Writing On The Web by Patsi Krakoff, The Blog Squad

Content Marketing Strategies for Smart Professionals

Top 10 Online Resources to Learn Great Blog Writing

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

Note: This guest post is contributed by Anna Miller, who writes on the topic of online degree. She welcomes your comments both here and at her email id: anna.miller009@gmail.com

Blogging: It’s something you start out as a passion and then slowly develop as a secondary or even primary profession. If you own a blog, you know it’s like a child, one you’ve created and now want to nourish and nurture as the years go by.

The best way to feed your blog and make it grow is to get readers to stop by. To capture a steady stream of readers, you need to post quality content on a regular basis. If you’re just starting out in the blogosphere, here are a few online resources that could help you become a better blog post writer:

1. WSU (Washington State University): You may know your facts, but if they’re peppered with common and not-so-common grammatical and spelling errors, you’re going to turn away your readers. So even though you may be fluent in English, it’s best to double-check your writing using this site as a reference.

2. Diploma Guide: No matter how good you are, it’s always wise to better yourself. Take a few lessons and courses in writing when time permits and continue to hone your writing skills with this site.

3. Blog Herald: This site has pretty much all the details you need to know to master the art of blogging – from ideas to methods of implementation, get them all here.

4. CopyBlogger: The easiest way to capture a reader is through a catchy headline. Learn the art of coming up with creative titles from this site.

How to Use Surveys to Attract, Sell & Profit

By Patsi Krakoff in Attracting Clients, Content Marketing, Online Marketing, Teleclasses & Seminars

What's the big obvious difference between a visitor to your website 10 years ago and one today? Probably not much in the sense that both are looking for information that can help them and their problems.

Only today, visitors are more web savvy and if they don't find what they need right away, if there's not something "in it for them," something that is obvious and easy, they're gone.

So how do you capture visitors' attention immediately with something that is clearly beneficial to them? I'm thinking a digital download in exchange for an email address, of course. And I'm thinking something that puts the focus on them and their situation… and I'm thinking about a tool that will engage them and get them to think…

Bingo, you guessed right! Ask them to take a quick survey or quiz that gives them answers. But it has to be done right. And it has to be fast, otherwise nobody's going to take time to fill it out.

How to Avoid FTC Marketing Infringements

By Patsi Krakoff in About Blogs, Attracting Clients, Content Marketing, Online Marketing, Teleclasses & Seminars

What changes are you making in your marketing as a result of the new FTC guidelines for online testimonials and endorsements?

The new guide lines are not new news, but some people continue to ignore them. They continue to publish the extreme success experiences of their best customers. It's tempting, I know, but the rules are clear.

Last October, 2009, the FTC (Federal Trade Commission) introduced new rules about the use of testimonials and product reviews in blogs and social media. This amendment marks the first time in 29 years since The Guides were last updated in 1980.

The gist is: From now on you can't just quote the happiest and most successful testimonials, you have to disclose how "everybody" does and what "average" is.

Some people are very, very concerned about this.

We're going to be discussing how to get good testimonials and social proof for your marketing and meet the guidelines for FTC regulations on a Webinar with Dr. Jeanne Hurlbert this Wednesday, March 17 at 3 p.m. ET.

How to Use Surveys & Quizzes to Attract, Sell & Profit: Register here, will be recorded.

Take the Content Marketing Survey

By Patsi Krakoff in About Blogs, Content Marketing, Online Marketing, Teleclasses & Seminars

Have you taken my content marketing quiz yet? Be my guest:

Content Marketing Survey

How to Use Surveys & Quizzes for Content Marketing

By Patsi Krakoff in Attracting Clients, Content Marketing, Online Marketing, Pathway to Profits, Teleclasses & Seminars

Free Webinar event: an interview with Survey Expert Dr. Jeanne Hurlbert:

Thursday, March 25, 4 p.m. EDT

Bonus report for signing up: “How to Avoid the 10 Mistakes that Cost Marketers Millions and Double Your Profits in 90 Days or Less”

News Flash: Extra Bonus– Get 20 free videos on doing surveys, featuring Jeanne and Mike Koenigs.

How to Avoid the Big Social Media Trap

By Patsi Krakoff in About Blogs, Content Marketing, Online Marketing, Pathway to Profits, Teleclasses & Seminars

Social media is great for some things, but it's got a big flaw… and if you aren't aware of this flaw, you could make costly mistakes in your business. I've asked Jeanne Hurlbert, Ph.D., from MySurveyExpert.com to explain….

