Writing On The Web by Patsi Krakoff, The Blog Squad

Content Marketing Strategies for Smart Professionals

6 Big Content Marketing Challenges of 2016

By Patsi Krakoff in Attracting Clients, Content Marketing, How to...Tips

Content marketing is challenging, but it’s also the most rewarding work I’ve ever done. What more satisfying way to market professional services than by writing from the heart? When you address the problems your readers experience with your own knowledge, experience and wisdom, you help others AND build credibility authentically.

If you’ve been reading my blog for any length of time, you probably know that I do not believe in new year resolutions. And, I am not really convinced that goal setting, even marketing goals, is always the best thing, either. (Research has proven this.)

But, I do believe in strategy, clarity, planning and focus. Each year I pick a word, One Word to focus on. No matter what I am doing, I think about implementing that word, in every way I can.

For example, a few years ago my “one word” was “Care.” When I think about expressing care for my clients and readers, it shows up in the quality of my work:

I care if my blog has high quality, relevant content that helps readers
I care if I stay in touch more frequently with clients and offer to help them out
I care if I reach out on social sites more often to share good ideas
I show that I care when I ask more questions and listen better to friends and family

If I really do care, I want to get my marketing message heard by more people. It’s not about selling, it’s about being of service.

Last month Kris and I spent some time interviewing clients. We really wanted to know how we can best be of service. (Sometimes it’s hard to keep up with all the social media and content marketing channels available, especially in the always shifting future.)

What we learned is that while business continues to improve for our clients, their 6 big content marketing struggles are:

How to get found
How to grow readership
How to start a blog
How to blog
How to use social media
How to send out an electronic newsletter

What about you? Are these the biggest challenges you face with your content marketing?

If we weren’t able to connect with you, and you have other questions about content marketing, writing on the web, or creating an ebook, please let us know. Send us an email: patsi@writingontheweb.com or kris@writingontheweb.com

For the next few months, we’ll spend time focusing on these areas, and make sure that we can offer you good, useful information that can help you get found, get known, and get clients.

Oh, and happy new year, or as they say here in sunny Mexico, Feliz año nuevo!

Tags : Content Marketing, content marketing tips

How to Blog for Your Business Using Personality

By Patsi Krakoff in Attracting Clients, On Writing Better, Story Telling, Writing Great Blog Content

Do you know how to blog for your business using personality yet remaining professional? No, seriously – there’s an ongoing trend to be personal with blogs. I see it everywhere – blogs, email, newsletters. If you’re writing for business, you want to connect with your readers by using personal stories. But how much is too much?

Rohit Bhargava’s written a whole book about this, filled with examples of how companies are successfully using personalities to market their business products and services: Personality Not Included.

This is an important skill to master when it comes to writing a business blog that attracts readers yet keeps a professional brand. Where do you draw the line when it comes to sharing personal stories? Read More→

Tags : blog traffic, content marketing tips, personal stories, personality

Blog Readers: 7 Psychological Ways to Emotionally Connect

By Patsi Krakoff in Attracting Clients, Content Marketing, Getting Read, How to...Tips, Writing Great Blog Content

How do you create an emotional connection with your blog readers? More importantly, how do you get them so inspired they want to take action, like join your list, opt-in, comment, or buy something? Here are some psychological secrets to keep in mind.

When writing on the web – either in a blog post, a newsletter or other forms of content marketing, readers are more likely to respond to your offers of service or products if there is a resonance between you. An emotional connection is forged when your reader experiences being on the same ‘wave length’ as you. This can be done several ways.

I have to warn you: this is not always easy to do in an email, ezine or blog. Why? Because people are so different, and what is appealing on an emotional level to one is averse to another. Read More→

Tags : Attracting Clients, blog content, connecting with readers, personal stories

Great Blog Content:
2 Reasons for Writing Stories

By Patsi Krakoff in On Writing Better, Story Telling, Writing Great Blog Content

Are you writing stories with feeling on your business blog? If your blog post doesn’t resonate emotionally, you can’t do a good job of building relationships, inspiring trust, and moving people into taking action.

