Writing On The Web by Patsi Krakoff, The Blog Squad

Content Marketing Strategies for Smart Professionals

Content Marketing with Stories: Better than Facts

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

Good stories are what make a blog interesting and fun to read. More importantly, if you’re trying to influence people to buy into your ideas and ultimately your business, there is evidence that stories work better than facts.

A 2007 study by Jennifer Edson Escalas, a marketing researcher at Vanderbilt University, found that people had more positive reactions to advertisements that were presented in a story form than to ads that were factually straightforward about the products.

In another study, when information was labeled as fact, it was subjected to critical analysis. Apparently humans have a tendency to want to make factual information wrong, compared with information labeled as a story, which people accept more easily.

In his book Meatball Sundae, Seth Godin writes, “People just aren’t that good at remembering facts. When people do remember facts, it’s almost always in context.” The way to put facts into context is to transfer them through the use of story. A story is all about context.

So if you’re a professional with a blog, or writing content for your web pages or e-newsletter, what kinds of stories should you be writing? On a blog, it’s easier to do since it’s a personal communication tool. It’s easy to share client experiences and stories about the work you do.

I’ve written extensively about how to craft blog posts, and given you some outlines and templates for structuring blog posts. Most of them center on writing about how to solve a problem for your readers. The best way to gain attention and engage readers is through storytelling.

Here are some ideas for triggering stories: Read More→

Tags : Attracting Clients, blog marketing, blog writing, Content Marketing, content marketing with blogs, Online Marketing, stories, storytelling, Writing for the Web

Razer Switchblade Wins CES People’s Choice Vote

By Patsi Krakoff in Content Marketing

Confetti and balloons all over the office today at the Krakoff casa in Mexico: after five years as a finalist in the Las Vegas CES show, hubby and Razer Founder Rob Krakoff, aka Razerguy, accepted the People’s Choice trophy for best new gadget, a prototype, the Razer Switchblade.

The Razer company is a fine example of a community-focused marketing strategy. They design gaming peripherals “for gamers, by gamers.” They have passionate fans on Facebook who participate actively.

Their innovative people are always looking for ways to make the gaming experience better. Now, with the Switchblade, gamers can easily engage in their favorite games anywhere they go.

The Razer Switchblade is a portable gaming device with LCD keyboard. It’s hard to imagine, so I’ll direct you to this video of the product launch:

Congratulations to all the Razer guys!

Here are links to the awards on CNET:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MjDSn7bxEOE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dYZVrbwnR7M&feature=player_embedded

For all you who want to know what’s new in electronics from 2011 CES, here are the complete awards:

http://cnettv.cnet.com/best-ces-2011/9742-1_53-50098519.html?tag=api

Tags : Attracting Clients, community-based marketing, Content Marketing, Online Marketing

E-Newsletter Review: How’s Your Ezine?

By Patsi Krakoff in Content Marketing, Executive Coach Ezine Article Topics, Getting Read, List Building Tips, Managing Your Ezine & Blog Tasks, On Writing Better, Promoting Your Ezine +/or Blog, Writing Better Ezines

You may be doing all the right content marketing things (e-newsletter, blog, articles, etc.) and still not get good results (get found, get known, get clients!) If all you’re doing is publishing good information, without personality, without offers, what’s the point?

I got an email from a client who lamented the poor results from her emailed newsletter. After a year she reported:

No new clients came to her after reading it
No new sign-ups were happening (or were rare)

She asked what she was doing wrong. Here were some of her questions, followed by my answers. This would be a good time to check your own e-newsletter for opportunities for improvement.

Could it be the article is too long?
Could it be I don’t know how to sell myself with my newsletter?
Could it be that I don’t choose the right article for my clients (they are small business owners and at time managers in various companies)?
Could it be that many people check their emails on their phone and do not have time to read my newsletters?

The person asking these good questions is an executive coach. She needs to “sell herself” by providing quality content that demonstrates her expertise in coaching matters and leadership and personal development issues. Read More→

Tags : Attracting Clients, Content Marketing, e-newsletters, ezines, Online Marketing, personal stories, personality

3 Easy Tips to Target Readers with Your Content

By Patsi Krakoff in About Blogs, Content Marketing, Managing Your Ezine & Blog Tasks, Online Marketing, Social Media Stuff

This is a guest post from Sam Briones, a freelance writer, who explains how to get targeted traffic to read your online content.

You may be on your keyboard all day and night, writing about content that you are knowledgeable and passionate about. You know that what you are writing makes sense, and more importantly, your expertise could change someone’s outlook, or even their life!

However, you don’t seem to be getting responses. You check your blog, and the only comments are from your mother. What’s wrong, and how do you fix it?

While there are many writers out there who can really deliver, content-wise, the truth is, most of these writers aren’t marketers, or lack the marketing skills to get their work noticed by the people who may actually find the information they provide useful. If you’re one of those individuals, you can change that by following one or more of these easy tips.

1. Have the right domain name: You may love to write about web design, but if your domain name is something like Katlovesdogs.com, then nobody will ever associate your website or blog with design. In choosing your domain name, make sure that it states what your website is actually about. That way, it can also be searchable when people type in keywords.

