Archive for Content Marketing – Page 12

How to Make Content More Engaging: 10 Tips

The Content Marketing Institute hit a home-run with their question to content experts, “How do you make content more engaging?” This is an important post to read for anyone blogging and posting content to connect with readers.

Ten experts responded, including moi, and their answers are illuminating.

 

In my opinion and experience, content that engages is emotional.

The human brain is emotional at its very core.

While women process messages with more emotions than men, both must be engaged emotionally for a message to be remembered and acted upon.

Marketers must uncover the key emotional triggers their product inspires and pinpoint them in their messages.

Here is a summary of what other content marketers think about this important question:

Just as there is no single definition of engagement, there is no single way to engage with your audience:

  • Focus on what is important to your ideal reader, which is often different than what is important to your business.
    • Actively listen to your audience and respond to their needs.
    • Create buyer personas to capture key information about your readers. Read More→

What Google and Facebook Hide From You

Do you ever wonder what Google, Facebook, and other sites record about your online viewing habits? They know more about you than you realize. And they don’t ask you, they simply assume way too much.

For example, although I live and work from Mexico, I do almost all my business and shopping in the US, in English. I find it annoying when I’m served up pages and ads in Spanish or for local businesses. That doesn’t interest me. But their algorithms mistakenly think otherwise. Why can’t they just ask me what I prefer?

Here’s a TED TV video I think worth viewing, it takes about 10 minutes.

By the way, on Thursday May 19 at 5 p.m. ET, I’m hosting a free webinar about YouTube and online video marketing presented by Colin Martin and Marc Bullard, and you can get the info here: http://bit.ly/jfLTBt

 

How Blogging Is Like Playing Tennis

Blogging for your business is like playing tennis: you read the environment, deliver key shots, get ready for the next post, respond to feedback, and try to stay on target.

I play tennis with an “excuse champion.” Every time she misses a shot, she blames her racquet, or her strings, the ball, the sun, wind, or some body part. She’s quite creative.

I often wonder what would happen if that creativity were channeled into focused attention to the ball and her strokes. If you’re thinking about all those other things, surely you can’t be ready for the next shot…

I’ve got clients who are excuse champions. The biggest excuse they use for not blogging enough is they don’t have enough time. While that may be true, (who does?) but it’s also true they don’t blog enough because they don’t have a journalist’s mindset.

A journalist is curious about people and events and can’t wait to share information with others. I just read a fabulous article over at The Content Factor and here’s what they wrote about why some professionals stop blogging and why they shouldn’t: Read More→

A Tale of Two Websites: Good/Bad Content

How do you sell something that people don’t know they want or need? Or, maybe they know they need it, but don’t want to admit it? And how do you do that through your online content? What you write on your site has to be compelling.

As I was reviewing two clients’ online content marketing this week, I was struck by how few professionals have well-written content that engages readers.

These two sites were both from successful business coaches. Part of the problems coach websites have is that they are selling services that aren’t clearly defined.

Most people know when they need a dentist: they’ve got a tooth ache. With a back ache, they may search for a doctor, a chiropractor, acupuncturist, or a massage therapist. They may not know which is best so your online site has to do some convincing and comparing.

But what if Joe Schmoe is an budding entrepreneur with ADD and procrastination problems and an online business that’s starting to take off. He needs help, but doesn’t know who to turn to. Does he need a business coach, a psychologist, a personal assistant, a mastermind group, or internet marketing training?

Let’s say you’re a professional coach with experience that matches Joe’s needs. Your online content has to convince Joe that he needs you first and foremost. You have to grab his attention by speaking to his most pressing and compelling desires.

Joe wants to be more effective in his work and in his life. He’s tired of doing the same things over and over and not getting anywhere fast enough. He wants what others seem to have: success and peace of mind.

Yet many of the coach websites and blogs I review talk about themselves:

“We provide top-shelf strengths-based coaching and consulting to entrepreneurs.”

“Visit our Leadership Coaching page to learn more about how coaching helps leaders maximize potential for themselves and their team.”

“Visit our page to find out how we can help you create a more productive organization.”

Compare those bland statements with this:

“After a bout with cancer four and half years ago, John saw his recovery as a second chance at success, and he was determined to make it happen. After Coach X’s assessment testing, John knew he had found the right business coach.”

““Coach X is there to make me better at work. He’s not a psychologist. He’s courteous and friendly, but he’s demanding because he wants me to grow in value to my company.’”

One is personal: it talks about a real person and what he reports. The other site is vague and non-personal. It doesn’t draw you in to want to know more.

I think too few professionals do a good job of using client stories and case studies to show what they do and what kind of results they get. What do you think?

