Writing On The Web by Patsi Krakoff, The Blog Squad

Content Marketing Strategies for Smart Professionals

Marketing Crap…or not?

By Patsi Krakoff in List Building Tips, Writing Better Ezines

List Profit Secrets Revealed!

I get a lot of marketing messages from so-called experts who claim they have the secrets to building a profitable subscriber list with things like, "How one email and a list of just 1279 subscribers brought in $13,979 in sales in 24-hours."

I sign up for these things to see how other people are marketing. And most of the time, the claims are just so over the top I delete and move on. Some of my colleagues are actually promoting the above quoted claim and the seminar that goes with it. There is some kind of seminar next week that promises to tell you all the secrets you’ll ever need to know, including the middle name of Homer Simpson. Go figure…

In the midst of all the marketing hype, I did find these nuggets worthy of sharing. In fact, these tips were buried in the P.S. section.

From Kevin Wilke at Nitro Marketing:

"Here are just a few of the ways I came up
with off the top of my head on how to get
your message opened and read –

– Tell a story

– Create suspense for future issues

– Create curiosity so they read through
the entire email

– Use a subject line that is personally
relevant to the reader

– Use a piece of trivia to relate to
what you are talking about.

– write as a series (installments) to keep
readership up

– Ask a question in subject (but not one
that can be answered unless they open your
email)

– Use the news (relate what you are writing
about to something in the recent news)

– Create some conflict (think soap operas)

– Relate things to your personal life while
always injecting your own personality and
flair.

Use one or many of these together in your
emails. You can do one or two in every
email you send to increase your open
rate and response.

To find out much, much more detail about
all these and other tactics, (and also .
learn Homer Simpson’s middle name),
listen to Craig "The List Profit Coach"
Perrine’s exclusive audio training right now:"

"7 Ways To Make Sure Your Emails Get Read"

Trust me, I am not an affiliate or promoting them, but some of their tips are good sense for getting your emails and ezines opened and read. You be the judge on whether you feel their seminar is worth attending or not.

Here’s to better content,

Patsi

Fan Fare, Drumroll & a Big Hurrah!

By Patsi Krakoff in About Blogs

The Build a Better Blog System ebook is ready, folks! Okay, I lied. The preview edition is ready for purchase. You get a large chunk of the full version now, pay only $35 and get the big boy for free in a week!

Here’s are 5 reasons you should buy the book now:

1. If you haven’t started your professional business blog yet, your competitors probably already have.

2. If you do start a blog, you shouldn’t get a cookie cutter free template that doesn’t look professional.

3. You should have an effective branding name for your blog and get it to ‘point’ to your blog account.

4. You ought to have a way to capture visitors names and email addresses on your blog, like a subscription form; this can be tricky and a big time waster if you don’t know how to do it.

5. Don’t waste your time trying to do this yourself blindly. We have graciously made all the mistakes there are to make, and will share our tips, tricks and tools so you don’t have to fix these glitches like we did.

To read the full story of why you need this vital information before you set up your blog, click here.

The preview price is good for the next week until we finish polishing up the interviews, so you can procrastinate a little bit… but why miss out on this low price, when you’ll probably forget and then have to pay full price?

To purchase now, and skip all the sales hype, (you might as well) click here.

Patsi

Preview Edition Almost Ready!

By Patsi Krakoff in About Blogs

Get First Shot at the Build A Better Blog System

In a few days Denise Wakeman and I will be launching the preview, pre-launch edition of the Build A Better Blog System.

In anticipation of publishing our ebook on creating a professional business blog, we have created a preview edition that includes our 12 step, quick start guide and 4 tutorials so you can get started quickly.

This is just a sample of the dozens of tutorials, content and interviews you will get with the complete edition. We’ll be offering the preview edition at a deeply discount price which will include the full version when it is complete.

Go here to get on the list to get first notification of publication!

How to Build Your Mailing List

By Patsi Krakoff in Managing Your Ezine & Blog Tasks

Okay, so I didn’t write this book, wish I had. Thought about it, never got around to it. So, why re-invent the wheel.

Ali Brown has just published her “101 Simple, FREE and Low-Cost Ways to Quickly Build a MASSIVE EMAIL LIST". Go buy it. Then go follow her steps. You’ll be glad you did.

Growing your ezine mailing list is often one of the biggest challenges for professionals. Alexandria Brown, aka The Ezine Queen, has just published a special report with 101 ways to build an email list. If you’ve been hanging around the internet for the last few years, you’ve probably heard of The Ezine Queen. She’s a prolific writer, author and speaks at many Internet Marketing conferences. I own a number of her products and have taken her teleclasses and can vouch for the fact she knows her stuff.

You can have the best products or services in the world. And you can send out the best ezine or emails in the world. But if you have NO LIST, you have NO ONE to market to and buy your stuff.

The Ezine Queen’s brand new SPECIAL REPORT:

“101 Simple, FREE and Low-Cost Ways to Quickly Build a MASSIVE EMAIL LIST" is now available.

E-Commerce for You & Me…

By Patsi Krakoff in Ezine & Blog Classes

Even independent professional service providers can and should have shopping carts on their web sites. E-Commerce isn’t just for big retailers. If you’re a professional and provide services to others, you have a wealth of information. Some information can be packaged into articles, white papers, ebooks and telecourses.

Besides giving away your knowledge in the form of ezines & blogs, consider selling informational products. Some people want to sample your knowledge before they will call you to hire you for consulting or coaching.

But, like any big retailer, you must make the buying process easy. Let’s face it, people make snap decisions and vote with their wallets. Are you set up for online sales? It’s easier than you think with today’s software available at prices most independent professionals can afford.

Here is a series of 4 free teleclasses to teach you how to set up a shopping cart for your business, no matter how large or small your products are. Denise Wakeman is teaching the basics of ecommerce. For details, go to www.biztipsblog.com.

My Big Fat Email Inbox

By Patsi Krakoff in Managing Your Ezine & Blog Tasks

I’ve reached a new high…

When I first learned how to use Outlook and manage my email, I was taught never to let my inbox messages exceed a certain number. Emails messages, once read and acted upon would be moved over to an appropriate folder where they could be filed if needed later.

I set that number at 100, but I’ve always tried to get to under 50. There are always a few emails that stay there in my inbox because I want to think about them, I’m not sure what to do with them, or I don’t know where to file them. They aren’t quite worthy of deleting, and I don’t know where to save them.

This month has been unbelievably busy. I reached a new high of 600 email messages in my inbox (100 unread!). Now we’re not talking spam here, that gets deleted all day long and accounts for another 80 percent of my email.

Why bother with sorting into file folders off to the side? It takes too long to find a message otherwise. And I don’t get a feeling of overwhelm when I look at my inbox. I can handle looking at 100 messages, more or less, because I know that the first few need handling, and the rest are waiting for replies. I can handle that.

I know this is boring to you, but bear with me. I discovered during my morning walk around the Del Mar beach why this was happening.

Mega Insight into Brain!

How could I slip into such slovenly email habits? Because this was a very creative and productive month. I was able to shut out the demands of messages and tasks to be done, in favor of creating new articles and products.

I am usually an organized person, and like to have that feeling of being in control of my chores. In fact, I usually do chores before sitting down to write and create.

This month was different, I wrote and created. "To hell with email," my creative self said. "So what!" if a client wants something from me. "Too bad my husband is hungry," said I.

My Battling Inner Selves…

You may have noticed my previous postings from my evil marketing twin. So now I discover I have more than just an Inner Schmoozer. I have my Creative Self (also known as big inner slob) and my Organized Self and the two are at odds as to which task gets attention.

Which leads me to ask, is it possible to be creative AND organized? And, would that be any fun?

I’d love to hear from you about how you manage your email (somebody help me), your battling inner selves (no crazies here, I’m not doing psychology any more), and…how you balance competing drives.

Patsi and her committee

P.S.

If you’re a coach and want to get and stay organized, try out Sylva Leduc’s Client Compass software. It’s a really good tool. Sylva also has a number of products and informational tools to help you stay up to date. I’ve even been featured on her marketing series and you can learn more here (prices go up March 1, so hurry!).

Evil Marketing Self Takes Over…

By Patsi Krakoff in About Blogs

We’ve been busy! Here’s what’s new:

The Build A Better Blog System has been launched. You can read the press release here or visit the Build a Better Blog.