As I mentioned in my last post, great blog content appeals to people who are both thinkers and feelers. To do this, blog writers need to get real with readers – they need to step away from their anonymous masks and get emotional. If you don’t, readers won’t respond to you. Read More→

Tags : Attracting Clients, blog content, content marketing with blogs, write with emotion

Is Your Content Writing Appealing
to Thinkers AND Feelers?

By Patsi Krakoff in Brain Based Content Marketing, Getting Read, Writing Great Blog Content

Is your blog content writing appealing to both thinkers AND feelers? If you aren’t appealing to these two types of communication (and decision) styles, you’re missing half of your readership potential.

When I’m blogging, I like to cite studies whenever I write about a concept, to prove my point. In The Collected Works of C. G. Jung, Volume 6: Psychological Types, noted psychologist Carl Jung identified four primary functions of consciousness:

Two perceiving functions: Sensation and Intuition
Two judging functions: Thinking and Feeling

Based on this, Isabel Briggs Myers, and her mother, Katharine Briggs, developed a personality inventory (Myers-Briggs Personality Inventory). Many professionals use this tool to help match their communication styles to other preferences.

My communication and decision style leans toward facts and data – (hold the subjective, touch-feely, please.)

If you have been reading this blog for any length of time, you know that I “preach” the importance of keeping your readers’ needs in mind. So when I write, I picture my reader. Of course, being human, I tend to project myself on to my reader: You will want the facts, not just the personal factors. However, I know that all my readers are not like me. Read More→

Tags : Attracting Clients, personal stories, personality

How a Product Funnel
Makes Blogging Profitable

By Patsi Krakoff in About Blogs, Content Marketing, How to...Tips, Pathway to Profits, Profit

Building a product funnel on your blog is key to making all your hard work profitable.

As I explained in my previous post, a great product funnel provides your readers with an opportunity to get to know you, like you and trust you. You make compelling offers to your readers that they can receive from free to fee:

Some information for free, immediate download, no strings
Some information for an email address, which will prove you can be trusted to deliver good stuff and not abuse their email
Some valuable information worth paying for, even if it’s only a few dollars
Excellent products and services that deliver much more than expected, worth the price.

Tags : Attracting Clients, Online Marketing, product funnel, profitable blogs

Build a Product Funnel on Your Blog:
Make Your Content Marketing Profitable

By Patsi Krakoff in About Blogs, Content Marketing, How to...Tips, Pathway to Profits, Profit

Are you building a product funnel on your blog?

In my recent blog posts, I’ve been talking about ways to earn money blogging using two different methods:

Sell products directly through your blog (or website)
Sell products or services because of your blog, or indirectly

These are two key elements of a product funnel – a key internet marketing strategy that will help ensure that you are not leaving money on the table or missing opportunities to solidify the relationships your hard-earned content marketing efforts are creating. Read More→

Tags : Attracting Clients, business blogging, content marketing with blogs, converting readers to clients, product funnel

How to Write Blog Posts: Awesome Graphic

By Patsi Krakoff in About Blogs, Content Marketing, Getting Read, How to...Tips

Do you know how to write blog posts so that they actually get read? Some people think blogging is easy: Write it and it will be read. If you’ve ever written a blog post, you know that’s not true, and it’s hard to craft a post people will read. This infographic was created for Salesforce Canada and it says it all; it will help you put together a share-worthy post.

Click To Enlarge

Via Salesforce

Tags : blog content, blog formatting, blog writing, Content Marketing, infographics

How to Make Money Blogging

By Patsi Krakoff in About Blogs, Attracting Clients, How to...Tips, Profit

Do you know how to make money blogging? Let me ask you this: Are you earning money because of your blog? If so, your blog is a means of indirect sales.

As I talked about in my last post, there are two different methods you can earn money blogging:

Directly
Indirectly

How to Make Money Indirectly from a Business Blog

Tags : Attracting Clients, indirect sales, profitable blogs, profitable business blogs

How to Make Money Blogging:
Yes – You Can Still Make Money Blogging!

By Patsi Krakoff in How to...Tips, Profit

Can you still make money blogging? Or is it too late to get in to the game? As I shared in my last post, the blogging has rapidly changed, but it’s not too late to start a blog, or turn your existing blog in to a source of income.