The Sociology of Social Media: TED TV Talks

Having fun while learning has become my idea of a really good time. Forget drugs, booze and rock and roll. Now you can learn all about social media and the sociology of the Internet through video lectures.

If you’re an information junkie like I am, you spend way too much time over on TED.com watching fascinating videos on every topic of major importance in this world.

Unbelievable, non? It combines education with entertainment. It’s a great way to learn about the sociology of how people are using computers to connect with a global community.

My actual big screen TV is ignored (except for tennis  and we’re waiting for the French Open at the end of May.)

What I find fascinating is the sociology of social media: we’re still operating with the same primitive brains. We crave connection with others and to find meaning in our lives. Now, however, we’re doing it online, on the Internet, using social media tools. Twitter is like a town square for the globe.

It’s hard to choose which lecture to watch on TED TV as there are so many good ones. I was glad to see this blog post over at OnlineCollege.org because my colleague Carol Brown has posted about 15 terrific TED Talks that pertain to social media and the Internet.

Here are some of the great talks that will help you learn more about new ways to use traditional media and innovative ways to bring more to the digital sphere – and the sociology that’s evolving.

  1. Peter Hirshberg on TV and the web: Take a look back at media and technology history with this talk. You’ll get a chance to see why watching TV on the web can be so much more engaging.
  2. James Surowiecki: When social media became news: Most of us spend a pretty good part of the day using social media, whether it’s reading blogs or using social networking sites. Here you can learn a bit more about the role social media is starting to play in reporting the news and what it means for more traditional media.
  3. Seth Godin on the tribes we lead: When you hear the word “tribe,” you probably think of it in the more traditional sense. But in this talk from marketing guru Seth Godin, you’ll learn about how it can be applied to how we use the web– with powerful results.
  4. Jimmy Wales on the birth of Wikipedia: It’s hard to remember a world without Wikipedia, but a decade ago the site was just getting its start. Learn how founder Jimmy Wales helped to create the amazing new media giant from this talk.
  5. Evan Williams on listening to Twitter users: You can’t do much on the web, or off of it for that matter, without hearing about Twitter these days. Check out this talk to gain a better understanding of how the site came to be what it is today.
  6. Stefana Broadbent: How the Internet enables intimacy: The internet is generally deemed a tool that makes humans more distant from one another, engaging in less real-time interaction. Broadbent argues against that here, claiming that this powerful new media tool actually lets us get closer together.

Now that’s my idea of a good time!

4 Content Marketing Goals for a Coach Website

How should content marketing be used on the home page of your website? What makes good website copy? More specifically, if you’re a professional service provider, like an executive coach, a consultant, a lawyer, health care or financial adviser… how do you create a website that attracts clients and gets potential new leads?

No matter what business you’re in, your content must achieve 4 things. Here are 4 goals of your online content:

  1. Connect immediately (by speaking to your readers’ challenges or problems)
  2. Answer questions and educate (by suggesting solutions)
  3. Provide choices without confusion (by providing 3-4 places to read more)
  4. Compel readers to take action (simple sign-up form or contact link)

That’s a basic outline that you could follow, not just for websites, but for your blog and other content marketing pieces.

Let me give you a great example so that these 4 goals come alive:

Here’s a screen shot of the newly revised website for ScholzandAssociates.com. Chip Scholz is an executive coach. His previous website was well designed, but it had too much information, in my opinion.

Like other executive coaches, he offers many services: facilitation, assessments, leadership development, speaking and books. The challenge is to present all the services to readers, while maintaining the focus on them and their problems.

I think this site does a good job because it’s about the outcomes and benefits of coaching. It backs that up with case studies from Chip’s clients. It’s brief and to the point: Read More→

Content Marketing Tip: Use Ready-to-Publish Articles

Content marketing is easier when you can outsource some of the writing and researching to qualified writers. A great way to short-cut the time needed to research, write and publish quality online content is to find a good writer to supply articles.

For example, as a former executive coach and psychologist, I write for other coaches and consultants who are too busy with clients to write their own newsletters and blogs. You can find good writers in just about any field.

While this has created a good business for me, doing what I love, I don’t see many people using other people’s content for optimal results. Furthermore, when they do use writers, they don’t personalize it to make it their own.

Content marketing can’t work well without unique and personalized copy. I get frustrated because people use canned articles ‘as is’. They don’t take the time to add their own stories, to explain how it is for them in the work they do.

You need to connect the dots for readers.

  • Tell them why this article and these ideas are important to them.
  • Tell them about the work you do with your clients.
  • Tell them how they can learn more about what you’re publishing.

In my ebook Content Marketing with Blogs, I talk about the 4 Es: educate, entertain, engage and enrich the lives of people each time you write and publish on your blog. When you write, think about elements of each goal: Read More→

Content Marketing Tips: Find Your Online Voice

How do you find your voice and create your brand story so that readers are inspired and emotionally triggered? How do you get content marketing results?

This and other key tips will be discussed Wednesday April 20, 2011 on an open webinar I’m giving:

Time-Saving Tips for Content Marketing Results

Register to get the recording if you can’t come at 5 pm ET, plus I’ll send you handouts, a list of outsourcing resources, a marketing road map and discount coupons for services.

“Before you can truly understand your customers, you have to understand yourself,” says author and content-marketing evangelist Joe Pulizzi.

If you are a coach, doctor, lawyer, any professional, you are trying to differentiate yourself in a crowded market. There are a gazillion websites in your field. To succeed, you need to forge a separate and unique identity and create an enduring and memorable brand.

You need a brand story. You need a brand personality. You need to stop sounding like everyone else.

I think this is one of the hardest things for busy professionals to communicate in writing content for the Web.

Why? Because it involves personal creativity. It’s one thing to write what you know. You can type 350 words of knowledge into your blog post in about 10 minutes or less. That’s the easy piece.

Don’t believe me? Come on, you explain stuff on the phone to clients all the time. Read More→

Content Marketing: Connect the Dots and Drive Results

How do you master the art of writing content for the Web so that you provide quality information on your web pages, blog, and newsletters that works to convert readers to clients? Ahhh, that’s what I’ve been trying to figure out for the last 12 years. In the World Wide Web, there often seems to be no rules.

But that’s not true. You have to find what works for you in your business, with your target audience. And then publish a lot of content in many different forms. But if you’re a busy professional, unless you have staff, you don’t have time for everything.

So on Wednesday, April 20, 2011 at 5 p.m. ET, I’m giving an open webinar to share my tips and tools that make online marketing manageable, especially for service professionals, solo entrepreneurs, busy consultants, coaches, etc.

Time-Saving Tips for Content Marketing Results – Register to get the recording, handouts and a marketing road map.
Wednesday April 20, 2011, 5 pm ET

Here’s a sample of what you’ll learn: For example, your content should accomplish these 4 goals:

  1. Connect with readers right away (ask them about their problems or challenges)
  2. Answer reader’s questions and educate
  3. Provide choices without confusion
  4. Compel readers to take one action

These goals apply to your website, your blog, your newsletters and everything you publish on the Web whether in text, audio or video.

Outsourcing your content needs will save you a lot of time, but only if you do it right.

Let’s say you’ve outsourced your newsletter and blog content to a professional writer, an expert in your field. The writer gives you content for your blog or newsletter. You publish it under your banner or logo, therefore it’s up to you to get it personalized and provide context.

This means you’ve either got to add your own stories, or introduce it with a personal note. (Or have the hired writer do this for you, which may cost more.)

Context: What I mean by providing context is that you need to connect the dots from your content to your business. You don’t want readers to read your content and say, “Oh, that’s interesting.”

I’m mean to say, sure you do, but that’s not enough. Draw a picture for them.

  • How does this content apply to the work you do with your clients?
  • Tell a story about a real person that illustrates the concepts in the article
  • Tell how you personally interact with and interpret these principles in your work Read More→

Content Marketing for Professionals:
Time-Saving Tips Webinar

Are you getting results from your content marketing? Does your website do it’s job? What about your e-newsletters? Or your blog? If these marketing tools were people, would you give them a raise … or fire their butts? Think about it.

It’s all fine and dandy to spend time, money and energy upgrading, re-designing, and adding content so that you have an automatic lead generating system online, but if your output is more than your incoming business results, it’s all just silly, isn’t it?

I’ve been working with some really great clients who understand good content marketing. And, I’ve reviewed more than my fair share of boring blogs, websites and newsletters this past month.

I’m frustrated yet occasionally blown away by the quality of online marketing by small businesses and professionals.

Big ANNOUNCEMENT:

I’m giving a free webinar this Wednesday April 20, 2011 at 5 p.m. ET:

Time Saving Tips for Content Marketing Results

You can register here.

What’s the one BIG mistake I see eight out of ten websites making? For that matter:

  • Why are so many e-newsletters not getting read?
  • What do many smart professionals forget to do in their online marketing?
  • What’s the least time-consuming, most effective way to build up your web presence?

Part of the problem I see with marketing – at least with coaches and consultants – is that people are too busy with clients and don’t have a clear marketing road map to follow. The 1-2-3 next steps aren’t laid out. What’s “not sure” gets put off. Here’s what else… Read More→