Social media, online social networking, is hot — and with good reason. Used effectively and wisely, social media can reap HUGE profits for business owners.

But those who don’t know the limitations of social media are falling into a trap that can cost them millions by making them THINK they know their markets, when they really don’t.

Let’s start with what social media does well. Social media — sites like Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook, content sharing sites like Hub Pages or Squidoo — offers powerful ways to connect with people, build trust, build a brand and drive traffic to your website and blog.

But what social media CAN’T do is tell you:

Who your customers are
What products and services they want
When they’re satisfied
When they’re NOT satisfied

The Shocking Truth About Your Blog Traffic Problem

By Patsi Krakoff in About Blogs, Content Marketing, Getting Read, Online Marketing, Pathway to Profits

How do you drive traffic to your blog? Everybody wants more traffic. But Michael Martine of Remarkablogger makes a really good point:

Most of us don't have a blog traffic problem. What is really going on is we are:

Not clear on who our market is
Not clear on what problem we solve
Not clear on how we're unique/different/better than competitors
Ignorant about our market's hopes and fears
Ignorant about what motivates our market to click on a link
Ignorant about how search engines work

He's recently published a series of five free videos called Blog Traffic Fisher. I suggest you register and get it.

His point: most of us don't have a traffic problem. We get traffic, we just don't get traffic that brings great results. What we want is new business, not bigger numbers of visitors.

Coaches & Therapists: Ready for the Big Six-OH?

By Patsi Krakoff in About Blogs, Coaching/Personal Development, Content Marketing, On Writing Better, Online Marketing

In 2006 the first of the demographic cohort called the Baby Boomers turned 60. Usually with milestone birthdays people stop, reflect and take stock of their lives. And the BIG Six-OH! really sends people into reflection and introspection.

After looking in the mirror and asking, "How did that happen?" …followed by "Wow, I don't look 60, and I sure don't feel THAT old…" the next thing that follows is usually "Oh! My! God!… that sure happened FAST!"

Meryl Streep in the movie "It's Complicated" is redefining what 60-year-old women look like. Thank goodness, it was about time.

This actually happened to me a few years ago, so I know what I'm talking about. Frankly, it's all good, a little better than I expected, and fortunately, the down-hill part hasn't hit yet.

The most frightening thing? Seeing a few older friends start to fade, health-wise. The next scary thing is seeing a few Boomer friends who do not know what to do next. When they realize they still have 25-35 good years ahead, they are increasingly concerned about meaning, purpose, and energy.

Dan Pink in his new book, Drive, points out there is a possible tsunami coming as the Baby Boomers face questions like:

What can I do that really matters?
How can I start to make a big difference in this world?
How can I live my best life in this next part of it?

10 Tips to Put Mojo Back into Your Blog

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

Freud divided the brain into three parts: the ego, the id, and the superego. When scientists started using brain imaging, no one was able to locate these three parts, so we assume he was speaking in metaphors.

Now that we can peak inside the living brain, scientists tell us there are 3 parts: the cerebellum (the snake brain), the limbic system (the rat brain), and the more evolved human brain or the prefrontal cortex.

What about your Mojo? Where’s that located? Some of you have lost it, maybe you had a glimpse of it back in 2006 and have been looking to get it back ever since.

I’m talking about motivation, drive, juice, however you want to call it. Mojo is something no one has yet located in any MRI’s or brain scans. We know it exists because we’ve felt it profoundly, some would say as profoundly as sex.

What Do Readers Want?

By Patsi Krakoff in Content Marketing, Online Marketing, Pathway to Profits

When's the last time you asked your readers what they want? What do they want to read about, learn about, and what products or services should you be offering?

My colleague Jeanne Hurlbert, Ph.D., conducted a survey with Internet marketing expert Mike Koenigs and discovered that almost 47% of the marketers who responded said they never use surveys for product creation.

Here's what Jeanne says:

"That’s missing a huge opportunity! If you ask your customers what products they want, create those products, and then tell them that you’ve created the exact product they asked for, they’ll love you for it. They’ll feel part of your community, they’ll feel invested in your business, they’ll feel connected to the product—and they’ll buy it."

Dawud Miracle posted about this problem the other day: