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How to be a World-Changing Writer

Posted on 15. May, 2012 by Pace Smith and Sonia Simone in Blog, Featured, persuasion, Small Business Internet Marketing, Small Business Marketing

As a copywriter, you know that words have power.

You know words can influence, inform, and inspire.

They can persuade your fellow humans to do some amazing things (or to do the wrong things, but we won’t go there today).

What you may not realize is that your words can change the world.

Here’s something else that’s really cool that you might not have realized …

The keys to world-changing writing are also the keys to damn good copywriting.

But as you know, good writing doesn’t happen all by itself. So let’s talk about what it takes to be damned good … and what it takes to change the world.

Your words must be meaningful

As Hugh MacLeod said, the market for something to believe in is infinite.

Your writing must give your readers something to believe in.

Some writers are called to create a great masterpiece like Martin Luther King’s “I have a dream” speech. If that’s you, that’s awesome.

But most of us are doing something much more humble. And there’s nothing in the world wrong with that.

It can be as simple as the promise of SEO Made Simple.

You know that nasty, frustrated feeling of being overwhelmed by something like optimizing content for search engines? Maybe for you, it’s another topic. But we all have a thorny problem like this. It feels complicated. It feels kind of scary. It feels like it’s going to be very easy to mess up.

For readers who are feeling that same kind of overwhelm, the promise to make search engines simple gives something to believe in.

That they can do this. That they can keep moving forward and get over this stuck spot.

Whether you’re telling a grand, heroic story or just solving a frustrating problem, the concept is exactly the same.

World-changing writers and copywriters both begin with the meaning.

Your words must be sticky

But meaning isn’t enough.

Meaningful words that aren’t also sticky will slip silently into your readers’ left ears and swoop swiftly out of their right ears. (Or would that be eyes?)

Your words must stick inside your readers’ heads. Your reader will be changed by words that stick, and will share your words with others.

No stickiness = flash in the pan.

Some stickiness = successful marketing campaign.

Mega stickiness = world-changing movement.

This is where all your copywriting tips and tricks carry over to the craft of world-changing writing. Headlines. Subheaders. Bullet points. Specific details.

And most importantly, storytelling.

World-changing writers and copywriters both strive for a sticky story.

Your words must be authentic

There’s a lot of smarmy social media kool-aid out there about authenticity. That’s not what we’re talking about.

What we’re talking about this this: No one will care about your meaningful, sticky message if it smells like bullshit.

If your readers suspect you’re trying to sell them something they don’t want — whether it’s a product or an idea — you’ll lose their attention forever.

That’s why your words must be authentic.

“Authentic” doesn’t have to mean sharing intimate details of your personal life. (In fact, if you could refrain from letting us know what your cat had for breakfast, that would be awesome.)

But it does mean that you have to believe in what you’re writing. You have to let a piece of yourself shine through in your words.

You have to give a damn.

World-changing writers and copywriters both let authenticity into their writing.

So where’s the world-changing?

The world isn’t changed in one fell swoop. (Or even a swell foop.)

The world gets changed one person at a time.

One reader who reads your meaningful, sticky, authentic words. One reader who is a little bit different after reading your words than they were before.

If you’ve done your job well, that one reader will share your words with one more reader. Then two, then ten, then a hundred.

That’s how the world is changed. By spreading ideas that are meaningful, sticky, and authentic.

So how about you?

What idea will you spread? Will it be grand or humble?

Whatever your idea is, Pace would love to give you a hand with making your message a little more meaningful, a little sticker, and a little more authentic. To do that, check out her free video course, The 6 Steps to World-Changing Writing.

And let us know about your world-changing idea in the comments.

About the Author: Pace Smith is the co-leader of the Connection Revolution, where she helps dreamers blossom into world-changers. Click here to get her free video course, The 6 Steps to World-Changing Writing. Sonia does a lot of writing around here, and is pleased as punch to be one of the teachers in Pace’s workshop.

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Putting the Social Back into Social Media: 40 Ways to Build a Loyal Audience

Posted on 17. Apr, 2012 by Carol Tice in Blog, Featured, persuasion, Small Business Internet Marketing, Small Business Marketing, social media marketing

Is your blog a lonely place?

Maybe no one is visiting. Or, if they visit, maybe they don’t comment.

Maybe they don’t share your post on social networking sites. Or they don’t subscribe to your email list.

Or maybe you’ve got the big problem — you can’t convert the traffic you do get into buying customers.

Yesterday we talked about creating the kind of content that attracts a loyal audience. But the problem doesn’t always lie with your content. Your content could be truly useful and valuable. But without one critical element, you could find yourself writing to the wind for years.

What is that one element?

And how do you use it to build an engaged and responsive audience?

You have a relationship problem

Let’s face it — you’re not close with your readers.

Maybe readers were excited when they first discovered your blog.

But now, you’ve let the relationship go stale, with the same old types of posts, day after day. Especially if they’re all about you all the time.

It becomes easy for readers to pass on by. To delete your emails. Soon, they’re not in love with your content anymore.

Simply writing a post and sending it out to subscribers isn’t fascinating. Everyone’s doing it.

You need to do something to put the magic back in your relationship, and make your blog irresistible to your readers.

Fortunately, you have some awesome tools to help you out with that. It’s called social media for a reason — there are dozens of incredible tools that are all about building relationships. And that’s what we’re going to talk about today.

40 ways to build a valuable relationship with your readers

There are a lot of different ways to rekindle that spark of excitement between you and your readers. But they all involve putting a bit more effort into building your bond.

And as with all good relationships, it requires a lot more listening and tuning in to others’ needs rather than focusing on your own desires.

I’m not saying you should do all of these things at once, but here are 40 different ways to build more engagement and find readers for your content:

1. Listen for what your readers need. Then, deliver it. Give those readers credit — by name — for inspiring the content you create.
2. Respond to their comments. They will feel validated and noticed.
3. Email frequent commenters for feedback. These are often big fans, so deepen the relationship beyond the blog.
4. Follow your readers on Twitter. It only takes a minute to look them up and click that ‘follow’ button.
5. Connect on LinkedIn. This makes readers feel like they’re one of the cool people … and allows you to easily scope out their background and learn more about what they’re doing.
6. Say ‘hi’ if you see readers on LinkedIn groups. It just feels oh-so-friendly.
7. Comment on their blogs. Most commenters leave a URL when they comment, so it’s not hard to click over there, check out their stuff, and leave a reaction.
8. Retweet their posts. While you’re there, hit that little RT button. A retweet is a great compliment.
9. Write a post answering questions they’ve asked in the comments. You could build a whole post around one interesting comment, or create a mailbag roundup where you answer many reader questions. Remember to credit readers when you use their questions as sparks for content!
10. Answer their emails. Any reader who takes the time to track down your email and send you a message outside your blog comments deserves a response.
11. Offer them job leads. Nothing inspires gratitude like getting someone a gig, which is why many popular blogs offer a job board.
12. Ask intelligent commenters to guest post on your blog. They’ll feel special and, in my experience, they’ll be retweeting every post you put up for years to come.
13. Do a guest post — or two — on their blog. This is one of the fastest routes for going from casual acquaintances to close friends.
14. Take a poll. What’s on reader’s minds? You’ll be able to write posts they really love if you find out.
15. Hold an essay contest and feature the winners in a post. Let readers show off their writing for a change.
16. Skype one of your readers. I try to take a virtual ‘lunch’ with someone new on a regular basis.
17. Mastermind with a half-dozen regulars. Sales guru Grant Cardone is masterminding now with fans of his new book — and recording it so others can benefit, too.
18. Arrange to meet local readers in person. Grab a cuppa joe at a local coffeeshop and just shoot the breeze.
19. Record a free podcast or Webinar for your readers. Hearing your voice or seeing you on a recording makes a more intimate connection with listeners.
20. Do a live call where you unmute their phones and answer their questions. The immediacy of the live call-in format makes readers feel you care.
21. Send them cookies. Seriously. Find out their physical address and send them a little gift. It will blow people’s minds.
22. Ask a question (preferably an open-ended one) at the end of your post. That usually gets them talking.
23. Don’t finish your posts. Just provide a few tips, and then let readers add to them in the comments.
24. Ask readers to leave a link to what they’re working on. Nothing gets people commenting like an invitation to mention their own project and URL.
25. Review their ebook. Or round up several readers’ ebooks and do one post on them all.
26. Offer a forum. Take it beyond the comments and let readers have a virtual coffee klatsch. With dedication, these can become amazing communities.
27. Create a buddy program. Help your readers help each other by providing a place on your site where they can state their support needs and buddy up.
28. Make readers the experts. Ask for their best advice in one post — then, run a compilation of the best responses in another.
29. Ask readers to describe their biggest problems. Do we like to complain? Yes, we do. A post like this also tells you exactly what you should be writing about.
30. Hold a contest with a valuable prize. AppSumo did a great one recently where you could win a MacBook Air.
31. Arrange a meetup at big events such as BlogWorld or SXSW. If you’re not getting out to events in your industry, consider making it there. In-person conversations are rare and wonderful these days — and make people feel they’ve gotten to know you better.
32. Email subscribers who never open your email to find out why. You could learn a lot about how to improve your content.
33. Discover readers’ skills — then, trade services with them. Doing a little business together will benefit you both and help you get better acquainted.
34. Give away a consulting package. Do random acts of kindness and sometimes, just help a reader out.
35. Give out a free pass to your next paid class or event. Don’t know about you, but nothing makes me feel special like getting a free ticket to something other people are paying for.
36. Create a free ebook for subscribers. Don’t stop at one — keep creating interesting new material, so there’s a steady stream of extras coming.
37. Do an autoresponder series with useful information. Copyblogger’s own Internet Marketing for Smart People course is a great example. Free training courses show your blog has more to offer.
38. Collaborate on a project. Curate your readers’ guest posts into an ebook, or have a reader co-host a podcast with you.
39. Invite readers to affiliate sell your products. You may think that seems crass, but in fact some readers will jump at the chance to make money doing what they’re already doing — talking up your site to their friends.
40. Introduce them to people who could help them. Playing matchmaker costs you nothing, and shows you really care about helping readers.

How about you? How do you keep readers hooked on your blog? Leave a comment below and tell me all about it …

About the Author: Carol Tice keeps readers coming back to her Make a Living Writing blog with monthly free, live podcasts, among other goodies.

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58 Ways to Create Persuasive Content Your Audience Will Love

Posted on 16. Apr, 2012 by Henneke in Blog, content marketing, Featured, persuasion, Small Business Internet Marketing, Small Business Marketing

Would you like to become a better writer?

Would you like to create content that people will remember, tweet, and plus?

How about content that inspires your audience to click, subscribe or buy? That’s the Holy Grail, right?

It may sound difficult, but it really isn’t.

You’re about to become a writer that’s incredibly persuasive and completely unforgettable.

Ready?

Let’s start with structuring your content so your message becomes irresistible.

How to streamline your content creation

Are you forever chopping at and changing your text?

Use the following tips to structure your writing up front, so your message isn’t buried deep in your post:

1. Write your headline first. Include a compelling reason why anyone should read your content.
2. Then write your subheads. These will help structure your post.
3. Don’t forget captions. People are more likely to read your captions than your copy, so don’t miss this opportunity to communicate!
4. Delight with your opening paragraph. Remember, your opening paragraph has to draw your readers into your story. Each sentence has to make them want to read the next.
5. Energize with your closing paragraph. Make sure you write a few kick-ass lines that inspire your readers to take action or change their beliefs.
6. Create fascinating bullet points. Most people won’t read every word of your content. They’ll scan the headlines and the bullet points.
7. Don’t disappoint. Remember the compelling reason in your headline? Make sure you deliver on it.

How to write headlines that convert

You know that — on average — only 2 out of 10 people read an article beyond the headline, don’t you?

If you don’t write irresistible headlines, even fewer people than those 2 will read your content.

Use the following seven foolproof steps to avoid obscurity and boost your reader numbers:

8. Present a benefit in your headline. Everyone’s time is precious — so how will you reward your readers for paying attention to your content? How will you make them feel better?
9. Command attention. You have less than a second to grab someone’s attention. So tickle the right brain and gain interest with power words such as doomed, failure, and lies (or more positive words such as inspiration and breakthrough).
10. Be specific. If your headline is generic, nobody will be interested. Get to specifics and people will react.
11. Don’t try to be clever. Clever headlines are difficult to write, and even the good ones often fail.
12. Don’t try to be original for its own sake. Take your cue from professional copywriters, and use strong, proven structures to build your headlines around.
13. Keep practicing. Write several headlines for each post. Study headlines of popular blogs, magazines, and newspapers. Practice. Every day.
14. Write with a purpose. Make sure you know what action you want your readers to take. Doing so will help structure your content.

How to write content your readers will remember

You’ve made so much effort.

You write, and write, and write. People are reading your content, but your message doesn’t stick. Your readers are forgetting it, and fast.

Don’t worry.

The following nine simple tactics will make your message unforgettable:

15. Use sound bites. These are easy-to-remember, easy-to-quote nuggets of wisdom, just like proverbs. And haven’t generations of people remembered proverbs?
16. Avoid routine common sense. You won’t win reader loyalty with your breathtaking grasp of the obvious.
17. Surprise your readers. An element of the unexpected will make your reader pay attention. And when they pay attention, they’ll remember.
18. Add concrete details. They’ll help your readers picture your story.
19. Use vivid adjectives. Use adjectives and adverbs that are specific, sensory, or emotional. And ditch the bland adjectives that don’t add anything.
20. Use stories. They bring your message alive.
21. Make your readers feel something. Emotion makes people care and remember.
22. Use metaphors. They’ll help people understand what you’re trying to tell by relating it to something they know.
23. Use the rule of three. Our brains are wired to remember three things more easily. Why do you think we have three little pigs, three wise men, and three musketeers?

How to become a more persuasive writer

Why are you writing?

Do you want people to buy something? Or believe in something? Or subscribe to your newsletter?

You have to choose one objective.

Whatever you want, use the following 12 steps to writing credible and convincing content:

24. Use the word because. You should always give people a reason why they should take action, and using the word because is the most powerful way to do it.
25. Anticipate objections. No matter whether you are selling a product, a service or an idea, you have to address all objections of your readers.
26. Create incentives to read on. Joe Sugarman calls these seeds of curiosity – short phrases like Not only that … and But here comes the best part will keep readers moving through your content.
27. Use statistics. These add credibility to your story.
28. Sell with true benefits. True benefits connect with readers’ desires. Beware of fake benefits – they’re the antidote to persuasion.
29. Be passionate. It’ll shine through. If you’re not passionate about your ideas or products or services, why should your readers bother to take action?
30. Show your readers the gap in their knowledge. Get them to pose questions that you’ll answer one by one. Each answer should lead them to pose the next question.
31. Beware the curse of knowledge. Don’t assume readers know everything you do about your topic. Try to get back into that beginner’s mind.
32. Write about what you know.  Being persuasive is much easier when you know your stuff.
33. Engage the left and the right brain. Follow facts with stories or quotes. Use a blend of logical and emotional approaches.
34. Don’t sell before the prospect is ready. Educate your readers, inform them about your cause, and help solve their problems. Become a trusted source of information and your readers will more readily buy from you.
35. Have an impeccably clear call to action. Tell your readers exactly what you expect them to do next, and remind them why it’s in their best interest to buy, click or subscribe.

How to enchant your audience

If you try to sell right off the bat without building trust, the sceptics will quickly click away.

If you delight your readers with your product or idea, if you provide real solutions to their problems, they’ll want to find out more.

Use the following tips to engage, delight, and ultimately sell:

36. Understand your readers. Know their fears, dreams, and desires. How can you engage with someone you don’t understand?
37. Don’t write for a large audience. Choose one person, picture him, and write to him as if he’s a friend.
38. Use a conversational tone of voice. Nobody wants to chat with a company.
39. Be engaging. Using the word you is the most powerful way to be more engaging.
40. Be remarkable. So much content is out there, how can you stand out? Disclose your point of view, tell your personal story, and develop your own writing voice. If your readers feel they know you, they will connect with you.
41. Use familiar language. Check Twitter, Facebook or Google’s Keyword Tool – and find the wording your readers use. 
42. Avoid jargon. Always choose the simplest possible expression of your idea. Avoid obscure words.
43. Don’t insult your readers. Being clear doesn’t mean you have to tell your readers things they already know.
44. Be likeable. Do great things for your readers, help them out, and be generous. It’s obvious isn’t it?

How to self-edit so you don’t look dumb

Whether you are a good writer or not doesn’t matter.

Does this surprise you?

The only way to become a master writer is to become awe-inspiringly good at editing. Advertising great David Ogilvy says this:

I am a lousy copywriter, but I am a good editor. So I go to work editing my own draft.

The following tips will make your potentially crappy content great:

45. Plan ahead. Give yourself time to let your first draft rest.
46. Read your text backwards. This is the best way to spot typos.
47. Use a spell checker. You do that already, don’t you? 
48. Proofread on paper. You’re less likely to skim the text.
49. Read your text aloud. You’ll find where you stumble.
50. Simplify. Remember your purpose? Cut all ideas that are irrelevant.
51. Know the common mistakes that will make you look silly. Check your there’s and theirs, your complements and compliments, and your thens and thans.
52. Scrap vapid clichés.  David Meerman Scott calls these gobbledygook: Words or phrases without a real meaning, such as synergistic, best-in-class and too good to be true. Each word should have a meaning that adds to your readers’ understanding.
53. Shorten your first sentence. Short sentences are more likely to draw readers into your content. And don’t forget, the only purpose of the first sentence is to make people read the second sentence.
54. Scrap redundant sentences. If a sentence doesn’t add to your story, it’s unnecessary. Remember, saying the same thing twice in different ways is needless. Don’t repeat the same thing using different words. (See how boring and irritating that is?)
55. Cut excessive words. Read each sentence carefully and delete each word that isn’t necessary. Words you can almost always delete include: ought, perhaps, in my opinion, just, actually, truly, and very.
56. Replace complicated words with simple words. Do you want your content to be difficult to read? Cut long words and replace them with shorter ones.
57. Check your engagement level. Is your content focused on your readers? Count the number of times you’ve used I and me versus you.
58. Now, go back to your headline. Have you delivered on your promise? Will your readers benefit from reading your content?

The harsh reality of becoming a very good writer

You’re smart. You have good ideas. And to spread your ideas you need mind-blowingly good content, because too much information is out there.

I’m not saying you can become a remarkable writer instantly. You need to practice each day. You need to focus. And you need to be prepared for criticism.

But if you persevere, if you focus on becoming enchanting, persuasive, and memorable, you can succeed.

Set your goals. Just do it.

And let us know in the comments — which of these techniques has been the biggest help in your own writing?

About the Author: About the author: Henneke [Heh-nuh-kuh] is a UK-based marketer who loves copywriting, good food and content marketing. You can connect with Henneke on Twitter.

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Case Study: How Digital Photography School Became a Multimillion Dollar Online Business

Posted on 14. Apr, 2012 by Brian Clark in Blog, Entrepreneurship, Featured, persuasion, Small Business Internet Marketing, Small Business Marketing

People in the blogging and online marketing world know Darren Rowse from Problogger.

Many, however, don’t realize that Problogger is an industry sideline where Darren shares what he learns from his primary business, which is the multimillion dollar web venture Digital Photography School.

DPS has 500,000 subscribers, and 5,000,000 monthly site visitors. But Darren started many years ago at the same place we all do — zero. (Problogger, which is still a much smaller site, came after, not before, DPS.)

Robert Bruce interviews Darren about the start, evolution, and future of this amazing content-based business that started with a simple passion for photography. In this concise 26:49 minute audio case study, you’ll discover:

• How Darren built a massive, responsive audience from scratch
• How to start producing content when you don’t have all the answers
• A short lesson on the value of great headlines
• Why creating content acts as a powerful product development lab
• How he adapted his content plan to grow his audience even more
• How Darren’s early revenue model looked
• How his revenue model has evolved into a product model
• Why traditional book deals are a distraction to his business goals
• How to build and sell your first product online

You’ll get instant access to this case study, and much more, when you subscribe to my free multimedia newsletter — Entreproducer.

Also get instant access to all of this …

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3 Reasons Why Online Advertising is the Worst Model for Your Startup

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Everyone is excited about hyperlocal (online content related to a very limited geographic area, such as a town, neighborhood, or even a single zip code within a city), but no one seems to be making any money from it. Here’s how to make hyperlocal profitable.

Three Ways to Fund Your Online Startup Without Investors

Content creators and online entrepreneurs often begin their journey trying to figure out how to get money. Not from customers, but from investors. Is this necessary? Not always. Here are three creative ways to fund your content-focuses business without giving up part of your company.

Video: Jason Calacanis on Pivots, Content Apps, and Independent Web Video

Serial content entrepreneur Jason Calacanis has traveled a long, winding, and successful road as a new media producer. Love him or not, Jason is one guy who’s hard to ignore, and digital media entrepreneurs would be foolish to do so.

Why the 21st Century Author is an Internet Entrepreneur

Can writing a successful book be treated like an Internet startup? Yes, because it’s not about “self-published,” it’s about being a publisher, or a digital media producer.

Get Free Instant Access Today

You’ll get instant access to all of the above, plus fresh weekly updates going forward, when you subscribe to Entreproducer. No worries … because there’s absolutely no charge.

See you over there?

About the Author: Brian Clark is founder of Copyblogger, CEO of Copyblogger Media, and Editor-in-Chief of Entreproducer.

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14 Ways to Build Strategic Relationships With the Who’s Who of Social Media

Posted on 29. Mar, 2012 by Tom Treanor in Blog, Featured, persuasion, Small Business Internet Marketing, Small Business Marketing, social media marketing

You know the feeling.

You’ve worked hard on a new post, a new video or a groundbreaking new product.

You release it to the world. Publish it to all the social networks, share it with your email list, tell your friends … and nothing happens.

The needle doesn’t move.

Sometimes you just feel stuck. You’re doing everything “you should be doing” but not really going anywhere.

You’ve worked hard to get people to notice you and your company. You’ve got a little traction here and there, but it’s not enough. You feel like you’ve paid your dues but you’re not getting paid back.

There has to be a better way.

There is, and that’s where industry influencers come into play. 

With a little help from the influencers (and their massive audiences) you can move from obscurity to a firm place on the map. Without their help, your future’s unclear.

But how do you make those initial connections?

Well, the answers are right in front of you. I’m about to share 14 secrets with you to building relationships with the Who’s Who of your industry.

Use with care. Remember that online influencers are people just like you are. Networking is 98% about being a nice person and having good manners. So go ahead and use these “secrets,” but use them with respect.

1. Start cultivating

Pick a small set of influencers (say 4-6 people) to start with.

Subscribe to their blogs (via email or RSS), follow them in Twitter, connect on Google+, subscribe to their Facebook updates, “like” their Facebook page, and join LinkedIn Groups that they own or are actively participating in. If you can, attend a live event they’re speaking at.

Check in on them regularly and start to engage in conversations with them on their blog and via social media. This will prepare the foundation to take the actions that follow.

2. Show your support

Next, become their best supporter.

This might include linking to them (especially with an interesting, well-written post), buying some of their products, sharing their posts and promotions on Facebook, promoting their LinkedIn group, retweeting them (and adding positive comments), being an active blog commenter, and generally adding value in their sphere of influence.

It’s not sucking up — it’s showing that you’re reading their stuff and thinking about it.

3. Become their informal (or formal) “Community Manager”

A very powerful secret to adding value and to getting to know an influencer is to fill a vacuum in one of their communities.

If they have a following on LinkedIn, Facebook, or in a forum (it can be free or part of a paid program), proactively take on the role of an informal “community manager.”

Help newbies get oriented. Create mini-tutorial posts or videos. Help answer questions that might be slipping between the cracks.

As a LinkedIn Group owner, I can tell you that the people who help me with these things in my community are worth their weight in gold. Anytime they contact me, they immediately have my attention. As an added bonus, you’re also building authority and good will with the other members of that community.

4. Connect them to a great resource or person

When spying on respectfully connecting with your influencer, pay close attention to their goals and frustrations.

For example, maybe they post on Facebook saying, “Just committed to doing a fundraiser for my son’s Boy Scout troop. Anyone have fundraising tips?” or “God, this new Gizmo D5000 makes me feel like a moron.”

In the first case, maybe you have a friend who’s a rockstar fundraiser, and you set up a phone call for them to talk.

In the second, maybe you dig up a great guide someone wrote for the Gizmo D5000, and you send them a link.

Either way, you’re their new hero. How do you think they are going to respond the next time you ask for a favor?

5. Cover their keynote

This is one of my favorites.

Go to a conference or other event where influencers are presenting. Pick some of the more popular speakers or topics, get a good seat for pictures, and take thorough notes. Then quickly write one or more great posts including valuable information, pictures, and video clips related to the talk.

Here’s an example post from BlogWorld that paid huge dividends for me in terms of visibility and recognition.

6. Offer free consulting to improve their business

Sometimes, the most valuable thing you can offer an influencer is your own time or expertise.

Again, listen for their goals and frustrations, and wait for them to talk about an area where you can help. Then, at an opportune moment, pop in and tell them it’s your specialty, and you’d be happy to give them an hour of free consulting. When would be a good time?

Chances are, you’ll get to have a long telephone conversation where you can prove you know your stuff. Instant connection and authority.

(We shouldn’t have to say this but we will: Don’t offer a consultation in your influencer’s area of expertise, unless of course you are, in fact, more proficient than they are at that topic.)

7. Review their book, product or event

The best time to engage an influencer is at the early stage of a launch when they’re working on getting the word out. That’s when they’ll be most open to an interview or to sharing your review broadly via social media.

Write an articulate, creative and scannable post to make sure it gets a lot of attention and shares.

I’ve seen too many average and uninspired reviews that are just not share-worthy. Take the time to get it right, and then be sure to mention it to them, so they can share it for you.

8. Interview them

If you’re a nice and fairly intelligent person, people can’t help but feel closer to you after they talk with you. And what’s the easiest way to talk to an expert?

An interview.

Find a good reason to interview them (like the launch mentioned above), or create an event or series like “The Top Architects Interview Series” that would stroke their ego a bit. Ask them for the interview, and if they accept, post it to your site.

Using the strategy, you’ll have helped to promote them and will also have had the opportunity to get to know them personally.

9. Tell them something’s broken

Have you ever signed up for an industry influencer’s program or subscribed to their email list and noticed a glitch? A link that takes you to a blank page or has an embarrassing typo?

Well, most people are too shy to say anything about it. Be the person who steps up and tells them about it (privately). They’ll appreciate it!

10. Give them honest feedback

Too often industry influencers have a bunch of “yes men” (and women) following them. Everything they do is golden, right?

Well, if you find the right opportunity or topic, try providing a constructive and well-thought-out counterpoint.

Do this only if you strongly believe you’ve got something valuable to add. This is a dangerous one, because if you do it wrong, they might take offense. If you’re only disagreeing to be contrary, you’ll just make yourself an annoying pest.

But, if you do it thoughtfully with the right influencer, it can totally set you apart.

11. Create a valuable resource for your community

Have you ever heard an influencer’s say, “If I had time to create [great resource XYZ], I would do it!”

Well, if you have the skills and time, do it yourself. For example, they might say, “Wouldn’t it be great to have a list of all the best posts about ?” Well, take a few hours together all the best posts, publish it on your own blog, and then send them a link.

Do it well, and you might just get yourself a link.

12. Riff off one of their ideas (not rip off)

Ever read On Dying, Mothers, and Fighting for Your Ideas, the popular post by Jon Morrow?

Well, what you may have not realized is it’s riffing off another popular post Brian Clark wrote called The Snowboard, the Subdural Hematoma, and the Secret of Life. Same headline structure, same three acts, same inspirational message.

I don’t want to put words in Brian’s mouth, but I’m guessing he was flattered. Someone taking your art and using it to create their own art is a huge compliment.

13. Become a customer

As Jon says in his guest blogging course, buying an influencer’s program, product or service is a great way to get to know them, especially if it offers you direct access to them.

Be their best student. Take their lessons to heart, and succeed so they’ll want to use you as a case study.

Not only will it help you create a new connection, but it will build your own authority as well.

14. Offer to write a guest post

If you’ve built up some social capital with an influencer or blog owner, consider pitching a guest post concept you know you can over-deliver on.

If they accept, your post will typically get published on their site in exchange for a byline with a link back to your site. You’ll not only get more standing and recognition in the industry, but you’ll be able to develop a relationship with the blog owner/influencer.

Can you go too far?

Absolutely.

I don’t want to leave without providing some quick guidelines to keep you from going overboard. Just a few quick tips:

• Only make connections with people whose work you genuinely admire and respect. It will show.
• It’s networking, not stalking. You need to know where that line is. Respect boundaries.
• Be helpful, not annoying.
• Don’t expect an instant return. Networking is about relationships, not exchanging favors.
• Treat everyone with respect. Not just the people you consider “influencers.”

If in doubt, be courageous.

Don’t sit back worrying if someone is going to find you annoying or think you’re a suck up. Get out there and get noticed.

Will you sit up, take action, and march yourself out of obscurity, or will you be satisfied with what could have been?

No-brainer, right?

So get out there and do it!

About the Author: Tom Treanor helps business owners to get traffic, leads and sales via their blog and social media. Be sure to register for his upcoming business blogging webinar.

TweetShare

14 Ways to Build Strategic Relationships With the Who’s Who of Social Media

Posted on 29. Mar, 2012 by Tom Treanor in Blog, Featured, persuasion, Small Business Internet Marketing, Small Business Marketing, social media marketing

You know the feeling.

You’ve worked hard on a new post, a new video or a groundbreaking new product.

You release it to the world. Publish it to all the social networks, share it with your email list, tell your friends … and nothing happens.

The needle doesn’t move.

Sometimes you just feel stuck. You’re doing everything “you should be doing” but not really going anywhere.

You’ve worked hard to get people to notice you and your company. You’ve got a little traction here and there, but it’s not enough. You feel like you’ve paid your dues but you’re not getting paid back.

There has to be a better way.

There is, and that’s where industry influencers come into play. 

With a little help from the influencers (and their massive audiences) you can move from obscurity to a firm place on the map. Without their help, your future’s unclear.

But how do you make those initial connections?

Well, the answers are right in front of you. I’m about to share 14 secrets with you to building relationships with the Who’s Who of your industry.

Use with care. Remember that online influencers are people just like you are. Networking is 98% about being a nice person and having good manners. So go ahead and use these “secrets,” but use them with respect.

1. Start cultivating

Pick a small set of influencers (say 4-6 people) to start with.

Subscribe to their blogs (via email or RSS), follow them in Twitter, connect on Google+, subscribe to their Facebook updates, “like” their Facebook page, and join LinkedIn Groups that they own or are actively participating in. If you can, attend a live event they’re speaking at.

Check in on them regularly and start to engage in conversations with them on their blog and via social media. This will prepare the foundation to take the actions that follow.

2. Show your support

Next, become their best supporter.

This might include linking to them (especially with an interesting, well-written post), buying some of their products, sharing their posts and promotions on Facebook, promoting their LinkedIn group, retweeting them (and adding positive comments), being an active blog commenter, and generally adding value in their sphere of influence.

It’s not sucking up — it’s showing that you’re reading their stuff and thinking about it.

3. Become their informal (or formal) “Community Manager”

A very powerful secret to adding value and to getting to know an influencer is to fill a vacuum in one of their communities.

If they have a following on LinkedIn, Facebook, or in a forum (it can be free or part of a paid program), proactively take on the role of an informal “community manager.”

Help newbies get oriented. Create mini-tutorial posts or videos. Help answer questions that might be slipping between the cracks.

As a LinkedIn Group owner, I can tell you that the people who help me with these things in my community are worth their weight in gold. Anytime they contact me, they immediately have my attention. As an added bonus, you’re also building authority and good will with the other members of that community.

4. Connect them to a great resource or person

When spying on respectfully connecting with your influencer, pay close attention to their goals and frustrations.

For example, maybe they post on Facebook saying, “Just committed to doing a fundraiser for my son’s Boy Scout troop. Anyone have fundraising tips?” or “God, this new Gizmo D5000 makes me feel like a moron.”

In the first case, maybe you have a friend who’s a rockstar fundraiser, and you set up a phone call for them to talk.

In the second, maybe you dig up a great guide someone wrote for the Gizmo D5000, and you send them a link.

Either way, you’re their new hero. How do you think they are going to respond the next time you ask for a favor?

5. Cover their keynote

This is one of my favorites.

Go to a conference or other event where influencers are presenting. Pick some of the more popular speakers or topics, get a good seat for pictures, and take thorough notes. Then quickly write one or more great posts including valuable information, pictures, and video clips related to the talk.

Here’s an example post from BlogWorld that paid huge dividends for me in terms of visibility and recognition.

6. Offer free consulting to improve their business

Sometimes, the most valuable thing you can offer an influencer is your own time or expertise.

Again, listen for their goals and frustrations, and wait for them to talk about an area where you can help. Then, at an opportune moment, pop in and tell them it’s your specialty, and you’d be happy to give them an hour of free consulting. When would be a good time?

Chances are, you’ll get to have a long telephone conversation where you can prove you know your stuff. Instant connection and authority.

(We shouldn’t have to say this but we will: Don’t offer a consultation in your influencer’s area of expertise, unless of course you are, in fact, more proficient than they are at that topic.)

7. Review their book, product or event

The best time to engage an influencer is at the early stage of a launch when they’re working on getting the word out. That’s when they’ll be most open to an interview or to sharing your review broadly via social media.

Write an articulate, creative and scannable post to make sure it gets a lot of attention and shares.

I’ve seen too many average and uninspired reviews that are just not share-worthy. Take the time to get it right, and then be sure to mention it to them, so they can share it for you.

8. Interview them

If you’re a nice and fairly intelligent person, people can’t help but feel closer to you after they talk with you. And what’s the easiest way to talk to an expert?

An interview.

Find a good reason to interview them (like the launch mentioned above), or create an event or series like “The Top Architects Interview Series” that would stroke their ego a bit. Ask them for the interview, and if they accept, post it to your site.

Using the strategy, you’ll have helped to promote them and will also have had the opportunity to get to know them personally.

9. Tell them something’s broken

Have you ever signed up for an industry influencer’s program or subscribed to their email list and noticed a glitch? A link that takes you to a blank page or has an embarrassing typo?

Well, most people are too shy to say anything about it. Be the person who steps up and tells them about it (privately). They’ll appreciate it!

10. Give them honest feedback

Too often industry influencers have a bunch of “yes men” (and women) following them. Everything they do is golden, right?

Well, if you find the right opportunity or topic, try providing a constructive and well-thought-out counterpoint.

Do this only if you strongly believe you’ve got something valuable to add. This is a dangerous one, because if you do it wrong, they might take offense. If you’re only disagreeing to be contrary, you’ll just make yourself an annoying pest.

But, if you do it thoughtfully with the right influencer, it can totally set you apart.

11. Create a valuable resource for your community

Have you ever heard an influencer’s say, “If I had time to create [great resource XYZ], I would do it!”

Well, if you have the skills and time, do it yourself. For example, they might say, “Wouldn’t it be great to have a list of all the best posts about ?” Well, take a few hours together all the best posts, publish it on your own blog, and then send them a link.

Do it well, and you might just get yourself a link.

12. Riff off one of their ideas (not rip off)

Ever read On Dying, Mothers, and Fighting for Your Ideas, the popular post by Jon Morrow?

Well, what you may have not realized is it’s riffing off another popular post Brian Clark wrote called The Snowboard, the Subdural Hematoma, and the Secret of Life. Same headline structure, same three acts, same inspirational message.

I don’t want to put words in Brian’s mouth, but I’m guessing he was flattered. Someone taking your art and using it to create their own art is a huge compliment.

13. Become a customer

As Jon says in his guest blogging course, buying an influencer’s program, product or service is a great way to get to know them, especially if it offers you direct access to them.

Be their best student. Take their lessons to heart, and succeed so they’ll want to use you as a case study.

Not only will it help you create a new connection, but it will build your own authority as well.

14. Offer to write a guest post

If you’ve built up some social capital with an influencer or blog owner, consider pitching a guest post concept you know you can over-deliver on.

If they accept, your post will typically get published on their site in exchange for a byline with a link back to your site. You’ll not only get more standing and recognition in the industry, but you’ll be able to develop a relationship with the blog owner/influencer.

Can you go too far?

Absolutely.

I don’t want to leave without providing some quick guidelines to keep you from going overboard. Just a few quick tips:

• Only make connections with people whose work you genuinely admire and respect. It will show.
• It’s networking, not stalking. You need to know where that line is. Respect boundaries.
• Be helpful, not annoying.
• Don’t expect an instant return. Networking is about relationships, not exchanging favors.
• Treat everyone with respect. Not just the people you consider “influencers.”

If in doubt, be courageous.

Don’t sit back worrying if someone is going to find you annoying or think you’re a suck up. Get out there and get noticed.

Will you sit up, take action, and march yourself out of obscurity, or will you be satisfied with what could have been?

No-brainer, right?

So get out there and do it!

About the Author: Tom Treanor helps business owners to get traffic, leads and sales via their blog and social media. Be sure to register for his upcoming business blogging webinar.

TweetShare

14 Ways to Build Strategic Relationships With the Who’s Who of Social Media

Posted on 29. Mar, 2012 by Tom Treanor in Blog, Featured, persuasion, Small Business Internet Marketing, Small Business Marketing, social media marketing

You know the feeling.

You’ve worked hard on a new post, a new video or a groundbreaking new product.

You release it to the world. Publish it to all the social networks, share it with your email list, tell your friends … and nothing happens.

The needle doesn’t move.

Sometimes you just feel stuck. You’re doing everything “you should be doing” but not really going anywhere.

You’ve worked hard to get people to notice you and your company. You’ve got a little traction here and there, but it’s not enough. You feel like you’ve paid your dues but you’re not getting paid back.

There has to be a better way.

There is, and that’s where industry influencers come into play. 

With a little help from the influencers (and their massive audiences) you can move from obscurity to a firm place on the map. Without their help, your future’s unclear.

But how do you make those initial connections?

Well, the answers are right in front of you. I’m about to share 14 secrets with you to building relationships with the Who’s Who of your industry.

Use with care. Remember that online influencers are people just like you are. Networking is 98% about being a nice person and having good manners. So go ahead and use these “secrets,” but use them with respect.

1. Start cultivating

Pick a small set of influencers (say 4-6 people) to start with.

Subscribe to their blogs (via email or RSS), follow them in Twitter, connect on Google+, subscribe to their Facebook updates, “like” their Facebook page, and join LinkedIn Groups that they own or are actively participating in. If you can, attend a live event they’re speaking at.

Check in on them regularly and start to engage in conversations with them on their blog and via social media. This will prepare the foundation to take the actions that follow.

2. Show your support

Next, become their best supporter.

This might include linking to them (especially with an interesting, well-written post), buying some of their products, sharing their posts and promotions on Facebook, promoting their LinkedIn group, retweeting them (and adding positive comments), being an active blog commenter, and generally adding value in their sphere of influence.

It’s not sucking up — it’s showing that you’re reading their stuff and thinking about it.

3. Become their informal (or formal) “Community Manager”

A very powerful secret to adding value and to getting to know an influencer is to fill a vacuum in one of their communities.

If they have a following on LinkedIn, Facebook, or in a forum (it can be free or part of a paid program), proactively take on the role of an informal “community manager.”

Help newbies get oriented. Create mini-tutorial posts or videos. Help answer questions that might be slipping between the cracks.

As a LinkedIn Group owner, I can tell you that the people who help me with these things in my community are worth their weight in gold. Anytime they contact me, they immediately have my attention. As an added bonus, you’re also building authority and good will with the other members of that community.

4. Connect them to a great resource or person

When spying on respectfully connecting with your influencer, pay close attention to their goals and frustrations.

For example, maybe they post on Facebook saying, “Just committed to doing a fundraiser for my son’s Boy Scout troop. Anyone have fundraising tips?” or “God, this new Gizmo D5000 makes me feel like a moron.”

In the first case, maybe you have a friend who’s a rockstar fundraiser, and you set up a phone call for them to talk.

In the second, maybe you dig up a great guide someone wrote for the Gizmo D5000, and you send them a link.

Either way, you’re their new hero. How do you think they are going to respond the next time you ask for a favor?

5. Cover their keynote

This is one of my favorites.

Go to a conference or other event where influencers are presenting. Pick some of the more popular speakers or topics, get a good seat for pictures, and take thorough notes. Then quickly write one or more great posts including valuable information, pictures, and video clips related to the talk.

Here’s an example post from BlogWorld that paid huge dividends for me in terms of visibility and recognition.

6. Offer free consulting to improve their business

Sometimes, the most valuable thing you can offer an influencer is your own time or expertise.

Again, listen for their goals and frustrations, and wait for them to talk about an area where you can help. Then, at an opportune moment, pop in and tell them it’s your specialty, and you’d be happy to give them an hour of free consulting. When would be a good time?

Chances are, you’ll get to have a long telephone conversation where you can prove you know your stuff. Instant connection and authority.

(We shouldn’t have to say this but we will: Don’t offer a consultation in your influencer’s area of expertise, unless of course you are, in fact, more proficient than they are at that topic.)

7. Review their book, product or event

The best time to engage an influencer is at the early stage of a launch when they’re working on getting the word out. That’s when they’ll be most open to an interview or to sharing your review broadly via social media.

Write an articulate, creative and scannable post to make sure it gets a lot of attention and shares.

I’ve seen too many average and uninspired reviews that are just not share-worthy. Take the time to get it right, and then be sure to mention it to them, so they can share it for you.

8. Interview them

If you’re a nice and fairly intelligent person, people can’t help but feel closer to you after they talk with you. And what’s the easiest way to talk to an expert?

An interview.

Find a good reason to interview them (like the launch mentioned above), or create an event or series like “The Top Architects Interview Series” that would stroke their ego a bit. Ask them for the interview, and if they accept, post it to your site.

Using the strategy, you’ll have helped to promote them and will also have had the opportunity to get to know them personally.

9. Tell them something’s broken

Have you ever signed up for an industry influencer’s program or subscribed to their email list and noticed a glitch? A link that takes you to a blank page or has an embarrassing typo?

Well, most people are too shy to say anything about it. Be the person who steps up and tells them about it (privately). They’ll appreciate it!

10. Give them honest feedback

Too often industry influencers have a bunch of “yes men” (and women) following them. Everything they do is golden, right?

Well, if you find the right opportunity or topic, try providing a constructive and well-thought-out counterpoint.

Do this only if you strongly believe you’ve got something valuable to add. This is a dangerous one, because if you do it wrong, they might take offense. If you’re only disagreeing to be contrary, you’ll just make yourself an annoying pest.

But, if you do it thoughtfully with the right influencer, it can totally set you apart.

11. Create a valuable resource for your community

Have you ever heard an influencer’s say, “If I had time to create [great resource XYZ], I would do it!”

Well, if you have the skills and time, do it yourself. For example, they might say, “Wouldn’t it be great to have a list of all the best posts about ?” Well, take a few hours together all the best posts, publish it on your own blog, and then send them a link.

Do it well, and you might just get yourself a link.

12. Riff off one of their ideas (not rip off)

Ever read On Dying, Mothers, and Fighting for Your Ideas, the popular post by Jon Morrow?

Well, what you may have not realized is it’s riffing off another popular post Brian Clark wrote called The Snowboard, the Subdural Hematoma, and the Secret of Life. Same headline structure, same three acts, same inspirational message.

I don’t want to put words in Brian’s mouth, but I’m guessing he was flattered. Someone taking your art and using it to create their own art is a huge compliment.

13. Become a customer

As Jon says in his guest blogging course, buying an influencer’s program, product or service is a great way to get to know them, especially if it offers you direct access to them.

Be their best student. Take their lessons to heart, and succeed so they’ll want to use you as a case study.

Not only will it help you create a new connection, but it will build your own authority as well.

14. Offer to write a guest post

If you’ve built up some social capital with an influencer or blog owner, consider pitching a guest post concept you know you can over-deliver on.

If they accept, your post will typically get published on their site in exchange for a byline with a link back to your site. You’ll not only get more standing and recognition in the industry, but you’ll be able to develop a relationship with the blog owner/influencer.

Can you go too far?

Absolutely.

I don’t want to leave without providing some quick guidelines to keep you from going overboard. Just a few quick tips:

• Only make connections with people whose work you genuinely admire and respect. It will show.
• It’s networking, not stalking. You need to know where that line is. Respect boundaries.
• Be helpful, not annoying.
• Don’t expect an instant return. Networking is about relationships, not exchanging favors.
• Treat everyone with respect. Not just the people you consider “influencers.”

If in doubt, be courageous.

Don’t sit back worrying if someone is going to find you annoying or think you’re a suck up. Get out there and get noticed.

Will you sit up, take action, and march yourself out of obscurity, or will you be satisfied with what could have been?

No-brainer, right?

So get out there and do it!

About the Author: Tom Treanor helps business owners to get traffic, leads and sales via their blog and social media. Be sure to register for his upcoming business blogging webinar.

TweetShare

How to Turn Interested Prospects into Lifelong Customers Through “Youtility” Marketing

Posted on 09. Mar, 2012 by Robert Bruce in Blog, content marketing, conversion, Featured, persuasion, Radio, Small Business Internet Marketing, Small Business Marketing

Think having a huge Twitter following is enough to drive your marketing?

Is big media attention (social or otherwise) enough to drive the sales you need and want?

Those certainly help, but the future of a successful marketing campaign lies — in part — in becoming a “Youtility,” finding creative ways to to be unforgettably useful to your interested propects.

So says thought leader, author, and one of America’s top three social media consultants Jay Baer. He jumped on the show today to clearly explain the “Youtility” concept, and how you can put it to use in your own marketing mix.

In this episode we discuss:

• Why you’d better be playing for the long-term
• Why the future of marketing lies in becoming a “Youtility”
• How “Friend of Mine Awareness” can revolutionize your marketing
• The fatal flaw of merely creating a lot of content
• 3 case studies in developing “Friend of Mine” awareness

Hit the flash player below to listen now:

Other listening options:

• Click here to download the mp3 | 28.9 MB | 24:01
• Click here to subscribe via iTunes
• Click here for the RSS feed (non iTunes)
• Click here for the show archive

The Show Notes:

• Internet Marketing for Smart People Course (free)
• Jay Baer’s Blog
• Content Marketing 101
• Does Free Content Cannibalize Your Paid Consulting?
• We left the building with Girl Talk …

About the Author: Robert Bruce is Copyblogger Media’s copywriter and resident recluse.

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The Power of Persuasion: Storytelling & Personas in Content Marketing

Posted on 19. Dec, 2011 by Lee Odden in Blog, content marketing, personas, persuasion, Small Business Internet Marketing, Small Business Marketing, Social Media, storytelling

I attended University a very long time ago, where I started out pursuing Graphic Design and then transitioned to an interdepartmental degree: Sociology, Industrial Psychology and Business. Art was interesting, but I was only mildly talented and there was no digital program (this was pre-internet). As I look at the state of the social web today, I am amazed at what a dynamic and interesting time we live in. I wonder what it would be like, studying social psychology and organizational development now, with the ubiquity of the social web and transformation of internet access from PCs to mobile devices.

One area of interest to me is the impact of persuasion and behaviors. Not just individual behaviors, but that of groups. Since I’m in the business of marketing, it’s an interesting intersection between my past studies and what many companies are in need of today in terms of understanding social technology adoption, social communications, knowledge transfer, community and collaboration.

While many people consider me a “SEO guy” or that in combination with PR, Social and Content, I am and always have been a marketer. My job has always been to connect customers with companies for mutual benefit. Whether that involves optimizing content for discovery through search, social influence or awareness through industry media isn’t as important as knowing the difference between the vehicle and the outcome. And the “why”.

Marketers can get tactically proficient and even scientific about SEO signals, social technologies or information distribution platforms, but in the end it’s an understanding of those customers and what influences them that helps most with the process of persuasion. A lot of channel-specific marketers focus on how communication platforms work vs. how customers understand those platforms or even why they use them.

I’d like to point out that while I am a strong advocate of customer-centric marketing and how that manifests as persona development, it doesn’t mean I think customers should dictate all marketing. There are many, many scenarios where customers don’t know any better, don’t know what they want, or where the perception of need can be created through compelling story. Those situations call for an understanding of customers and then creative efforts to “tell them what they want” for lack of a better phrase. Whether we’re reacting to customers, anticipating their needs or leading them – an understanding of what persuades differente customer groups is essential.

Besides asking what keywords are most relevant and which social platforms customers are using, shouldn’t we wonder why a certain customer uses search in the first place? Why do they use social? What influences them to use both and in what situations? What kinds of content are most persuasive and in what contexts?

The follow-up to those types of questions is, “How can brands better understand the influences that motivate customers to act?” and “What content and signals of credibility do we need to create?”

Let’s say you have an objective of persuading a group of potential customers to change their behavior. It may be a scenario where there are commonly held, yet outdated beliefs and your brand is the solution. It might be as fundamental as a new product that solves an existing problem in a different way.

One of the first steps is to profile those potential customers in terms of preferences and behaviors.

• What do they currently believe to be true?
• What are their objections to doing what you’ll be persuading them to do?
• What are their primary influences?
• What motivates their behaviors?
• What outcomes are most attractive to them?
• What would limit implementation, use and acceptance of your persuasion objective?

Profiling the target audience in this way in combination with translating the information into a content plan can then be transformed into a holistic approach involving a mix of Paid, Owned, Earned and Shared media. One aspect of such a campaign would involve storytelling through content. You know, “Facts Tell, Stories Sell”.

Finding stories that represent examples of customer archetypes that have made the transition from previous behaviors to the desired behaviors and outcomes is a great starting point. This logic is pretty common in advertising where a storyline of, “I used to think this, then I found out that, and that’s why I use/buy from company 123.” is presented.

Those stories that are tailored specifically for the personas for each major segment of the target audience can provide the information and inspiration needed to make fundamental changes in their awareness, perception, acceptance and transition to the desired outcome.

The narrative for each storyline should empathize with the current situation and provide reasonable and practical steps for overcoming objections as well as clear steps for making changes. Motivations for change can vary by persona, so it’s important to identify a structure that allows for such variances. The success stories have to be real of course and not appear so different that outcomes are not attainable.

The format for content in such a situation can run the gamut of text, digital, video, audio, images, events, email and so on – according to what is known about the target customer group. Whenever there’s content, there’s a need for “Optimize and Socialize” to facilitate attraction, engagement and sharing. Additional considerations include how content will move customers through attraction to conclusion.

• Discovery
• Engagement
• Comprehension
• Internalization
• Enhancement
• Engagement
• Conclusion
• Sharing

As stories are told, it’s important to find and promote early successes as well as create a process for engaging with prospects, conversion, implementation and identifying success. Success stories can be small, tactical examples or more strategic and comprehensive. The role of search in such a scenario is to optimize for discovery but also to analyze search data, interactions and conversions for continued efforts at message refinement. Of course, this has been made somewhat more difficult by Google’s decision to encrypt logged-in search referring keywords.  The same attention to social analytics would also apply. In the end, those success stories can become the spokespeople for future growth, engagement and conversion.

Maybe what I’m suggesting in this post doesn’t seem so different from what content marketers are already doing. What I do know is that there’s a lot of opportunity to bring in customer insight and brand storytelling into optimization and social media marketing communications. I think digging into a lot of the “why” customers are motivated and influenced as well as the “why” they use search and social technologies will help online marketers better understand how to use content and persuasive storytelling to attract, engage and inspire customers to buy.

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Introducing The Lede: A Copywriting and Online Marketing Sheet

Posted on 29. Oct, 2011 by Robert Bruce in Blog, Blog Psychology, content marketing, conversion, Copywriting, Email Marketing, Entrepreneurship, Headlines, Keyword Research, Landing Pages, List Building, Metrics, persuasion, productivity, selling, Small Business Internet Marketing, Small Business Marketing, social media marketing, Traditional Media, Traffic

Welcome to The Lede.

Every week I’ll be digging up and linking to stories, news, and opinion relevant to online marketing and copywriting.

Email, social media, innovation, SEO, productivity, mobile, conversion, publishing, and everything in between.

No commentary, just a fast, single page of headlines that you can grab, scan, and squeeze for all they may (or may not) be worth.

All right then, on with it …

About the Author: Robert Bruce is Copyblogger Media’s copywriter and resident recluse.

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Comments

• Hi Robert. Very valuable information is posted. I have really … by Henry Louis
• Since most people have little or no clue what “lede” means, … by Don Bates
• [...] post: Introducing The Lede: A Copywriting and Online … by Introducing The Lede: A Copywriting and Online Marketing Sheet … | The Way Of Making Money Online
• This is a fabulous list! To those that are overwhelmed by the … by Tracy Schutz
• Hey,Really Great Post, I am looking forward for more post … by Peter Zmijewski
• Plus 5 more…

Further Reading

• The Art of Finding Ideas
• What Bestselling Fiction Can Teach You About Writing Better Landing Pages
• 23 Reasons Your Blog Isn’t Making Any Money (And What To Do About It!)