Writing On The Web by Patsi Krakoff, The Blog Squad

Content Marketing Strategies for Smart Professionals

Writing Great Blog Content: Painful?

By Patsi Krakoff in Content Marketing, Writing Great Blog Content

Rich Brooks of Flyte Media says that writing content is painful, and compares it to having dental work without novacaine! What do you think?

For me, writing – whether for my blogs, website, my email broadcasts and newsletters – is more like getting my teeth cleaned: it can be painful, but then you come out with a pretty white smile!

Take this series I’ve undertaken on how to write great content for your blog. The simplest of tips includes these 3 easy steps:

Scan your favorite blogs for relevant ideas
Take an excerpt from it and link to it
Add your own comments. (If you want to boost readership, go for disagreement and controversy. But that’s a different topic.)

Here’s what Rich says:

“No matter how much you love your job, no matter how passionate you are about what you do, writing content is going to be much more work than you think.”

The passion makes the writing start like a burst of energy. Education and discipline, however, are the tools that have to kick in to make your content readable, search engine optimized, and interesting to other people.

I agree with Rich that writing always takes more time and work than you think, even when it is full of passion. Passion isn’t enough, some hard thinking and decent grammar should back it up.

Your thoughts on this? Is passion enough? Does grammar even count?

What about time – how much are you spending on your writing and blog? Is it pleasure, pain, or both?

I’d love to hear your comments. Hit reply and let me know your thoughts.

P.S. For more tips (and diagrams), read these other recent posts:

Readable (formatting, bullet points, etc., Content Checklist
Search engine optimization, Tips on Blog Post Optimization
Interesting content, 7 Tips to Get Readers to Think

How to Avoid Problems with Hyphens and Dashes…

By Patsi Krakoff in About Blogs, Content Marketing, How to...Tips, On Writing Better, Writing for the Web, Writing Great Blog Content

Have you ever encountered this problem when blogging or writing content marketing?

Because of the informal nature of writing on a blog, or for online ezines, people now write like they speak – you know what I mean? Instead of commas or semi-colons, everyone uses dashes to interject phrases – just like the way we talk.

But everyone uses them differently! Forget the Chicago Manual of Style! As I read through other great blogs, I see lots of variations on the use of hyphens and dashes:

1. People use a double hyphen–like this. Sometimes with a space on both sides — like this, sometimes with no spaces on either side.

2. People use a hyphen instead of a dash. This is most likely because the dash is not on the keyboard. You have to find it under symbols and who wants to take time to do that?

3. People use an en dash instead of the em dash. An en dash is the shorter version of the em dash. With an en dash there is a space on both sides – with an em dash, there are no spaces—you just put it in.

Am I the only one who cares about this? If we are not going to follow the rules of academia as outlined in the manuals, are we inventing new usages because of the lack of a dash on the keyboard?

(WordPress tip: you can insert custom characters found in the omega icon in your wysiwyg editor.)

I feel like the author of Eats, Shoots & Leaves (Lynn Truss)…my inner stickler is on the loose.

Let’s all get together and decide: if we use a hyphen instead of a dash, let’s make it just one with spaces on both sides – like this, okay? Personally, I prefer the em dash with spaces on both sides — but that’s not supposed to be correct.

Unless you write in to tell me you’d prefer something else, I’ll keep on doing that and assume you agree with me…

Tags : blog formatting, blog writing, Content Marketing, content marketing with blogs, Online Marketing, Writing for the Web

Social Proof: Are You Using Client Recommendations?

By Patsi Krakoff in Attracting Clients, Content Marketing, Online Persuasion

This weekend I got a call from a person who wanted to buy a subscription to executive coach articles to use for his newsletter. What sealed the deal? The testimonials from other subscribers.

Recommendations, testimonials and client stories are a powerful persuasion tactic. It’s one of the key persuasion triggers that get people to take action. It’s called social proof.

Robert Cialdini wrote about six weapons of influence in his landmark book Influence. Social proof is one of the most powerful mechanisms for triggering buying decisions. Here’s why:

Customer ratings and reviews are one of the ways we decide and choose to buy products online. I use them all the time to click and buy: I glance at the number of gold stars other people have given a book on Amazon, or a pair of tennis shoes on Nike.