Denise Wakeman and I have created a Top 10 list on why you should have an integrated blog and ezine marketing plan. You can get the free report delivered to your email box by clicking this link to send an email.

Need help with your ezines and/or blogs? Denise and I will get out our whips and "coach" you into submission! Telecoaching program starts Tuesday March 1, 7:30 p.m. ET. Every other Tuesday over a 4-month period you will get tips, tricks, and real "hands-on help," that’s is over the phone of course. We only have a few places left, so don’t wait to sign up. Because we will become actively involved in setting up your ezines and blogs, we limit this class size. To register, click here.

You get:

8 hours of coaching on blog and/or ezine writing, set up and content with 2 internet marketing experts
Access to private class blog with tons of "how-to" tutorials and resources
5 hours of audio from the Blog Revolution Class ($97 value)
Complimentary copy of Secrets of Successful Ezines ($87 value)
Complimentary copy of Secrets of Successful Blogs (when published – $87 value)
30 minute one-on-one consultation with the instructor of your choice for feedback, editing and reviews ($75 value)

And this is all for only $149, so it makes sense. This amount of help would cost much more if you were to hire us individually. We guarantee you will have your ezine and blog out the door and looking good.

Now, can I interest you in this potato-peeler that can slice, dice and mince to the tune of Dixie? Heck, I’ll throw it in for free when you sign up for the telecoaching program! Such a deal…!

Patsi

My Evil Marketing Self

By Patsi Krakoff in Writing Better Ezines

I am surveying my database of clients and readers about their biggest challenges when it comes to ezines and blogs. Not surprisingly, many people are stuck finding the time to sit down and write.

More surprisingly, people don’t even have time to read or answer emails like they used to. I gotta ask, "Is it me?" Whereas I used to get many immediate responses to my email questions, this time my query has not gotten many responses.

I think it’s my fault. Really I do. It’s because I sandwiched my survey question, "What’s the biggest challenge you face with your ezine?" in between an announcement for my telecoaching program on ezines and blogs starting next Tuesday March 1 at 7:30 p.m. ET.

Oh boy, there I did it again. I started to write this really good post about finding the time to write for your ezines and blogs, and I couldn’t help myself.

My evil marketing self had to slip in a reminder about the telecoaching program!

Shut up, I’m writing here.

So, most coaches and consultants are really busy professionals and hardly have time to read and answer their emails, let alone manage the time and mental space to write coherent thought-provoking articles about leadership and management issues.

Evil Marketing Self:
(Don’t forget to sign up for my 8 session workshop starting next Tuesday. We will meet every other Tuesday over a period of 4 months. The help you will get from like-minded peers and internet marketing expert Denise Wakeman and myself is priceless, but you can be one of 8 participants for only $149. You get personal coaching, tutorials and the ebook all included, plus all sorts of bonus gifts, the audio tapes, etc.)

Hey, excuse me, I’m writing some serious stuff here about writing for your blogs and ezines. So here’s what I’ve discovered about the writing tasks and time management:

Only you know when you are at your most brilliant and productive for writing. For some it’s first thing in the morning. Others are night owls. Pick a time and consecrate it for writing. It doesn’t matter if it is for ten minutes or an hour. Stick to it.

Once you establish a writing habit, you will find that it is not a question of time, but of discipline. Like exercising, getting started is the hard part.

One reason many people like blogging is because it allows them to be more spontaneous and informal. You can let your mind free flow with your thoughts…

Evil Marketing Self:
(Don’t forget to sign up for the telecoaching program, you can read more about it over at www.teledevelop.com. You get:

8 hours of coaching on blog and/or ezine writing, set up and content with 2 internet marketing experts

Access to private class blog with tons of "how-to" tutorials and resources

5 hours of audio from the Blog Revolution Class ($97 value)

Complimentary copy of Secrets of Successful Ezines ($87 value)

Complimentary copy of Secrets of Successful Blogs (when published – $87 value)

30 minute one-on-one consultation with the instructor of your choice for feedback, editing and reviews ($75 value)

You can register here.)

Okay, that’s enough out of you! Go read about blog posting etiquette. This is not a marketing site, bucko. Besides, my readers have all they need to know about writing and publishing an ezine and/or a blog. They are all successful professionals who have all the clients they need. Go home!

