and Beyond with The Blog Squad, Patsi Krakoff, Psy. D.,
and Denise Wakeman
With Guest Expert: Adam Witty, CEO of Advantage Media Group,

Being fully informed can help you avoid costly mistakes that
will kill your book and break your budget. Learn the pros and cons of
traditional, self and on-demand publishing with Adam Witty of Advantage Media Group.

Use this link to
listen live on the air at 6:00 p.m. ET on August 23.