If there are two pairs of shoes I’ve selected for my size and price, I’ll go with the one that has 5 stars over 4. Think about it: I don’t know these people, they may have feet completely different to mine, they may not play tennis as often as I do.

Yet when I see a customer rave review and 5 stars, I’m all in.

We are heavily influenced by social persuasion, we can’t help it. Our brains respond to our strong need to belong and fit in, and it all happens in our unconscious minds.

Do these same persuasion tactics work for sites and businesses that aren’t selling physical products? Does social validation work for businesses selling services and experiences? Read More→

Tags : Attracting Clients, blog content, blog marketing, business blogging, Content Marketing, content marketing with blogs, converting readers to clients, Online Marketing, persuasion triggers

Landing Pages: Get Readers to Take Action

By Patsi Krakoff in Content Marketing, How to...Tips, Online Marketing, Pathway to Profits

How do you get readers to take action? Short answer: a landing page. (Also known as a sales page, squeeze page)

You can’t get results from all the content you’re creating and publishing on your blog, e-newsletter, social media sites, unless eventually you send people to a landing page and ask them to take action.

Otherwise, you may be creating a great brand, great thought leadership, great content… and so what? Sooner or later, you need to ask your readers to actually do something. You need a landing page to do that.

Landing page definition: An attractive, compelling page:

Published on the Internet that is
Optimized for search engines and
Designed to persuade a defined group of readers
To take one specific action

Here’s what I created (yes, again with the Smart Draw) to illustrate:

Tags : Content Marketing, converting readers to clients, landing pages, Online Marketing, sales pages, Wordpress sales pages

Tips on Blog Post Optimization

By Patsi Krakoff in About Blogs, Content Marketing, How to...Tips, Managing Your Ezine & Blog Tasks, Online Marketing

What are the steps you need to follow to ensure each blog post is optimized for search engines as well as well-written for your readers’ interests? Oh my… there are a lot. But to keep me out of overwhelm, I wrote them down, and put them into a flow chart.

This is good for days when I’m brain dead and likely to forget something important. But it’s also a good chart for anyone working with a V.A. or assistant who needs to take over some of the tasks for you.

After I decide what it is I want to write about (see my earlier post, Blogger’s Block: Writing Tips to Get “Unstuck“), I follow these steps for posting on my blog:

Flow chart, continued: Read More→

Tags : blog formatting, business blog training, business blogging, Content Marketing, Content Marketing Institute, content marketing with blogs, how to start blogging, Online Marketing, SEO, social media marketing

Blogger’s Block: Writing Tips to Get “Unstuck”

By Patsi Krakoff in About Blogs, Content Marketing, How to...Tips, On Writing Better, Writing Great Blog Content

What do you do when you’re stuck and can’t write on your blog? Here are some blog writing tips. I diagrammed them out.

It’s the rainy season here in Mexico – a great time to do a lot of reading and writing. At least, that’s what one would think…But…I’m having trouble. I’m stuck. I’ve got Blogger’s Block. (Yes, even experienced bloggers can get stuck from time to time.)

Solution? Start writing about where I’m at, what’s going on here, and then tie it in with something useful and relevant to readers. That’s one blog writing tip that usually bails me out.

Source of problem? I’ve been blogging so much lately for my clients that I’m dried up and stale for my own blog.

So what? I’ll bet some of you have the same blog writing problem or similar. You give your all to your clients, then when it comes time to do your own content marketing you’re as dry as toast without butter.

It’s no wonder the cobbler’s children have no shoes.

What to do? One blog writing tips is to “Just do it,” just start writing and see what comes out. You may surprise yourself. One of my clients tells me he doesn’t write that much anymore. He finds it easier to hook up the Web cam and post a video clip. Hmmm…wait a sec.

Just by starting to write, I had to trace my thought processes to find what I usually do when I am stuck. This time I diagrammed it out using SmartDraw.

