Writing and submitting articles to article banks, e-zines and e-book publishers has proven to be one of the most effective of all traffic generating techniques. You may think that you have no writing ability, but you can definitely write articles about the topic of your website and about the products or services that you are selling. You just need to know the rules for making them effective.

The Headline.    The first and most important few words of your article are in the title or the headline. The title MUST contain the key words that relate to the topic of your website and to the products or services that you sell. This is the first thing that other website owners or E-zine publishers will look at when they decide whether to reproduce your article on their websites or in their publications because they want their copy optimized for search engines.
 

The other thing about the title or headline of your article is that it must be attention getting. For example, you can’t just title your article ‘Fish Bait’.  ‘Fish Bait the Fish Can’t Resist’ would entice the person who was looking for information about fish bait to keep reading.

The First Line.    Equally important to your article is the first line of the first paragraph. Internet surfers have a notoriously short attention span and rarely actually read anything word for word unless it is information that they believe will serve their needs, solve a problem or make life better in general for them. So the title and the first line are what you use to entice a reader to actually read the article.

The first line needs to contain the key words as well; and it also needs to be attention getting. So, if you like fishing, you would probably keep reading an article that starts with. ‘The fish were begging for more of this fish bait after my first cast!’

Length.  Another thing about writing articles that you plan to submit to article banks is that they need to be short. Very short! They should be a maximum of 400 words and closer to 300 would be better. It’s easy to get carried away and produce an article that is 1000 words or more when you are discussing a subject that you know a lot about and are interested in. If you start writing and forget to stop, break long wordy articles down and make three or four articles out of the one long one.

Formatting.  Use short sentences and short paragraphs. Remember that short attention span that we talked about? Don’t use big words and don’t use run-on sentences. Make your article easy to read. Go easy on the exclamation points, as well. One exclamation point indicates importance or excitement...  a half a dozen are just rude.

Warning! Do NOT word-wrap your link! Type it out in full, as in http://www.whatever.com. All email programs that E-zine editors use to send out their newsletters and E-zines do not support word-wrapped links so you can defeat your own purpose by word-wrapping the link to your website.

You may not actually generate any real traffic for your website at the very outset but this technique will serve you very well in the long run!

 

We keep talking about the importance of communication.  Being able to communicate is what will make or break your marketing campaign, what will make website visitors stay longer and what will eventually turn leads into customers.

We mostly communicate through content, but the first impression we leave largely depends on the visual appeal of the content we are presenting, may that be our website, our social media landing pages, our reports or our marketing collateral.  Choosing the right images to visually communicate our content is crucial to engaging our readers.

5 Tips to choosing the correct image:

1. Determine the overall concept of what it is you are trying to communicate. Then decide on the theme of your image.
2. Make sure you consider the colors in the image of your choice. There are many sites that offer images for a reasonable cost, such as Clipart.com,  iStockPhoto.com, Free-StockPhotos.com, PaintShop Pro, NeoPaint, and with so many images available, there is bound to be one that will be the perfect fit.
3. Avoid a cluttered image (unless you are writing about clutter).  A good image draws your eyes to the story you want to tell.  A cluttered image distracts from the story.
4. Consider your target audience.  Don’t leave anyone out of the story.  Make sure you choose an image that covers the whole of your target market, not just one part of your audience.
5. If you have any inkling that you have to explain the setting in the image to communicate your intention, it’s not the right picture.   

Remember, choosing the right image while communicating your message can make or break the deal!

1. Project centric: The change that is required to make tomorrow better than today is often measured by the number of projects completed. Outsourcing is project-centric and delivers results with minimal impact on day-to-day operations or personnel.
2. Size doesn’t matter: Small projects such as web design, training and video production are ideal for outsourcing for all but the largest corporations, those with virtually unlimited internal capabilities. Large projects that require an outside perspective, such as institutionalizing Six Sigma or Strategic Pricing, are excellent projects to outsource since true change rarely happens from the inside out.
   
3. Skills: Outsourcing lets you acquire specialized skills to accomplish goals, complete projects and augment your existing resources. Projects that are popular to outsource are social media tasks, such as blogging, search engine optimization, and specialized training or coaching like improving presentation skills.
4. Cost effective: Outsourcing is a variable cost option and preferred by many over adding full-time employees, which is a fixed cost solution. In this economy variable cost projects are approved easier than new headcount. Since outsourcing is a global industry adding world-class talent to your team is not as expensive as hiring talent.
5. Velocity: Speed can make the difference between good and excellent. Outside providers can deliver resources, even in large quantities, quickly while hiring fill-time expertise can take weeks or even months.
6. Technology: Few companies can afford the money to purchase or the time it takes to learn the latest technologies available in every function – sales, marketing, IT, logistics, etc. Outsourcing allows you to rent the best technology available from the best providers.
7. Accountability: Outsourced resources do not suffer from goal diffusion or the day-to-day fire-drills that impact full-time staff and extend project deadlines. An outside provider of resources has one responsibility and one priority, which is to complete the project. Their focus delivers better results and greater accountability.

Can you think of more reasons?

Steve

 

One of my favorite chapters is Chapter 14 – Tools of the Trade. Below is an updated version of an excerpt from that chapter. Learn to use these tools and I guarantee that your writing and speaking will improve.

Compare and contrast: An apple and an orange are both fruits. They are comparable and alike. However, they are also different. They have contrast in their appearance (red versus orange), outer skin (smooth versus rough), texture and taste. You can increase your listeners’ understanding of one feature by highlighting its opposite. For example, we can better understand wisdom by illustrating foolishness.

Repetition: Repeating and summarizing concepts can help your audience grasp important concepts, experience emotions, or heed your call to action. Ministers, coaches, and motivational speakers often use this technique to drive home key points.

Metaphor: A metaphor is a game of pretend. A metaphor pretends that something is something else. A word or phrase that describes one thing is used to describe something not normally associated with that word or phrase. For example, “Her heart melted with compassion when she saw her tiny son struggling to tie his shoelaces.” Obviously, her heart did not “melt” in the literal sense.

Euphemism: An inoffensive or indirect expression replaces words that may be considered offensive, impolite, harsh or shocking. Saying someone “passed away” is a euphemism for “died.”

Simile: A figure of speech that makes a direct comparison between two unlike entities using the words “like” or “as.” For example, “She’s smart as a whip.” Similes can create vivid associations in your audience’s mind. Similes are like garlic; they should be used sparingly. The reason to use them sparingly is because they tend to require the audience to pause and think about the comparison and that can interrupt the flow of your message.

Symbolism: Symbolism evokes (but does not describe) an emotion, concept or idea. You can use the symbolism of something concrete to represent something abstract, such as a flag to evoke the concepts of duty, loyalty and honor; a light bulb to represent the concept of a brilliant idea; a company logo to represent brand attributes, or a lion to represent bravery and strength. Icons and emoticons are modern-day symbols. Symbols are often more effective than perfectly constructed sentences.

Concrete/Abstract: Concrete terms and words refer to things we engage through our senses. Something may be “hot,” “green,” or “loud.” Abstract terms may be just as real but less available to our senses – freedom, love, success and sexism (any ism) are examples of abstract words that have real meaning but are undetectable through our five senses.

Steve

 

 

The word copywriting is all over the net but it’s often misunderstood. Wikipedia defines copywriting as:

Copywriting is the use of words to promote a person, business, opinion or idea. Although the word copy may be applied to any content intended for printing (as in the body of a newspaper article or book), the term copywriter is generally limited to such promotional situations, regardless of media (as advertisements for print, television, radio or other media). The author of newspaper or magazine copy, for example, is generally called a reporter or writer or a copywriter.

I define copywriting more simply: It’s the act of using words to sell or influence. My expanded definition is still more concise than the Wikipedia version: It’s written persuasion created to make your target audience act in a certain way, such as click, read, buy, or register.

Storytelling is a great copywriting tactic. Stories are entertaining and engage the reader in a more subtle way than the triple-decibel BUY THIS! blast-messages we get hit with everyday.

Long before human beings learned to read and write we used storytelling to transfer knowledge and influence one another. A million years of storytelling has altered our genetic code. It’s now in our DNA to listen to stories, decide what’s important to us and then apply that to our lives.

If you want your audience to associate with your brand, your products and with you, then tell them a story. At a strategic level, it’s not much more complicated than that. 

The best way to get your audience to take action, however, is to include these five key elements in your story:

1. Measurement
2. Comparison
3. Time
4. Uniqueness and
5. Compelling

Measurement: Most people grant numbers more credibility than they do general comments. Whatever it is you do for your clients, using numbers to quantify the benefits will make your claims more believable than claims that lacks numbers.

Comparison: Give your audience before and after examples of the benefits of your product or service. Demonstrating results in a before and after scenario gives your claims perspective.

Time: Similarly, providing a timeframe around your results helps your audience understand the true impact of your product or service, especially if the benefits were produced quickly.

Uniqueness: Since you want to stand out from your competition and have your own brand, it’s important to make your claim as unique as possible. That’s really hard in a web-connected world, but that’s also why it is so critical.

Compelling: The compelling element answers the question: “Who cares?” You may be able to clean reading glasses faster than anyone in your city but I doubt many people will pay for that unique skill.

Steve

Anyone who markets to senior executives knows they have more gatekeepers than Heaven. Direct mail doesn’t have a chance. Voicemail is hopeless. Webinars and social media, fugetaboutit.

So when a client of mine asked me how he could promote his services to senior executives quickly, before 2010 budgets were in set in stone, I immediately thought of The Wastebasket Promotion.

The Wastebasket Promotion is an idea I first heard from Ward Pennebaker, a super guy and superb marketer out of Houston. Ward is a trained psychologist, which may explain his keen marketing insights.

I’ve tried to sell The Wastebasket Promotion three times during my corporate career but, for one reason or another, couldn’t get buy-in from the hoard of approvers that exist in every corporation. I asked Ward if I could steal his idea if I ever started my own firm and he said yes. So that’s what I did.

The premise is simple, in the oft chance that a postcard or letter actually arrives on the Big Cheese’s desk, it’s unlikely to get much of his or her attention. CD’s, executive gifts and other small items suffer a similar fate, a quick toss into the wastebasket. Therein lies the irony of The Wastebasket Promotion.

The Wastebasket Promotion refers to sending an executive a full size wastebasket. Not an el-cheapo mind you, but a nice, embossed, wire mesh wastebasket that costs north of $10. It arrives in a 2’ x 2’ x 2’ box and, from my experience, is delivered intact and immediately to the addressee. I’ve tested the concept and it works. Something that large is typically hand-delivered from the receiving dock to the executive’s desk in minutes.

Inside the wastebasket, we inserted a customized one-page flyer and a single dollar bill. The condensed version of the flyer copy is, “If you’re not using us you’re wasting money.”

Did it work?

We only shipped the wastebaskets last week so no contracts have been signed yet. However, I can tell you that the President of a multi-billion dollar multi-national company, one of the first to receive the wastebasket, has already called to say that he received the wastebasket and wants to talk to my client about their services.

So, from a getting past the gatekeepers, prospecting and marketing perspective, yes, The Wastebasket Promotion works.

Thanks, Ward. You’re the best!

Steve

This is the second of two posts on ways to find information and inspiration for creating new marketing video and blog posts. Any one of these activities, we use them all at Aligned Marketing, will produce new ideas to play with, new interests to explore, and new fodder for your marketing videos and blogs.

1. Movies and Books. The formula for a good movie or book is the same. They introduce a likable or sympathetic lead character, introduce danger or threat, which can be in the form of a person, a situation, or both, and then resolve the conflict just when you think all is lost. Use books and movies as an inspiration to write and shoot your own video. What would you do different if you were the lead character? What did you learn about management from watching The Godfather?
2. Traveling is one of the best ways to find your muse. Changing your location changes your thought patterns. New places and new people can alter and refresh the way you see the world.
3. YouTube and Flickr are both loaded with visual stimulation. You can quickly find amazing images of people doing extraordinary things, or just dumb stuff, to tickle your imagination into producing your next great video or blog.
4. If you like technology visit websites like CNET's, Fast Company's, Wired Magazine's or the TechCrunch blog and write or create a video about what you found interesting. If you like current events, visit The Wall Street Journal, CNN or USA Today's websites. Every subject has a few sites that do a great job of compiling and reporting current trends and noteworthy topics.
5. Speaking of trends: Trends are posted automatically on Yahoo and Twitter. See what all the hubbub is about, do a little research and then shoot a video or write a blog post adding your (informed) two-cents to the conversation.
6. Look in the mirror. I know, it sounds strange. It works. Sit in front of the mirror for a few minutes and let the self-reflection bring you to deeper thoughts than most of us have as we sit in front of our computers or ramble through our days. Then write about those thoughts.

I hope these short exercises and tips helps get your imagination brewing and makes the process of creating new, entertaining and insightful videos and blogs a more enjoyable experience.

Steve
800-707-9150

I’ve bludgeoned you all with survey results, spending information, and agency forecasts to drive home the point that a titanic shift is taking place from offline to online marketing. With 70% of product and service searches beginning online, it’s no surprise the marketing dollars are flowing in that direction, toward the people.

Your phone calls and emails are supportive but many of you are experiencing issues with your leadership. This is what I’m told:

Senior management refuses to act and are ignoring their own real-world experiences, since they too use Google and make purchases online. That frustrates people.  Here’s what that sounds like over the phone: “We sit around and talk about web-commerce and being found on Google all the time, but we never decide anything…” Line two: “We know our web-strategy is poor but we have other priorities that we're more comfortable working on, so that’s where our time and money goes. I guess it’s a comfort thing but it’s costing us sales.”

In second place (sorry senior management), leadership is dumb. Ever heard that one before? The grumbling comes because senior management says they believe the data and think of themselves as fairly web-literate. Really? One very frustrated VP said, “I’ve been pounding the table for over a year and they just don’t get it.” Another person said, “We spent a lot of money on a good website and they (senior management) actually think we’re done. That no other actions are required…it’s amazing.”

The grumbling and accusations are not new to senior managers. It’s no fun but when knowledge and action fail to intersect, they take the brunt of the storm. It comes with the big check.

The solution is having a clear marketing strategy that begins with a web-strategy. That’s right, new marketing strategies begin on the web, not the other way around.

Here’s the image:

It’s a three-part strategy that forms a virtuous cycle, with each part supporting the other two and all of them supported by traditional marketing tactics. The results are clearer messaging, better branding, new sales leads, increased revenue, higher margins and a lower cost-to-serve model. It’s a very productive cycle.

1. Social media locations like YouTube, LinkedIn, Twitter, or whatever works for your company, are great for having direct conversations with your customers. You need to know what they’re thinking. It’s Marketing 101 stuff; only the data-collection tools have changed. You can call your customers if you want but you’ll probably get voicemail. They’re online.
2. The reason social media activity is important is because it will improve your rankings on the search engines. That means all those great products and services you offer, as well as that fantastic website you invested in, can actually be found by customers. Did I mention 70% of product and service searches begin online, mostly on Google?
3. Marketing generated action, such as Blogs, search engine optimization (SEO) strategies, pay-per-click (PPC) advertising, and adding videos and photos to your site, not only provide fodder for social media, they also drive search engine rankings. Google bought YouTube so it’s no surprise that YouTube videos rank high in Google’s algorithms.

Traditional marketing doesn’t go away, advertising and print media still have their role. It’s a supporting role.

The payoff for all this strategy is more website traffic to drive sales. Finally, something we can all agree on.

Steve