Content Mastery Guide

Editor and Ghostwriter

Pink spoon marketing, simplified

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I’ve blogged before about How Big is the Leap from Your Site to Your Sales and pink spoon marketing, but the other day when a client asked me about the best way to use autoresponders, I created a very brief, simple and clear sequence for applying the pink spoon approach – what do you think?

  1. Put together a high-quality written resource (I can help!).
  2. Offer that resource for free from your website in exchange for your visitor’s name/email address and permission to email them again AND as a bonus they also receive your ongoing newsletter with more valuable information.
  3. Place a sign-up form for your pink spoon/mailing list on every single page of your website. Include a one-line privacy policy (e.g., we will never sell, rent or share your contact information) and a link to a more detailed privacy policy.
  4. Create a “sales page” on your website that specifically describes and promotes your pink spoon (this may very well be your Home page). If your pink spoon “sales page” is not your Home page, you can purchase a domain name that is redirected to the sub-page.
  5. Post the URL to that pink spoon “sales page” in your signature line (see mine below, that I use for my book site), and in the author resource box of articles that you publish online (e.g., on Ezine Articles). Include a brief but descriptive invitation to visit your page and claim the free gift.

My signature line:

************************************
Linda Dessau, BFA, MTA, CPCC
www.contentmasteryguide.com
FREE Readability Secrets
Guaranteed to improve your writing
www.forcoacheswhowrite.com

************************************

Autoresponder logistics:

  • An email broadcasting service such as AWeber provides you with HTML code for a form that you can place on the sidebar of every page of your website.
  • On clicking “Submit,” the website visitor is added to your mailing list and automatically receives a download link and/or an attachment of your free resource.
  • Follow up with two or three additional autoresponder messages, promoting the next level of your marketing funnel (a product or service).
  • You can then use the email broadcasting service to mail out newsletters and/or special offers to everyone on the list.

Does that clear things up for anyone?

Don’t be sneaky in your subject line

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In a Constant Contact FAQ post they discussed how the CAN-SPAM (anti-spam) act applies to the claims that we make in our subject lines. [Update December 15, 2012 – The direct link to this article is no longer functioning.] Are we so eager to get the reader's attention and have them click through, that we resort to deception?

There's a fine line between being clever and compelling to being dishonest and deceitful. Following the lead of some of the more aggressive (AND successful) Internet marketers, it's easy to get overly focused on compelling headings and subject lines and not focused enough on the integrity of the message.

I don't ever want to leave a bad taste in someone's mouth after an interaction with me – whether it's direct or indirect. Not everyone is going to like me or what I do, and I can live with that (sigh), but I can certainly avoid misleading someone to have an expectation that I have no intention of delivering on.

Did I cross the line with the post titled, "Win a copy of the Customizable Style Guide for Coaches Who Write"? After all, there was no fine print letting readers know that attendance at the ICF-GTA Conference was a prerequisite. But if I'd said that, then no one outside of Toronto would have clicked through and I would have lost an opportunity to remind my readers about the Style Guide resource and also my Talk-Write article service.

I'm curious to hear from you: Have you ever been duped by a "bait and switch" subject line that didn't deliver? How did you react? How did it affect your relationship with the sender? Comment below and let me know.

Also, how much emphasis do you put on composing your subject lines and titles? Are they as or more important to you than the post/article? What are your tricks for getting people to click through? Post them in a comment below. I'm also curious to know how/if you track your open rates, and which subject lines have been most successful for you. Thanks!

In celebration of National Reading Group Month

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Did you know that October is National Reading Group Month? To celebrate, Teresa Morrow of Key Business Partners has put together a showcase of fabulous “Books to Read,” and guess who was included?

[Update December 15, 2012 – Teresa has a new website now and this list is no longer available.]

Yes, you can hop over to Teresa’s website to see The Customizable Style Guide for Coaches Who Write in the company of all sorts of interesting reads, including:

Rock Star Mommy by Judy Davids
Mindful Marketing by Jenn Givler
The Soccer Mom Myth by Holly Buchanan and Michele Miller
Back to the Table Cookbook by Betty Lynch
Web Business Success by Susan Daffron
The Celebrity Experience by Donna Cutting
Girl Talk by Gigi Garner

Most of the book listings include a free downloadable excerpt, so that you can check them out at no cost or obligation.

Building your coaching business? Expert speakers say: “Be a good writer, or hire a good writer.”

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On Saturday, October 4, I had the pleasure of attending the Fall Community Conference of the ICF-GTA, which is the International Coach Federation’s Toronto Chapter.

The focus of the conference was Business Building for Coaches, and several of the speakers reinforced that good writing is an essential marketing skill.

Nicki Weiss and Susan Jacobson talked about Building Strategic Partnerships and Alliances, and Nicki identified her newsletter as the key to her success, helping her to:

  1. Demonstrate her expertise and value to potential alliance partners
  2. Nurture her relationships with those prospective partners over time
  3. Market consistently and effectively to the members of her alliance organizations
  4. Continue to build her visibility and credibility when she places her newsletter articles in trade publications and websites
  5. Develop the curriculum for her teleforums and workbooks by expanding on her articles

From all of the questions Nicki got, it was clear that the coaches in the room knew about the importance of newsletters and article marketing but were missing some crucial pieces to actually put them to use.

Another speaker, Liz Walker of Marketing Masters, presented the elegantly simple Duct Tape Marketing system. She talked about how important it is for prospective clients to know, like and trust you.

Good writing is essential for every stage of the Duct Tape system, so much so that Liz said very clearly, "You have to either be a good writer or hire a good writer."

The Style Guide was in good company

I also participated in the conference as a door prize sponsor. To help conference delegates with their writing efforts, I donated two copies of the Style Guide as well as a Talk-Write Article package.

As it turned out, I was in good company as a sponsor. My client and colleague Sandra De Freitas, the Tech Coach for Coaches, also donated copies of her book, Does This Blogsite Make My Wallet Look Fat?

Icfgtaconferencesponsor

My newest addition has arrived!

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Introducing Chyna:

1stcar

This beautiful 10-year old greyhound retired from the racetrack in 2002 and was welcomed into the GINA (Greyhounds in Need of Adoption) family. In fact, one of the people who helped get her ready for her first foster home was also one of my home visit reps.

She tells me that next to all of the “big boys” that Chyna arrived with, she looked like a little china doll. She made the comment, the foster family liked it, and that’s how she got her name.

It was love at first sight for me, and I’m thrilled to be entering this new phase of my life as a “dog Mom.”