2. Submit your work to article submission sites: You’ve gotten your domain right, but people are still not visiting your blog. Maybe you just need to inform a wider audience that you are indeed out there. Try taking a few blog posts or articles and submitting them to some article submission sites like ezinearticles.com or goarticles.com. Read More→

Tags : Attracting Clients, blog content, blog marketing, blog writing, business blogging, Content Marketing, content marketing tips, Online Marketing, Writing for the Web

Content Marketing for Coaches and Consultants

By Patsi Krakoff in Buying Content, Content Marketing, Managing Your Ezine & Blog Tasks

If you’re an executive coach or consultant or a professional working with leadership issues, may I make a suggestion? Content marketing for coaches and consultants can be outsourced, here’s how.

You can get quality content at my other site, ContentforCoachesandConsultants.com. When you become a subscriber you benefit from article discounts up to 45% for the year. Plus, in many states and countries, your purchase qualifies as a business expense and will be tax deductible.

Up until midnight ET December 31, 2010, you can use discount coupon codes and get an additional 10% off subscription prices.

Content for Coaches offers subscriptions for articles, formatted newsletters, blogging services, or All-in-One E-newsletter Service management for 10% off the regular prices:

Save up to $40 per article – pay only $39 per article on a subscription of 12, or $49 per article for a subscription of 6.
Save up to $99 on a subscription of 6 or 12 PDF formatted newsletters, either four pages or two pages.
Save $240 on the design, formatting and distribution of your e-newsletter with an annual All-in-One Ezine Service.

Here’s a list of links for additional details and the corresponding coupon codes you can use at checkout to receive the 10% discount. Let us know if you have questions.

Article Subscriptions – 2010ArticlesBonus

PDF Newsletters – 2010PDFBonus

All-in-One Ezine Service – 2010EZINEMGMTBONUS

Blogging Service: We are offering a 10% discount on ghost blogging for both 6-month and 12-month options. However, since this is individualized original content, we only have openings for two more clients. Send me an email if this is of interest to you.

Here are some sample titles and topics available: Read More→

Tags : blogging services, coaching, consultant, Content Marketing, content marketing for coaches, leadership development, newsletter services, online content

Happy Holidays from Patsi & Rob

By Patsi Krakoff in Content Marketing, Fun and Irrelevant Things About Patsi

It wasn’t easy getting the Hubby to put on his Mariachi costume and all, but I finally convinced him with a can of Mexican jumping beans…

If you haven’t subscribed to JibJab, maybe this is a fun time to do so?

All the best for 2011!

Top Ten Musings for Holiday Cheer

By Patsi Krakoff in Coaching/Personal Development, Content Marketing, Fun and Irrelevant Things About Patsi

Remember those days when we printed out things and kept files? What a waste of paper and ink. Now everything’s findable on the Internet. I’m cleaning out files and found some old lists…

Here is a Top Ten list I kept that gives me chuckles. I share them with you to cheer you up as we enter a Holiday week in many countries throughout the world.

Happy holidays to you and your families…

Top 10 Musings

Don’t take life so seriously – nobody gets out alive anyway.
The only difference between a rut and a grave is the depth.
The gene pool could use a little more chlorine.
If at first you don’t succeed, then maybe skydiving isn’t for you.
Borrow money from pessimists… they don’t expect it back.
I finally got my head together, now my body is falling apart.
It was all so different before everything changed.
Nostalgia isn’t what it used to be.

Sorry, the other two were just too lame, I’ll spare you.

I’m sending you warm wishes from sunny Ajijic on the shores of Lake Chapala, Mexico.

Feliz Navidad!

3 Online Marketing Tasks:
Get Found, Get Known, Get Clients

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

How do you check your online marketing to see where it’s working, where it needs improvement?

Here’s my quick and easy end-of-year check up for your business. This always helps me see where I need to spend my energy and time to improve next year’s results.

Look at your marketing tasks as having 3 purposes:

Get found: How visible are you online? How easy is it for someone to find you doing a search? What comes up for your name? What comes up for the keywords that describe what your business does? Are you everywhere, or at least in the key places your target audience is? Social sites, web, blog, articles, videos, etc. Is your content optimized for search engines?
Get Known: How memorable is your name, your brand or tag line? Can people identify your business and know what problem it solves? Are you credible and perceived as trustworthy? Do you show some personality and faces of the people who work with you? Can people easily get to know you, like you and trust you?
Get Clients: Is it easy for people to become a client and buy something from you? Is it easy to download free offers? Do you have low fee products and a product funnel that includes higher-ticket offers? Is your sales copy effective? Are your landing pages clean and clear? Is your sales transaction process easy and smooth? Do you offer opportunities to upgrade or upsell to products? Are you converting readers to customers? Read More→

What Are Your Target Audience’s 5 Top Web Sites?

By Patsi Krakoff in Attracting Clients, Brain Based Content Marketing, Content Marketing, Online Marketing

If you want to create content that engages readers, you have to know their online habits and interests. Yet how many of us scramble to post on a blog or upload a video to YouTube without taking time to survey our target audience?

Here’s a quick list of survey questions for your target audience:

What are the five top web sites you visit frequently in your work?
What are your online reading habits, blogs, websites, articles, videos, podcasts?
Do you use social media like Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn?
Do you access web content via RSS feeds?
Subscribe to e-newsletter and blogs?
Do you read web content from a smartphone?

You have about eight seconds to engage someone before they click away. Clever headlines will get them to click over to your content. But unless you know what your audience wants, you’re shooting in the dark. They won’t stay. Click and bye-bye.

Good content builds momentum and always has an objective, according to Ann Handley and CC Chapman in their book Content Rules. Therefore your content needs to trigger to action. That’s the way you engage readers to respond. Your content should be created with the end in mind: to further a relationship. Read More→