Editor and Ghostwriter
By Linda Dessau
There are people who need your help who aren't finding you. When you don't write, publish or share your ideas, you stay hidden. Even people who've met you and liked you will forget you exist.
START NOW by browsing sample article topics for coaches. Choose a topic and get to work!
Head back to the Content Creation Manifesto Summary for links to #1-7.
By Linda Dessau
[Update December 31, 2012 – Some of these articles are no longer available – I’ve removed the broken links.]
To celebrate the launch of the Content Creation Capsule, last week I embarked on an impromptu whirlwind blog tour. Here are the links to my five posts, as well as Twitter links for my gracious hosts:
How to stand out from the crowd in an article directory Small Business Idea Generator Host: Alyssa Gregory
How to focus your writing for better results New Coach Connection Host: Don Morris (and team)
Easy does it: Consistent content marketing is a constant balancing act Shaboom Inc.® Host: Molly Gordon
How to leverage your written content: 25 things you can do with 500 words snap! web marketing solutions Host: Karri Flatla
Content marketing for solorpreneurs: Solve writer’s block with an idea catcher SoloPreneur.biz Host: Janet Slack
I also stopped by Maria Hebda’s community for Certified Career Coaches, where I talked about the basics of good writing and told the callers a bit about my desktop resource for coaches who write.
Thanks again to everyone who hosted and joined in, and to you for reading!
By Linda Dessau
In today’s post I chat with social networking and marketing implementation specialist Kristen Beireis of the Coaches’ Marketing Source.
Linda: Kristen, I’ve never heard the term “conversation starter” before, related to social networking or content generation. What’s the difference between a conversation starter and a regular status update?
Kristen: A conversation starter is intended to get a discussion going. It’s not an “in the moment” or “this is what I’m doing” post, like a regular status update would be. This is a pre-planned update that is meant to stimulate a conversation with those in your network.
Linda: My new blog posts and ezines are automatically posted to my LinkedIn and Twitter accounts already – why isn’t that enough?
Kristen: Blog posts are great information and should be posted to your accounts, but there is much more you can do. Posting a blog link just says “read this,” and constantly broadcasting to your network can really get people to tune out. I’m sure there’s a conversation to be had around your blog post – you just need to find a way to invite people to engage in that discussion with you. That will get them tuned back in.
Linda: Great points, Kristen! So how do we do it?
Kristen: Expand on the content in your original blog post or article, and take it just a bit further. For example, you can:
You can also include some “teaser” posts with links, the same kind of thing you might use as a promo or introduction in an article directory, but keep those to a minimum and focus on interacting with your network. People get tired of seeing those links all the time.
The point here is to create an engaging discussion around a topic that you are an expert in.
Wow, thanks so much to Kristen Beireis for stopping by and enlightening us about how go “beyond the link” when we share our content on social networking sites.
By Linda Dessau
I sat down the other day to work on a case study for a client. I opened my notes from the telephone interview and scrolled through them for a minute or two. I started to think about how I might structure the case study into different sections.
Not five minutes had passed when I closed the document and moved on to another task. The magic just wasn't there. I had no inspiration for the project. And I've learned better than to try and force the process when that happens.
While this brief story is definitely meant to illustrate the importance of scheduling multiple writing sessions, and also to revere the ebb and flow of the creative process, really this was a "post within a post," meant to lead into today's real topic: storytelling.
If you were a writer or a storyteller long before you started trying to use the Internet to attract new clients, it may pain you to apply rules and structures to your writing. Please don't censor yourself, creative one! Let the writer in you write – flowingly, soulfully, abundantly, dreamingly, unabashedly.
But before you publish that story as part of your content marketing efforts, consider its real purpose – the moral of the story.
1. Is your story meant to inspire your readers? If you're a member of your own target market and you're sharing a success about the topic you specialize in, this is a great use of storytelling.
Writing prompt: End the story with a triumphant call-to-action so your reader can build on your experience.
2. Is your story meant to instruct your readers? Perhaps it is an example of a learning point, as mine was at the top of this post.
Writing prompt: Summarize the learning and give a concrete set of guidelines or tips your reader can use to apply the learning immediately, as I've done with these writing prompts.
3. Was writing this story a personal catharsis for you? Be honest, now. Don't worry, there's absolutely nothing wrong with that, and it doesn't mean you have to abandon the story or limit it to a personal blog. Sometimes the most inspiring and instructive stories came to life this way.
Writing prompt: Before you release the story, find its connection to the problem you have pledged to solve for your target market, and connect the dots for them.
Bonus tip: You don't always have to use your own stories as the starting point – client stories can help build social proof for your work, while demonstrating some of your ideas. You can also explore characters or scenes from movies or books or write from the headlines.
Storytelling is a very effective way to inspire and instruct your readers, while stoking your own creative fire within. And your readers get to be the hero, as they each apply your guidance to find their own success.
By Linda Dessau
On a phone call last week, I heard: "Would someone really hire a stranger that they just found on a website? I provide a service – don't people need to be referred to me by someone they trust?"
An excellent two-part question, to which I'll write a two-part answer:
Turning strangers into clients
When a stranger lands on your website and they're greeted with information that will help solve their problem, they can very quickly turn from a stranger to a fan. If they really like what you've written, they may share it with someone they know or bookmark your page to come back to later.
But it gets even better if you're employing pink spoon marketing techniques (and hopefully you are!). Now, that stranger has now downloaded your free resource and given you permission to follow up with more useful information and ways to get to know you.
As you stay in touch over time, you won't feel like a stranger to that visitor anymore. You will feel like a trusted source of useful information, a valuable resource and the first person to consider when it's time to look for solutions.
Making referrals easier
When you take good care of a client, you make the person who referred that client look really good! With an impressive collection of informative content on your website, blog or social network profile, you can give your referral sources even more clout.
Imagine them being able to say, "Sorry to hear you're having trouble with X, Jen. I just read a fantastic article with some great tips – here's the link."
Just as your articles build trust with prospective clients, they also build credibility with potential referral sources, and give you an easy, no-pressure way to stay in touch with your network of colleagues.
So while it may not happen immediately (and sometimes it does!), I say YES, strangers will hire you just from seeing your website. IF your website includes some great content.
And for those who need a little social proof, your content can solidify your standing as the go-to expert in your specialty and guarantee a steady stream of referrals coming your way.