| The Business Owner's Guide To Writing For Profit |
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| Home/Small Business Owners who market online all possess one tool that levels the playing field: the pen. Find out how to turn it into a cash cow... |
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| the_professional |
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| 7 Tips to Writing Articles and Blogs When You Don’t Know What to Say |
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7 Tips to Writing Articles and Blogs When You Don’t Know What to Say Business owners and others who write regular marketing content often ask, “How do I keep it fresh?” I’m sure you are among them. Unless you are the foremost leader within a very small niche market, you face the eminent threat of marketing failure due to monotonous, lackluster content. Frankly, it’s very easy to go stale on your online audience. After a while, you begin to feel like there is only so much that you can say about your particular business or field without just rehashing and recycling old stuff. What’s worse is that, if you’re not careful and creative, your readers begin to feel the same way, too. ‘Is this an insurmountable problem,’ you ask? Not at all; successful online marketers find fresh, new content about the same old thing and their readers reward them with repeat visits and sales. You can do it, too, if you simply gain some creative perspective on what it is you do. Here are some helpful hints: Start with the facts and features – If you are just starting to build your blog or article library, give your readers as much basic, essential information as you can about your business and industry. You may find that many readers are looking for answers to frequently asked questions or want to know more about what you do or sell before they invest in it. When you run out of basics, get specific - Writing about upcoming developments, specific features, or a particular component or aspect of what it is you are marketing will give your readers further insight and you more content. When you run out of formal info, go informal – Readers love real, fleshed out, personable blog entries that simply tell stories about your experience with your business. Talk about typical or atypical customers and experiences. By doing this you also assure your reader that you are actually successful in conducting business and you’re not some scammer trying to peddle something that isn’t actually making money for you. Talk about your competition – Without being vicious or inflammatory, compare and contrast your product or opportunity to that of your competition. It gives the reader confidence in your confidence; when you are willing to stand toe to toe with the competition, you look credible and competent. Give helpful tips on how to use your product or service – teach your readers how to get the most out of what it is you are marketing. You always want to make it as easy as possible for them to do business with you. Answer interesting consumer questions – Whether you have been asked directly or simply came across a consumer’s question on your business or industry while conducting research, consumer questions create credible content. The reader knows that someone other than them is thinking about what you are marketing, and they get the opportunity to view your product or service with renewed perspective. When you have done all, review from the beginning – When you have exhausted all of the above options, simply review some of your most important topics and reiterate your primary message. People need repetition in education, and you, as a marketer, are a teacher and an expert on whatever it is that you market. Help your readers to learn why they should do business with you.
To your continued success,
I.C. Jackson, Freelance Editor, Ghostwriter
616.608.2245
Busy schedule? Send me a text message NOW
Jackson Proofreading and Editing
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For more on the author, go to http://www.whatbusinesstodo.com/profiles/the_professional
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| To Write Or Not To Write: Outsourcing Article and Blog Writing |
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To Write or Not To Write: Outsourcing Article and Blog Writing
By now you should know that articles and blogs work wonders for your online marketing efforts. Besides increasing your website’s search optimization through original, regularly updated content, you earn the trust of potential customers with your expertise. Add an opt-in list, and you are generating more leads than you can shake a stick at. The return on your investment is astounding – if you write them yourself, all you have invested is time. Article and blog writing for business marketing is the wisest investment you can make.
The problem for most business owners, however, is that they simply don’t have the time to write the volume of articles or blog entries needed to successfully implement this marketing strategy. Sure, a handful of business owners are so organized and regimented that they actually find a little time every day to get it all done, maintaining consistency and productivity with their writing. Good for them - if you are one of them, keep up the good work. The rest of us, however, often struggle to find time to eat, much less write enough blog entries for the week.
So, what do you do? You don’t want to pass up this opportunity for virtually free marketing – that would be crazy.
You do what the big guys do – outsource.
There is a growing trend in the business world to outsource blog and article writing to ghostwriters. Successful business owners are rarely Jacks of all trades. Considering even those who are multi-talented, very few can find the time to do all of the writing it takes to launch and maintain a successful business blog or build an article library. They are just too busy doing business. This is where ghostwriters come into the picture.
An experienced ghostwriter will familiarize him or herself with you and your company well enough to write with the appropriate tone and voice. You want to make the transition seamless; your readers shouldn’t know that someone else is communicating with them. Depending on your needs, a ghostwriter will either require short, regular interviews, notes, or other forms of research in order to create the body of work you need to publish.
If you have never had a ghostwriter on your marketing team, you should try it, at least for one project. The burden that is lifted from your shoulders is noticeable, and the quality of your marketing materials increases. Even if you are the world’s most staunch do-it-yourselfer, you will find that hiring a ghostwriter to write your marketing materials is well worth the money.
Get what you need without working yourself to death – hire a ghostwriter to help your marketing campaign succeed!
To your continued success,
I.C. Jackson, Freelance Editor, Ghostwriter
616.608.2245
Busy schedule? Send me a text message NOW
Jackson Proofreading and Editing
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| Marketing With Articles: Tell Me Something I DON'T Know |
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Marketing With Articles: Tell Me Something I DON’T Know
If you have done your homework, you should know by now that original content is what gets the best internet marketing results. The age of collecting niche articles from random writers all over the web is dead. The search engines continue to get smarter, and more and more internet marketers continue to recycle the same old articles. This mix of new innovation and outdated practice creates the perfect storm for the business owner who markets online with blog posts and articles full of original content. When you create your own content, you actually give the search engines what they are looking for, which brings more profit for your business.
However, what many online marketers have done in an attempt to change with the times is simply repackage old content with different words. Online marketers are still writing about the same old subjects, addressing the same old topics in the same old ways. Every now and then you come across someone with an original idea.
Now that's when something special happens.
In the rare event that you find a blogger or industry expert who is posting original content with a fresh, new approach, what do you do? You stick around, that’s what! You bookmark the website and return often to see if the author just had a good day or if there is a trend of valuable information being offered.
That’s how you build your opt-in list and get people to buy from you.
So, instead of just recycling the same old same old, do some soul searching and find your passion. Write about what you truly know best. Look at old issues from a new angle. Say something different.
Still uninspired? Here are some tips to help you get past that writer’s block:
Answer questions consumers are already asking: Instead of trying to pull an article out of your hat, go to websites like Yahoo! Answers and see what questions people are asking within your area of expertise. You may find that there is more to talk about than you thought.
Check out the competition: Pick their blogs apart and do what they aren’t doing. Find out where they lack, and fill the gaps.
Learn something new: Do some studying within your area of expertise; there is always something more to learn. Continuing your education might give you increased insight on a topic that needs to be covered.
It’s not as hard as you might think to optimize your marketing efforts with truly original content. It just takes a little creativity. You don’t have to reinvent the wheel, here – just offer some new with the old faithful stuff. Certain topics never become irrelevant, but some dead horses have just been beaten too long. Learn the difference, and tell me something I don’t know!
I.C. Jackson, Freelance Editor, Ghostwriter
616.608.2245
Busy schedule? Send me a text message NOW
Jackson Proofreading and Editing
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| Give It Away To Get Them To Pay: A Lesson In Article Writing For Business Owners |
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Give It Away To Get Them To Pay: A Lesson In Article Writing For Business Owners
As a business owner, you must understand the psychology of consumption – what makes people want to buy? The answer to that question varies sometimes, depending on factors such as price and function. However, no matter what the specific reason, basically, people buy because a want or a need will be satisfied through the purchase. Simple enough to understand, right? If you need what I have, I will try to sell that thing to you; sounds like a no-brainer. So, why would anyone give away what they sell for free?
Understand, I’m not talking about free samples or teasers; there are people who give away full quantities of product or marketable industry information absolutely free. Some business owners are writing blog articles and/or short ebooks that seem to reveal all of their secrets, or they are writing articles with information that you or I might think to package in a best-selling book for profit. So, why give it away if you want them to pay? I learned exactly why from a very shrewd online marketer.
In an online business community that I frequent, I came across a woman who had written an excellent article on how to write and market your own press releases. The strange thing about it was that she was a PR representative, so, she made her living, in part, by writing press releases. Her generosity didn’t make much sense to me; however, I was instantly drawn to her because, like many other home/small business owners, I am always looking to cut costs by doing what I can for myself. As I read through her information, I was impressed. She went into great detail, giving tips and tricks for every aspect of the process. As I planned to save the information so that I could start writing my own press release, I suddenly felt an overwhelming urge to pay her to do it for me.
WHAT?
She had just told me how to do it and do it well. She even offered additional free resources and requested feedback in case anyone had further questions. I was home free; I had all the information I needed to get a great job done for absolutely zero dollars and zero cents. And here I was, looking to give my money away.
That’s when I began to investigate the situation. I was intrigued; I realized that if I could do what she did in my own business, I could get the same results. I, too, provide a service that many people forego because of cost or because they think that they can do the job themselves. What I learned as a result of my research was astounding.
By giving away expert knowledge for free through article writing, a business owner:
Establishes himself as an expert. This woman gave full disclosure in great detail, which made the reader confident that she knew what to do and how to do it well. Whether the reader decided to utilize her services or not, by offering her expertise, she had branded herself as the go-to source for information on public relations.
Reinforces your sense of need. By giving away so much information, she actually made me not want to do it myself. She didn’t oversimplify the process; in fact, she revealed just how much work writing a good press release can be. Technically, I could have done it myself, but I didn’t want to anymore if I didn’t have to. That insecurity made me realize how much I really did need her services.
Weeds out the tire kickers. Some people just aren’t going to pay for anything they feel they don’t have to. You don’t want to waste too much time with them, but you can get referral business from them if they are pleased with what they were able to get from you. Use them as free publicity to attract the types of people who have the need as well as the resources to pay you.
When you provide high end products or services, it is imperative that you connect with people who are willing and able to pay for what you offer. By baiting potential customers with relevant, valuable, well written, expert information (and sometimes products, too), you can actually convert those who see the value in what you have. The secret is, however, you have to sacrifice something so that people can recognize the value.
Show the customer, either directly or indirectly, that life is just harder for them without what you have to offer. Arm them with the information they need to see just that, even when it’s a sacrifice for you. Write, write, and write some more. Just write about what your consumers want to know; and give it to them for free.
To your continued success,
I.C. Jackson, Freelance Editor, Ghostwriter
616.608.2245
Busy schedule? Send me a text message NOW
Jackson Proofreading and Editing
(Links open in new windows)
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| Online Forums: Make Money: Not Just Small Talk |
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Online Forums: Make Money, Not Just Small Talk
If you market your business online, it is likely that you are at least an occasional contributor to online forums. There are a host of business websites out there, and most home/small business owners have profiles on as many as they can handle. It makes sense; with most being free or nearly free, online forums are the cheapest marketing tools available to business owners on the web. The online forum, however, is arguably the most widely misused tool as well.
Over 85% of my clients found me because of my online marketing efforts, and most of my online marketing is done in online forums. So, if you use them properly, they can definitely bring you new business. However, most business owners who post in online forums have no idea what works or why it works. So, there is a lot of drive-by advertising, a lot of spamming, a lot of socializing, and very little business actually taking place. What’s worse is that supposed “experts” call this exercise in time wasting “networking”.
If you know what to do and what absolutely not to do when posting in online forums, your networking efforts will do more than bring you a long list of contacts who do little more than promote their own businesses; it will bring you profits.
First, learn the DON’Ts:
DON’T try to be everyone’s friend.
While it may be tempting to work toward being liked by everyone, don’t spend your valuable time trying to befriend the entire message board or online community. Sweet talking everyone into becoming your best online friend so that they will feel morally obligated to support your business is the most unwise thing you can do. It is shallow, people know that you are trying to manipulate them, and by the way, it doesn’t work! Are your friends carrying your business now? I didn’t think so. Online friends are even less loyal.
DON’T be the resident jerk, either.
It isn’t smart to try and make everyone your pal, but don’t go off the deep end and alienate everyone by being too frank or antisocial. Yes, you are there to do business and make money, but you have to have a personality that is palatable, at least to a reasonable number of visitors. The more people that you offend unnecessarily, the fewer clients and customers you get. Stick to your guns and hold fast to your convictions, but pick your battles wisely and avoid sensationalism.
DON’T become an “instant expert”.
Although the marketing gurus always tell you to sell yourself as an expert in your field, they don’t tell you to fake it. Take the time to become a real expert, not an “instant expert”. Throwing together some statistics you found online and coupling them with the transcript of your last team meeting does not make you an expert. If you just signed up with your company last week, you know good and well that you are not an expert. Hear this as well: even if you really are an expert, if you are still brand new to an online community, you are not a trusted expert, so stop trying to be the in-house professor on whatever it is you do. People HATE drive-by advertising by instant experts. Although you may be proud of all of the “useful” information you have gained on your product, business, or industry, out of context it is irrelevant and is usually considered spam.
DON’T be a Jack-of-All-Trades.
While you want to be a bona fide expert in your field, don’t try to be an expert in all areas. You shouldn’t try to be a guru in every area that you are (possibly) competent in. It makes you look like either a phony or a know-it-all, neither of which is attractive.
DON’T turn everything into a conversation about you and your business.
Although you can often strategically give yourself or your business a subtle plug by contributing to threads that are related to your product, service, or experience, don’t push it. People hate egomaniacs.
DON’T get addicted to the forum.
Online forums can be addictive; the interaction is often fun and always convenient, plus, the drama that arises from time to time can be engaging. However, the more time you spend posting to online forums, the less time you are spending conducting your actual business, so leverage your time wisely.
Now that you know what not to do, you can learn what actually gets positive results:
DO use standard, proper English in your posts.
Usage of slang and informal speech can be mistaken for ignorance when used in online forums. Most times it is not appropriate, and sometimes the readership is so diverse that it isn’t wise to use it at all. In the interest of keeping a professional image, you should use great caution when using informal language in online forums. I would recommend that you not ever use it.
DO use netiquette ALWAYS and informal tone sparingly.
When you don’t, you lose your professional edge. You should strive to be appropriate on all occasions, and the easiest way to do that is to keep a professional demeanor at all times. You don’t have to be stuffy, but don’t let your hair down too often, and don’t break the rules of netiquette. If you don’t know them, learn them.
DO present yourself professionally twice as often as you do casually.
If you are an active, valuable participant in an online business community, you will probably make friends and amicable contacts along the way. You are sure to end up participating in some of the light-hearted posts in the forum as well. However, you are there first and foremost to increase your business exposure, so you must stay focused on professional interaction. People will learn to see you as a professional first and foremost, and that will turn into actual business.
DO proofread everything you post.
This one ruins otherwise good correspondence every time. Unless you are in the writing/editing industry, people don’t necessarily expect your writing to be highly sophisticated, but people do subconsciously expect the correspondence of business professionals to be error-free. Would you allow typos on your website or on your business card? So why is it acceptable in your online forum posts? Have you ever caught a misspelled word in an advertisement? Didn’t you automatically lose a little respect for the company for letting that get by them? Whether you know it or not, the same psychology applies to forum posts. You don’t have to be absolutely error-free 100% of the time, but the more misspelled words and broken English you use, the less competent you look.
DO stick to what you know best.
This one is simple; don’t be too longwinded on topics that aren’t related or relatable to your business. This tactic helps to keep you focused and keeps you from wasting too much time online. Plus, it makes you look like an expert, even when you’re not.
Good writing with the appropriate focus will give you the greatest return in online forums. You always want to give the world the best of you. So, if you haven’t been utilizing the above tactics to leverage your time and talent online, know that it’s never too late to start. Those who know you will recognize the growth, and you just might be surprised to find more people inquiring about your business.
To your continued success,
I.C. Jackson
Freelance Editor, Ghostwriter
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