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content strategy
Here’s How Writing Content Turns You Into an Expert
There are many marketing benefits to regular blogging or writing a newsletter. But other – perhaps more important – benefits may not be clear until after you’ve been doing it a while. Regardless of how much you know, sooner or later you’re going to need … Keep reading…
Long Term Planning for Your Small Business Blog
While teaching a blogging class to small business folk recently, we were doing an exercise to get us thinking about our blogging strategies beyond the next post or the next month. We posted flip chart sheets around the walls and together filled in all the … Keep reading…
Writing is Not the Only Ingredient of a Winning Blog
Blogging success has less to do with your writing skill than you might think. Yes, it has to be interesting or useful… hopefully, both! But if it’s not also these other things below, it likely won’t be successful for your business: #1. Valuable What’s in … Keep reading…
Why You Need to Create Original Content
“If all you’re sharing is other people’s content, why do people need to follow you?” ~ Anita Kirkbride Recently I’ve sat with a couple of small business owners who have been “on social media” for a while but have not been doing much there. In … Keep reading…
How to Deliver Valuable Content
If you’ve struggled with success when it comes to blogging, newsletters or even social media, it may be because you’re missing the essential ingredient – value. There are many things you can do right or wrong but, if you aren’t giving value, the rest won’t … Keep reading…
Content Strategy: A Formula for Success [Infographic]
It’s not secret, magic or special but it IS important. If you don’t start your content strategy with these steps, you’ll be thinking about them later… perhaps too late.
A Simple Content Management Tool (includes worksheet)
Many people have yet to embrace the concept of content management. I’m going to show you a simple way to get your arms around it, and keep them firmly gripped. First, print or use this fillable worksheet (or draw 3 columns on a sheet of … Keep reading…
How to Find Time to Create Content
Whether you write for your blog, newsletter or social media – or all three – there are two approaches to creating your content: on the fly or by scheduling time. They both have to do with finding time to do it well. You can spend … Keep reading…
Designed for Success – Client Success Story
The thought of designing a newsletter for a designer was a little daunting, but I jumped at the opportunity when Melanie Orr of Interiors by Melanie first approached me. I recently asked her to tell me how it’s helping her small business and this is … Keep reading…
Loyalty isn’t Instant
I’ve been keeping an eye on our blog because I know I’m approaching 250 articles and I want to celebrate that milestone. I’ve been feeling pretty good about that. Four years of consistent blogging is an accomplishment, don’t you think? Now, here’s some perspective. I … Keep reading…
How to Publish a Newsletter without Writing
There are two things that usually keep someone from starting a newsletter. One is compiling their first mailing list. The other is: “But I can’t write very well!” There are ways to publish a newsletter without having to do a lot of writing. #1. Come … Keep reading…
“But I don’t want to spam my friends!”
Overheard at a networking event: “But I don’t want to spam my friends.” An excellent sentiment! But if you think your friends would consider your email newsletter to be spam, what does that say about your content strategy? The solution to avoid sending spam is … Keep reading…
Research to Develop your Content Strategy
Your marketing content strategy wouldn’t be complete without having a look at what others are doing. This is an important step because: it will trigger new ideas for you it will help keep you current with others in your industry you should know what your … Keep reading…
Content Creation (Wrap-Up #3)
Our first content creation wrap-up contains articles prior to May 2012. If you are looking for writing ideas, how to manage your content or just a bit of inspiration, you just may find what you are looking for in this list of links. Our second … Keep reading…
Perceptions of Value
Someone recently asked me if a newsletter is still a good marketing tool for small business. After all, we’re inundated with newsletters and stuff that people call newsletters. The person who asked me this has been actively unsubscribing from newsletters to reduce her inbox noise. … Keep reading…
This Deserves Your Attention
Now that I have your attention, I’d better earn it, right? We’ve all heard it said that advertising is buying people’s attention. Content marketing is all about earning that attention by providing value to readers. There are a lot of different types of content that … Keep reading…
Content Strategies: Curating vs. Creating
I read a great article recently called Content Curation vs. Content Creation: Finding the Right Combination which discusses the goals of these two different strategies. I’ll summarize a little here. Curating content is all about becoming a trustworthy, reliable resource of high-quality, cutting-edge information that … Keep reading…
Building your Reputation
You don’t build a reputation by churning out facts or putting on a suit. A reputation is built through walking the talk. The way to gain a good reputation is to endeavor to be what you desire to appear. – Socrates If building your reputation … Keep reading…
Don’t Leave Them Wanting More
Whenever you or I read something that we like, often a “What’s next?” comes to mind. I’m frequently cautioning about using calls to action strategically and not having so many that they become distracting. The other end of the spectrum would be not having a … Keep reading…
Content That Saves Time
This is worth getting excited about – the best kind of content possible. That’s because content that saves you time also helps you meet so many other goals. How can taking the time to create content actually save you time? Well, you create content out … Keep reading…
Don’t Dilute Your Message
Let’s say you own a business that sells services to the general public. And, because you are so good at what you do, you also sell different services to other businesses in your industry. This is a common scenario for successful small businesses. You want to start an enewsletter – let’s … Keep reading…
It Doesn’t Have to be About You
Let’s face it: some businesses are in a better position to provide valuable information through newsletters (blogs, social media) than others. Take our own newsletter as an example. We could easily publish a newsletter about publishing newsletters. (Stay with me here.) It would have lots of tips … Keep reading…
Plan to Give Your Best
If what you have to share, show or write about isn’t great, don’t put it out there. That was one takeaway from Scott Stratten. I had a double dose of him a couple of weeks ago – read his book, UnMarketing, and attended his webinar. … Keep reading…
Original Content Makes YOU Unique!
Do you really need any more information than what you’re already getting? Do your readers? How do you compete with ALL that content that’s readily available? You give them something they can’t get anywhere else! A list is easy – here’s one way to think … Keep reading…