Writing On The Web by Patsi Krakoff, The Blog Squad

Content Marketing Strategies for Smart Professionals

Educate your readers: 4 ways people learn

By Patsi Krakoff in About Blogs, Content Marketing, Writing Great Blog Content

Remember the 3 E’s of Better Business Blogging? It’s my short hand memory checklist before publishing a blog post: Educate, Entertain, & Engage readers.

You write to educate, entertain and engage readers when you want to build readerships and get great results with your blogging.

When it comes to educating readers, it’s important to take a page out of teachers’ notebooks. Teachers know that not all people learn the same way.

Most of us teach in the style we’re most familiar with: our own learning styles. If you’re analytical, you’ll teach using data. Your blog readers will understand and learn well if they’re like you.

But not all readers are the same. Denise is an active experimenter. She wants to know how to do something and needs to try it out before she learns something.

I’m probably more of a conceptualizer: I’ve got to sit and think about something a while. It also helps when there are visuals so I can see how it works.

Content Marketing Blogs: We made the list!

By Patsi Krakoff in Content Marketing, Online Marketing

Joe Pulizzi of Junta42 announces his Top 42 Blogs for content marketing this week, and WritingontheWeb.com, this blog, went from #25 to #24! He’s getting more stringent on qualifications so I consider myself lucky indeed.

What I like most about this list is the company: these are all great blogs with a lot to say about how your content markets your business. You could spend a week reading each one and come out with an MBA in content marketing!

Congrats to Brian Clark at Copyblogger.com for taking the 1st spot. Also congrats to the other Top 5, including Lee Odden, Brian Solis, Newt Barrett and Ardath Albee.

Here’s a link to Joe’s Junta 42 blog post announcing the updated list.

Brian Clark and the Secret to Life

By Patsi Krakoff in Content Marketing, On Writing Better, Writing Great Blog Content

If you haven’t read Copyblogger Brian Clark’s story The Snowboard, the Subdural Hemotoma and the Secret to Life yet, do so now. This is what I refer to as telling your story and capturing the hearts of readers. But be prepared to be moved…

Cornerstone Content for Better Business Blogging

By Patsi Krakoff in Content Marketing, On Writing Better, Writing Great Blog Content

Do you know what I think most business blogs are missing? A clearly defined key post that explains:

• what the blog author’s core message is
• what the blog author’s story is and why they are blogging
• what the blog author really values and cares about
• what the blog author gets angry about

I call this Cornerstone Content. Others call it pillar posts, flagship content, core content.

It needs to be featured on special stand alone page(s). You announce it in a side-bar notice and link to it so that first time visitors know exactly where they can read your cornerstone message.

3 Blog Squad Interviews on this week’s calendar

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

Denise and I will be putting on our Blog Squad pink and preaching the Blogspell to a variety of teleseminar and radio audiences this week. Mark your calendars:

Tuesday May 6, 2008 at 8 pm ET: Interview with Ellen Britt of Marketing Qi- Blogging to Gain Expert Status (we always include new information in our signature teleclass – no two classes are the same)
FREE – Register here: www.marketingqi.com/blogsquad
Thursday May 8, 2008 @ 12 pm ET: interview with Lorraine Cohen on Powerfull Living Radio – www.blogtalkradio/PowerfullLiving
Thursday May 8, 2008 @ 2 pm ET: Sharon Capehart interviews us on BlogTalkRadio Power Up for Women – www.blogtalkradio.com/SharonCapehart/

Content Marketing for Consultants: How Michael got more business than he can handle

By Patsi Krakoff in Content Marketing, On Writing Better, Writing Great White Papers

Many of the professionals I work with providing newsletter services (www.CustomizedNewsletters.com) are highly educated consultants and executive coaches who make their living by delivering information, coaching and training services to others in organizations.

In other words, they’re independent service professionals who are hired by businesses to create great results: like my friend Michael who markets his business writing services to corporations. In 2003, Mike had a problem because of the economy at that time. Businesses were pulling in the reins on hiring outside consultants. Remind you of anything?

If this kind of story sounds familiar to you, read on. I want you to go look at a video where Mike tells his story of how he turned an economic downturn into more business than he could handle.

http://www.theblogsquad.net/wpvideo

I often ask consultants, "Besides your newsletter, what other ways do you market yourself and get clients?" Nine out of ten rely on word of mouth referrals from past clients and colleagues. Only a few are regularly using email, blogs or social networking methods for getting known and getting leads.

My suggestion?

Hypnotic Writing? Jon McCulloch speaks out

By Patsi Krakoff in Content Marketing, On Writing Better, Writing Great Copy

Guest author Jon McCulloch emailed me from Ireland the other day in response to my posts about hypnotic writing as a sales copy technique. I asked Jon to share with everyone here his thoughts about Joe Vitale’s Hypnotic Writing book:

Hi Patsi,

Your review of Joe Vitale’s "Hypnotic Writing" was interesting, although you might enjoy another’s perspective.

Vitale does have a lot of interesting stuff to say, although he’s done the usual thing and hijacked a lot of pretty basic concepts we’ve known for a long time and just hung another label on them ("hypnotic"). A smart thing to do, of course, but let’s not pretend he’s invented anything new.

But my biggest objection to the book is the pseudo-science he employs to "prove" his claims. He’s by no means alone in this, but since he’s in the spotlight he’ll be the one to "shine", so to speak.

First, for example, in several places he implies he can write copy to "compel" people to buy.

Gullible or not? Or just easy to persuade…

By Patsi Krakoff in Books, Content Marketing, On Writing Better, Writing Great Copy

I had to let out a sigh of relief when re-reading Robert Cialdini’s Influence: the Psychology of Persuasion. Seems the esteemed professor and expert on compelling behaviors admits to being somewhat of an easy sell himself. Which is why he says he started studying people who fall for sales scams and ways they are influenced to act.

Whew, I’m not alone. I love a good story and easily get roped in by expert copywriters. Even when I know an offer’s too good to be true, I want to buy it just to see, to make it work anyway.

May Day in Mexico

By Patsi Krakoff in Fun and Irrelevant Things About Patsi

It feels good to be back in our Mexican village of Ajijic, except for the 90 degree weather. Fortunately it’s dry heat, but being over 6,000 feet up in altitude means that I get a little sick the first day here. Just a note to let you know I’ll be back here on this blog in a day or two when I’ve acclimated. Happy May Day ;0…

Negative Business Blogging: Just don’t bore me…

By Patsi Krakoff in Content Marketing, On Writing Better, Writing Great Blog Content

How can you create better business blog posts? This isn’t always easy to do. How many different ways can you write about your expertise with enough pizazz to create buzz or at least a few reader comments? Here’s a suggestion:

Go negative. Take something someone said and rigorously disagree with them. People love reading an argument. It’s human nature. But there’s a right way to do this…

Easier said than done if you want to maintain good relationships with colleagues and peers, if you ask me. One person who gets it right is Leesa Barnes, Podcasting Expert. Last week she disagreed with someone over the environment. I thought I’d share this excerpt and link to her post. She knows how to "go negative" in a way that is cool and stirs up the conversation.

Today, April 22nd, is Earth Day and I’ll be honest. I don’t care about the environment. Actually, I do care about the environment, I just don’t care about all the hype surrounding it. It seems that people care about the environment only when it’s cool to do so.

Read her full post and then see how you can use negativity to create an interesting post for your readers. Of course, you can always disagree with me and start an argument about this…;-)