In this post… I share a true story that illustrates how we can save our clients from the Wild, Wild West of the Internet by being authentic and real—by being Truth Tellers. Whether you’ve just arrived on the Internet scene, or you’ve been around, as I have, for 20 years, you may someday find yourself in […]
In this post… learn from a real-life example why publishing content written in third person can cripple your content marketing efforts. As a marketing writer, I care about two sets of content perceptions: 1) how you, my client, perceive my content, and 2) how your readers perceive the content I wrote for you. When the two […]
In this post… Discover how to sell without selling, something you probably do all the time but don’t even know it. In this post, I share a story of speaking with someone who sold me on her magnificence, and then told me that she didn’t like to … and wasn’t good at … selling. You […]
This is post #1 of my book-to-blog experiment; read the previous post, about the inspiration for the project, here. What’s your talk trigger? Is there one thing about you or your business that makes customers talk about you? If so, that might be your “talk trigger,” a term coined by Jay Baer and Daniel Lemin in their […]
This post is Part 3 of a three-part series on infusing the know, like, trust factor into your website and content. If you haven’t read them yet, find Part 1 on KNOWING here, and Part 2 on LIKING here. 3. TRUSTTo trust you, your prospect must feel safe with you. Although the trust element is easier to […]
This post is Part 2 of a three-part series on infusing the know, like, trust factor into your website and content. If you haven’t read it yet, find Part 1 on KNOWING here. Part 2: LIKETo like you, your prospect must connect with you. What does it mean to like someone? I’m not talking “like like,” as […]
You’ve heard it said that people prefer to do business with people they know, like, and trust, right? Me, too. Yet everytime I hear that advice, I think, “Okaaaaaay….” It sounds nice, but what does it really mean to know, like, and trust someone? What does it take for someone to know, like, and trust you, or your […]
Toot your own horn (shh … quietly) Hooray! You’ve completed Marketing 101 and grabbed a potential client’s attention. Now what?Now, the marketing continues. This time though, in Marketing 102, your goal is to build that always powerful know, like, and trust factor. Your goal is to give prospect the feeling that you’re qualified and more than able […]
Core values, blah blah blah, yadda yadda yaddaI’m in a 13-week transformational coaching program. I need to transform, baby! One of the modules is about “core values,” the values that drive and shape our behaviors. Knowing what we value, the thinking goes, allows us to nudge our businesses in directions that reflect those values. I have to say, […]
What happens when you try to sell ice to Eskimos?Before I became a product creator and writing coach, I used to troll all the job boards looking for writing and editing work. Believe me, applying for “gigs” is about appealing as I imagine that getting back into the dating scene would be after being married for […]
A simple blog post template for beginning bloggersWhen I first started researching blog post types, I was dumbstruck at how many different types of blog post exist. In my upcoming card deck — The Blog Post Inspiration Deck — I cover 20 blog post types, from how-tos and listicles to success story posts. And I have […]
What’s a manifesto? And do you need one for your business?Did you know that Seth Godin writes a manifesto for every book he publishes?I found that out through Marcy Nelson-Garrison, creator of the Card Deck Master Class, the program I used to create my card deck, The Blog Post Inspiration Deck.The Blog Post Inspiration Deck, […]
Freelance writer rates: As with all things in life, you get what you pay forThere’s a blog post over at ClearVoice entitled “15 Scenarios When to Pay Freelance Writers Higher Rates.”I wanted to respond to the post right in the comments but, alas, the comments were closed.So I’m writing my reply here as a blog […]
Imperfect action ≠ crappy content The gurus say that imperfect action is better than no action. In a way, I agree: It’s better to have an “imperfect” something out there than nothing at all. BUT. A huge BUT. Imperfect doesn’t mean “crap.” Glaring content issues that shout “CRAP!” to everyone Imperfect doesn’t mean you let content out of the house with […]
When credibility takes a hit, trust does, too. A new study by the UX design folks at Nielsen Norman Group confirmed what I already knew: to sell successfully in the online space, your website must give readers a sense that your company is credible and trustworthy. Although the study focused on B2B buyers in China, its […]
Free, no-email-required guide on know, like, and trustYou’ve probably heard at least one expert say that people buy from people and companies they know, like, and trust. Trouble is … that’s where the guidance stops. It’s like: “Know, like, and trust. You need it, so go do it! Get to it!” But HOW? What does it *really* mean to […]
It seems that everyone loves long-form contentYou know what? I get that long-form content is great for driving traffic. Neil Patel says so. Kissmetrics says so. Search Enging Land says so. Content Marketing Institute says so. I’m not here to argue about the effectiveness of long-form content. Having a supply of long-form content on your site is a good thing. […]
Small business marketing + deep listening = better marketing content You know the feeling that comes over you when you see or hear something transformative? When something about life, love, or small business marketing stops you in your tracks, and becomes, at least temporarily, all consuming? You can’t think of anything else. You feel compelled to share […]