It’s interesting, no? Much easier to show than tell, and you can clearly see my four favorite resources for breaking bloggers’ block.

I will now go walk my talk and come up with some good blog posts.

And if you’re still having trouble, I’ve got more tips in a great little package you can have called Time Saving Tips for Smart Bloggers, audio, transcript, PDF handouts. You can solve your blogging blues with all the tips in this program.

What resources do you use to find ideas? Hit the comment link and share.

Tags : blog content, blog writing, blogging, business blogging, Content Marketing, content marketing tips, content marketing with blogs

If Your Blog Writing Still Stinks…

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

Your blog writing can improve. I’ve talked about this before: here’s a secret formula you can use to grab people’s attention, stimulate their desire, and trigger action. Ba-da-boom, instant sales and subscriptions!

Don’t be silly, there are no easy formulas, of course not. But just follow along with me here. I’ve been reading several neuroscience and communications books that say the same things in different ways, and I think these persuasion tips can easily apply to better blog writing.

Take a look at this diagram I whipped up with SmartDraw:

Grabbing readers’ attention is the first step, of course. (By the way, this doesn’t only apply to blog writing, but to other content marketing pieces and in general for other things you write for the web.)

Attention is generally done more effectively by negative content. That’s because negative stories wake us up. They activate the more primitive centers of the brain, especially the centers for fight or flight.

Negative stories start us thinking. For example, a reader might jolt up in their chair and think, “Oh dear, this could happen to me…” Like watching a car accident, we’re drawn into a story that is full of danger or fear.

But negative stories generate worry and anxiety, as well as caution. (You may be one of those cool dudes with an Alfred E. Neuman attitude, “What? Me Worry?!” but even cool dudes feel the fear subconsciously. Oh yes you do, you just don’t admit it…)

Here’s the secret key to getting readers to act: negative stories get our attention, but they don’t stimulate us to action. To get readers to act, they have to want something different. So to stimulate a desire for change, you must switch your writing to positive stories.

In this part of your blog post, you start describing a better future. You enable the reader to see possibilities they have missed. Once their negativity buttons are triggered, you’ve got their attention, now do something with that.

When your blog writing includes positive stories, for example, how a client’s life changed when they started using your product, readers start seeing themselves in the picture.

Readers can see themselves in your story, and begin to imagine doing something new and different. This is how you stimulate desire for change. It is how you get readers primed to take the next step, to take the action you are going to suggest to them.

Let me tell you a personal story.

I grew up with less than ideal parenting. Before the age of 8, I had experienced 4 different parental figures. That created a little confusion and a heck of a lot of insecurity in my young world, but it also created a strong sense of determination, perseverance, and resilience.

Although often insecure, my sense of curiosity and will to survive is world-class. I have used my strengths to land on my feet in precarious situations, and I have managed to soar to achievements in spite of never being completely sure of myself.

I write an award-winning blog that is on several best blog lists and have helped countless clients become better blog writers. I’ve made my living online for over ten years. I’m probably doing something right.

You may have heard my story before, or similar ones (a good example of this is Tony Robbins, who loves to say he was a bum living in his car, now he’s a success because he mastered certain tips for living, etc. etc.) but I tell you this for several reasons. First, to demonstrate use of negative and positive stories. I also want to impart a lesson for blog writing.

Knowing yourself well, both the weak and strong sides, is a key to writing well. If I hadn’t experienced a confusing childhood, I might not be as curious. I might not try to seek out answers and solutions. I might not be so driven to succeed.

You may have similar or much worse experiences in your background. The key is to look at how they contribute to your passions, your desires, to what you really value. Unlock those things and set them to work in your favor.

When you can connect your personal story to what you do and what you write about, you will connect with readers. And I believe that will help your writing, and ultimately your business success.

Negative stories will grab your readers attention, positive stories will help them to see themselves in a better future, and neutral stories will give them the steps and show them how.

Does this make sense to you? (I’m feeling a little insecure right now, of course…;-) !

Tags : blog writing, business blogging, Content Marketing, content marketing with blogs, Online Marketing, persuasion triggers

Blog Writing Tips for Business Clarity:
A Helpful Diagram

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

Good business writing should be like a good butler: working smoothly in the service of the reader without calling attention to itself.

This means that you avoid language that sounds impressive.

This weekend I was reviewing some books on business writing, including Harvard Business Review’s Guide to Better Business Writing.

Although these tips are designed for business professionals who write reports, proposals, presentations and memos, they are totally applicable to blog writing.

There is no better way to approach business and blog writing tasks than to keep in mind three realities:

Business readers are content driven
Readers are pressed for time
Readers are seeking out solutions

There is a confusing amount of contradictory advice about how to compose a business report:

Writing should be clear – but it should also “sound good”
Information should be simple and straightforward – yet cleverly composed to stand out
Get to the bottom line quickly – but don’t leave out background details

Use your words to carry information, ideas and build relationships with readers by speaking their language. Go easy on the jargon and cliches. Organize your content so that readers will be drawn into reading your ideas logically presented to flow in a way that makes sense.

The number one question readers are asking when they glance at material is this:

Why am I reading this? What’s in this for me? Why should I care?”

Not to be harsh, but they don’t care about you. The introductory paragraph needs to quickly establish the relevancy and utility of the document to readers. Read More→

Tags : Attracting Clients, blog writing, Content Marketing

Online Persuasion: How to Write to Create Desire

By Patsi Krakoff in Attracting Clients, Content Marketing, How to...Tips, Online Persuasion, Pathway to Profits, Writing Great Blog Content

When writing online, how can you appeal to readers’ emotions on a business-oriented site? Online persuasion works best when you appeal to both the logical and emotional centers in the brain.

If you want to write content that persuades readers – both thinking type and feeling type processors – to take action, you write about emotional triggers AND provide reasons to act.

Many online content marketers misunderstand what it means to “appeal to emotions.” How exactly do you bypass the conscious thinking brain and instantly connect with readers’ emotional centers, out of their conscious awareness?

It’s easier than you might think. Stephen Denning writes about this in his book The Secret Language of Leadership, and these lessons for leadership communications are applicable to writing web content.

Here’s a diagram of how many business professionals traditionally write content when they want to persuade people to take action:

The traditional communication approach follows this sequence:

Define the problem ► Analyze it ►Recommend a solution

Effective content marketers, however, follow a unique, almost hidden pattern:

Grab the audience’s attention ► Stimulate desire ► Reinforce with reasons

When language follows this sequence, it can inspire enduring enthusiasm for a cause and spark action.

Grab Attention:

Write headlines that draw the reader in
Use images that evoke curiosity, humor, or desire
Format your content for easy reading

Stimulate Desire: Read More→

Tags : Attracting Clients, blog writing, Content Marketing, Online Marketing, persuasion, persuasion triggers, Writing for the Web

6 Writing Tips for SEO Friendly Content Marketing

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

Do you know how to write SEO-friendly content your readers will love? This week’s guest post by Christian Arno of Lingo24 shares 6 writing tips for writing online content that works for both readers and search engines.

Writing for the web can be like walking on a tightrope. Do you litter your blog writing and web pages with keywords so the search engine spiders can find you? Or do you make the copy interesting so people will be eager to read it and pass it on? Both, of course. And here’s how:

Choose your keywords wisely

Make sure you’re aware of your essential keywords before you start writing on your blog, as trying to slot them neatly into finished copy could prove to be a tricky task. Use a handy tool like Google AdWords to work out which keywords are going to be best for you.

Make sure you know which keywords will both attract readers and be SEO friendly.

(Note: Not sure how keywords work? Try a subscription service to ScribeSEO Tool. It not only analyzes your blog writing for keywords and SEO-friendly content, but makes suggestions on how to maximize keyword usage. For more info: Scribe SEO Tool click here.)

2. Know where to place your keywords

Your keywords are important, but where you put them will have a significant impact on your SEO efforts. It’s essential to place a couple of keywords at the very beginning of your writing—the title is a great place to start. But be careful not to overuse them—it’ll be obvious to your readers what you’re trying to do.

3. Know the tricks of the trade Read More→