Writing On The Web by Patsi Krakoff, The Blog Squad

Content Marketing Strategies for Smart Professionals

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

By Patsi Krakoff in On Writing Better, Online Marketing, Promoting Your Ezine +/or Blog

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

By Patsi Krakoff in Online Marketing, Teleclasses & Seminars, Writing for the Web

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)

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

By Patsi Krakoff in On Writing Better, Online Marketing, Writing Great Copy

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

Catch Clients with Words: Writing White Papers

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

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.

White Papers: Articles on Steroids

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

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.

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

By Patsi Krakoff in Email Marketing Tips, Online Marketing, Writing Great Copy

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.

White Papers as Lead Generators

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

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.

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

By Patsi Krakoff in Email Marketing Tips, Online Marketing, Writing Great Copy

When 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:

Friday Fun – Catching Up with Myself

By Patsi Krakoff in Fun and Irrelevant Things About Patsi

Once a week I indulge myself and share what’s really going on with my work and life. I kinda dislike those self-serving blogs that do this all the time. Here’s my life:

Got up to find one of the kitties tried to access helpctr.exe over a hundred times during the night. Dewey or Huey must have fallen asleep on the keyboard. Remind me to shut down at night so they don’t screw up things even more seriously.

I missed Tom Antion’s mentee rap session last night and get frustrated with myself when I do this. At 6 p.m. I’m in front of the TV watching a Law and Order rerun instead of soaking up Tom’s wisdom. For all the money we’re paying Tom, that is just not smart. Note to self: listen to audio.

I hate listening to podcasts on my iPod. I’d rather have music on. I find it really hard to pay attention to podcasts. So if I miss a teleseminar, chances are, the audio file will not do the trick. That’s just me. Denise does the podcast walk on the treadmill all the time.

Happy birthday, back! This is my 6 month recovery point from surgery. All 4 pins have stayed in place, and x-rays show I’m laying down new bone which will solidify and hold the pins.

I’m playing tennis every day now, and am getting back a little punch in my forehand.

Weekend plans with The Hubby: tennis, movies, tennis…the only new movie out we haven’t seen is of course Pirates. I’m a big Johnny Depp fan, although this isn’t the best use of his talents.

I don’t know about this personal sharing stuff… is it too boring? Should I make something up?

Oh! Almost forgot… Denise and I are in New York City next week for a book conference. I can’t decide whether to post a couple times here, invite a guest blogger, or just take a rest. If you’re a reader and you care, drop a line by clicking the comment link below.

Hope you have a fun Friday, and a great weekend!

Advertorials: Step 5- What’s Your Solution?

By Patsi Krakoff in Email Marketing Tips, On Writing Better, Online Marketing, Writing Great Copy

To review, here are the 4 steps to writing persuasive copy in the form of an advertorial so that you can be educating at the same time as promoting your business:

1. Grab attention with a list of 3 or 5 horrible mistakes people make
2. Positioning: Why should anyone read or listen to you?
3. Explain the problem
4. Explain why most solutions fail

All of these steps are written with the reader in mind, what’s in it for them, explaining problems from their point of view. You connect with readers by showing you know how they must feel frustrated or even angry when dealing with this issue. Now it’s time to introduce step 5: describe your specific solution.

You can list the features of your product or services. One way to do this is to use the ‘feature…so that…benefit’ phrase like this: "Our program offers you an inexpensive way to access learning materials so that you keep more of your hard earned money."

Or, "our private membership site allows you to learn on your time at your convenience, so that you don’t have to spend days away from home and work at an expensive workshop."

Keep in mind, that solutions that save people time and money are very appealing. People don’t really care about the features of your widget, your ebook, your program. You do, but they are still looking for what’s in it for them. So spell it out for them.

I’m continuing to use our Blog Squad Mentor Program as an example of how I apply these principles to real copy: