Writing On The Web by Patsi Krakoff, The Blog Squad

Content Marketing Strategies for Smart Professionals

Conversation with Dan Poynter, Book Expert

By Patsi Krakoff in Teleclasses & Seminars

Wringing More Value out of your Work
Wednesday, August 31, 2005, 8:30 p.m. ET
Guest Expert: Dan Poynter, of ParaPublishing.com

Write it once, sell it forever; there are many ways to sell your Work over and over. You’ve heard of Blogs-to-Books. Dan Poynter started with magazine articles-to-books. Now he turns eZine content into eBooks. He was the first to sell eDocuments and eBooks as downloads from his website. He will describe how to publish, promote and sell eBooks, pBooks (printed), eDocuments, LARGE print books, aBooks (CDs), audio downloads and podcasting.

If you don’t make your information available in multiple formats, some hungry customers will not be able to use it (for example, commuters, sales reps and long-haul truckers can’t read your printed book; they want and need audio). Dan Poynter has the answers.

Dan Poynter is an author of more than 100 books, has been a publisher since 1969 and is a Certified Speaking Professional (CSP). He is an evangelist for books, an ombudsman for authors, an advocate for publishers and the godfather to thousands of successfully-published books. Dan shows people how to make a difference while making a living by coaching them on the writing, publishing and promoting of their book.

He has turned thousands of people into successful authors. His mission is to see that people do not die with a book still inside them. See his Para Publishing website at http://ParaPublishing.com

Conversations with Experts: How to Build Your Business On and Off-line
Hosted by Denise Wakeman and Patsi Krakoff.

Conversations with Experts is sponsored by Build a Better Blog System.

Profitable Coach Newsletters

By Patsi Krakoff in Writing Better Ezines

My colleague Milana Leshinsky writes a good newsletter called the Coaching Business Weekly. I want to share with you an excerpt on How to Publish a Coaching Newsletter That Brings Clients.

Here is her Success Factor #1 on writing a profitable coach newsletter:

Success Factor #1: Personality. This is the defining factor!

Nothing can be a greater waste of time than publishing a generic newsletter with no personality behind it.

It’s easy to spot a newsletter without personality. Just look for the word "I" – chances are, you won’t
find it!

Remember, coaching is a very personal and intimate experience. Injecting your personality and your voice in it can help your readers connect with you on a much deeper level than any generic writing.

If you are not sure whether your newsletter has personality, let your friend or spouse read it. Can they "hear" your voice as they read it? Can they easily tell you wrote it? If yes, then you’ve got it!

If it sounds like an excerpt from a magazine article that anyone could’ve written, then re-write
in your own voice.

I find it a lot easier to do when I read it out loud. Does it sound like you normally speak to
people? Do you normally sound excited? Gentle and understanding? Quick and to the point Inspiring?Patient and detailed?

Use your voice in your newsletter, and your ideal prospects will become your biggest fans!

Scan, Cram & Scram: Online Reading Tips

By Patsi Krakoff in Managing Your Ezine & Blog Tasks

I hate my email inbox when it gets crowded. By Friday, the unopened newsletters and biz related info emails start to bug me. Here’s a good article on how to manage your online reading tasks, from Soni Pitts, www.sonipitts.com.

I especially like her tip #3: scan the message, cram the relevant points you need, and scram or delete all the superflous info.

Name Game: Boost Biz with Blogs?

By Patsi Krakoff in Teleclasses & Seminars

I need your feedback, please.

Denise and I, along with our colleague Adam Urbanski, the Marketing Mentor guy, are developing a new, hands-on class for setting up and using a blog to drive business. We would like to get your feedback on some names for the class:

1. Boost Your Biz with Blogs

2. Biz Blog Starter

3. Biz Blog Builder

Please vote for one, by clicking on the comment link in the footer here, and let us know which name rings your bells.

P.S. This is a 6-week intensive ‘boot-camp’ where we will actually walk Adam through the initial set up of his blog, and then show him how to drive traffic in order to boost business.

Let us know your preference by clicking on the Comment link below and stating which name you feel works the best. You can let me know if you’re interested in attending while you’re at it! Thanks!

Content is STILL King

By Patsi Krakoff in Getting Read, Promoting Your Ezine +/or Blog, Writing Better Ezines

Here’s a good post about the state of blogging, post-revolution. Like any major technology that bursts on the scene, there is use, misuse, abuse, and boring. Jane Genova, Speechwriter-Ghostwriter, says this about the way blogs are going. (Please note the boldings and italics are mine, so that you will pay special attention to these concepts; also note that it doesn’t matter if you aren’t doing a blog yet. These comments apply to writing good newsletter too!)

Blogging – Post-Revolution, excerpts…
By Jan Genova, Sppechwriter-Ghostwriter

Blogging is morphing from a grassroots revolution to a mainstream commercial communications tool. And that’s making all the difference in how the 80,000 who start a blog each day and all the rest of the14.2 million bloggers chat it up the blogosphere.

In fact, ecommerce expert Paul Chaney, President of Radiant Marketing Group, observes that even the term "blog" is being replaced by the more formal communications term "content management system."

So, what does all this mean? A total re-thinking of how to use this medium.

So, to be taken seriously, the postings will have to be clearly differentiated from all the other "stuff" out there.

That now-must differentiation can come in almost an infinite number of ways: Really provocative/controversial content. Information that can’t easily be obtained elsewhere. Brilliant analysis of events, trends, personalities. Authorship by a celebrity such as Donald Trump. Dogged persistence in following a topic. Passionate commitment to a cause or to a corporate function such as customer services, quality, design (e.g. GM’s Robert Lutz). And so on.

A Conversation with Bob Bly

By Patsi Krakoff in Teleclasses & Seminars

Using Direct Marketing Techniques to Sell Thousands of Copies of Your Book
Wednesday, August 24, 2005, 8:30 p.m. ET
Guest Expert: Bob Bly of bly.com

One out of three hardcover books distributed to bookstores is returned to the publisher unsold, but you can still make your book a best-seller by selling it through ads, direct mail, and the Internet. In this interview, author and direct response copywriter Bob Bly shows you marketing techniques that can boost your book sales.

Guest: Bob Bly is a freelance copywriter specializing in direct marketing and the author of more than 60 books including The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Direct Marketing (Alpha Books)

Conversations with Experts: How to Build Your Business On and Off-line
Hosted by Denise Wakeman and Patsi Krakoff.

Conversations with Experts is sponsored by Build a Better Blog System.

P.S. Don’t forget, if you’re still wondering whether to start blogging for your business yet or not, Denise & I are leading a class Tuesday 4 p.m. ET through the Business Building Center. For more info, go here, and Start Blogging Now!

4 Reasons To Start Blogging NOW

By Patsi Krakoff in Teleclasses & Seminars

Denise Wakeman and I have been invited to teach an intro blogging class for the Business Building Center. We just found out it’s open to EVERYONE so if you still haven’t started your blog or you know others who are interested, you’re invited to join us for an intro to business blogging.

4 Reasons to Start Blogging Now!
Brought to you by: www.BusinessBuildingCenter.com
With Patsi Krakoff and Denise Wakeman

Date: Tuesday, August 23rd – FREE
Time: 4-5pm Eastern/NY (1-2pm Pacific/CA)

Blogs are the wave of the future on the Internet. Learn how you can use a blog to build your business with very little expense. Blogs are being used in big, small and micro businesses as a dynamic vehicle for communication between business and customers to build trust, credibility and awareness. But not every blog gets results. Join us and learn:

* What the heck is a blog!
* 4 reasons you should have a blog
* Why blogs are such an effective marketing strategy
* How to start blogging quickly
* The 3 deadly mistakes you must avoid

To reserve your spot and receive the telephone bridge number send a blank email to:
bbc2005-119451@autocontactor.com.

The Business Building Center is the most comprehensive, research-based online training and resource center for professional coaches. Members of www.BusinesssBuildingCenter.com enjoy 24/7 access to:

* Comprehensive training classes that walk you the proven, step-by-step Coach & Grow R.I.C.H. Practice-building system.
* A large resource library of downloadable forms, checklists, templates, charts, models, marketing materials, sales letters, coaching proposals and much more that you can customize and immediately start using in your practice.
* Easily accessible, coaching specific articles and special reports on marketing, sales, branding your business, pricing strategies, cash flow control, making guarantees, case studies, and a host of other topics written by the best minds in the business.
* The opportunity to attend live teleclasses and monthly community calls at no additional charge.
* And much more!

Want to learn more about the Business Building Center? Take a test drive on us! Click here to activate a f’ree one month trial:
http://www.businessbuildingcenter.com/trial.htm

How Important Is Your Book Design?

By Patsi Krakoff in E-Books, Teleclasses & Seminars

Brian Taylor of Pneuma Books will share his expertise about book design and formatting on Wednesday, August 17, 2005 at 8:30 p.m. ET. He is our featured guest on the Conversations with Experts teleseminar.

For details on this interesting Conversation, go here and register to get the call in number (no charge.)

How to Ask for a Testimonial

By Patsi Krakoff in How to...Tips, Promoting Your Ezine +/or Blog, Writing Better Ezines

There’s a great article about how to ask your clients for effective testimonials, ones that aren’t too sugary, ones that can speak to the real needs of your customers over on the Psychotactics site.

Ask the client three questions:
1) What were your perceptions before you bought our product/service and were you reluctant in any way?
2) How did you feel as a result of using the product/service?
3) What specific results did you get as a result of using the product/service?

For more information read the complete article, it explains how you can avoid getting testimonials that are ineffective and too flowery or vague.

The Psychotactic website says it "unlocks the mystery of the business brain"…good luck on that one.

How to Make a Quick Marketing Plan

By Patsi Krakoff in How to...Tips, Promoting Your Ezine +/or Blog, Writing Better Ezines

Michael Levine is author of Guerilla PR and writes the Guerrilla PR Insights ezine with great tips for getting publicity. Here’s an outline of a quick marketing plan he recommends before taking action on PR.

15 Minute Guerrilla PR Marketing Plan
by Michael Levine
To subscribe to Guerilla PR Insights, go here.
Excerpted from the International Bestseller, Guerrilla PR.

When you need a "down and dirty" marketing plan, you can use the following outline. We use this plan at my company as a quick starting point. I’m sure you’ll find it useful as a starting point.

OBJECTIVE(S): What do you want to achieve?
AUDIENCE(S): Who can best help you reach that goal?
Definition of your product or service:
Message: Why your audience should want or could benefit by your product or service:
Why are you better than your competition?
What else do you want your audience to know?
Media: What vehicles should you use to get the message to your audience?
Summary/Results: How does the delivery of the above message to the targeted audiences via these media achieve your objectives?
Once you have written out this plan, refine it, then put together an action plan. Good planning is the starting point for getting PR.

Answering these questions is also effective for clearly defining your newsletter goals. If you struggle with your newsletter, it may be you aren’t clear on who your audience is and what you want to achieve.

When’s the last time you sat and wrote out your marketing plan and objectives?