My apologies, readers. I just can’t help myself. Too many marketing seminars and whippings from my marketing coach…

Well anyway, if you don’t have all the clients you need and you need some help with your Internet marketing strategies, including your ezine and blog, please join Denise Wakeman and I next week. We’ll try to make it easy, fun and profitable for you to have your ezine and blog up and circulating.

Patsi

There’s a New Kid in Town!

By Patsi Krakoff in Uncategorized

Welcome Milana…

Let’s hear a round of applause for the new kid in the neighborhood! Milana Leshinsky just joined the blogosphere over at www.milana.com. Read her great musings and rantings. They are a refreshing bit of honesty and humor.

I’m still looking for coach bloggers and other independent professionals with worthy blogs. Denise Wakeman and I have a short little email interview we’d like to get completed by as many worthy bloggers as possible. Here are a few people who have responded:

http://www.ggci.com/blog/ Barry Zweibel GottaGettaBlog
http://www.bloglines.com/blog/TerriLevine Terri Levine
http://theseductionofthemind.typepad.com/ Bea Fields
http://www.thinkinghomebusiness.com Des Walsh
http://smallbusinessbranding.typepad.com/ Michael D. Pollack
http://www2.cicada.com/internetbizwhiz/ Andrea Lee
http://advanced-approach.blogs.com/knee_deep/ Michele Corey
http://www.sunnythoughts.com Sunny Hills

Please press the comment button below to nominate yours, or any other colleagues with worthy blogs; we’d like to get some interesting interviews for our upcoming ebook on blogs. Thanks!

Patsi

No More Email?

By Patsi Krakoff in Uncategorized

The End of Email Marketing and Ezines?

Marketing experts are looking a ways around the spam filters that block legitimate ezines and newsletters.

Listen to what this person says:

"Email marketing is dead," declares Chris Pirillo, a frequently quoted online marketing and blogging consultant and one of the keynote speakers at the Blog Business Summit in Seattle.

To read more, go to IMediaConnections.

In the meantime, because you will continue to broadcast your ezines and newsletters, remember these two points:

1. Savvy professionals have to up the quality of their email messages, ezines and newsletters. People don’t want to be bothered with promotional content and it can back fire. Instead of building credibility and trust, you will destroy your reputation quickly when you ask them to buy without giving them something of value on a consistent basis.

Give your readers worthy content, information, and value. They will buy from you only if they like you.

2. Be careful how you recruite names into your subscriber database. Be sure they know they have signed up and subscribed to your newsletter. Most services require a double opt-in message, that is, they have to reply to a confirmation message that they actually want the newsletter before being added to the list. Unfortunately, many people don’t pay attention to their email requests and never confirm. But this is the only way of have a squeeky-clean list.

It goes without saying, never rent or buy a list as you will get spam complaints. And that can cause you problems with ISP providers, not to mention your reputation.

I recently had a subscriber who wanted to send out his first newsletter to a list he had accumulated over a period of time. He wanted his message to read, "If you don’t want to be included on my subscription list, please click the opt-out message."

I said no, he would have to send out an invitation first for people to opt-in. An opt-out invitation is not compliant with CanSpam or email marketing etiquette, in my opinion. Of course, you may not agree. Some will find this an astute way to go around the lack of confirmation response problem.

What do you think about this? Is this a clever idea, or not?

My other question to this client was, "Do you have a prior relationship with all the people on this list? Do they know you?" I am willing to accept a list of subscribers who have already received information or newsletters from a client, I would consider these people already confirmed.

Alas, some knew him, other "knew of him." So in my book, this list requires an invitation to subscribe.

Of course, I’m willing to entertain other opinions…

Because it is so hard to get people to confirm, you may think of ways to go around the double opt-in option. I know not everybody uses this system.

It seems the only people that the CanSpam laws affect are the legitimate publishers of ezines who don’t want to be considered spammers. The spammers are not concerned at all and continue to proliferate.

I’d be interested in knowing what other professionals are doing to deal with the email blocking problems. Please click on the comment button below and share.

Patsi

P.S. I know this is one reason I am using blogs to communicate with people instead of blasting them with email messages. I feel like I am intruding into their inboxes…!