Content Mastery Guide

Editor and Ghostwriter

Top 5 mistakes to avoid on your article directory profile page

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In addition to providing a space for an author resource box they will display with your article, many article directory websites such as EzineArticles and Coach Spotlight* also give their visitors the opportunity to read a more detailed profile of each author.

Here are five mistakes you will want to avoid so that you can really shine in this spotlight:

Mistake #5: Too much, too soon

What does the reader need to know about you to feel confident enough to take the next step (which ideally is to visit your website and sign up for your pink spoon)? Tell them this much, and then stop! Don't feel that you have to use your full word count to describe your coaching process or your service options. Just show them that you have the training, experience and/or knowledge to help them solve their particular problem.

Mistake #4: Too polite

Are you worried it will seem rude or pushy to ask your reader to take an action or visit your website? On the contrary. If you don't tell them about what you have available, how can you help them? And since your motive is to help, not to sell (isn't it?), how can that be rude? It's actually the kindest thing you could do. Since you sometimes can't put an actual link into your profile text, just invite the person to visit your website. They will find the link displayed elsewhere in your profile.

Mistake #3: Too formal

People want to do business with those they know, like and trust. If you use formal language in your profile you put a gap between you and your reader and it is harder for them to feel a connection with you.  

Mistake #2: Too generic

Be sure to include specific details about what you do and how you help people. Just don't go too far here and use jargon words that are so specific to your area of expertise that someone who is new to it – like the reader who needs your help – will not understand the terminology. 

And the #1 Mistake: Too careless

If your profile – or any of your writing – contains errors in spelling, spacing, punctuation or grammar, it is a poor reflection on you as a professional. Your readers are going to assume that how you do anything is how you do everything. If you don't take the care to review your profile for errors, how can a prospective client trust that you will take care of them? It is not about being perfect (I always appreciate the readers who point out the occasional typos in my own work), it is about investing in the quality of your writing.

So make the most of your article directory profile – it is the beginning of what could be a long-term relationship with a new reader and potential client.

*Coach Spotlight is a relatively new article directory site specifically for coaches, and I've just started working with them to provide writing tips and resources to their members. Bob Simpson and his team have been working really hard to increase their traffic and in only three months have had impressive results from their efforts. A basic membership is free, and it's all you need to get noticed by members of your target market who are already searching online for the exact solutions that you provide.

Adding Twitter to your article marketing mix

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I recently heard from some Idea Generator readers with 10 great questions about article marketing.

One person asked whether I could share my system for writing an article and then using it in my newsletter, blog, social media, etc. I shared this three-part article marketing strategy, but I realize that I didn't quite address her question about social media.

There are two ways that I use my articles as part of my social networking strategy, and thankfully they are both completely automated!

First, I set up Twitterfeed and now every single time I post to my blog it shouts the news out to my Twitter followers. As you set up your feed, be mindful of how Twitterfeed will display your blog post in each tweet. You have the option of including your blog name, description, etc., but remember that on Twitter you only have 140 characters to woo your readers. So keep it simple and just create the most compelling headline you can.

Second, EzineArticles automatically sends out a tweet for me every time I post a new article to my account. I set this up in my EzineArticles Author Bio (to update your bio, click on the Profile Manager tab in your EzineArticles account).

I've also set up my RSS feed in my LinkedIn and FriendFeed accounts so that my connections in those networks can read my latest blog posts. (Though I am not using either of these services very actively, LinkedIn a bit more than FriendFeed.)

By using article marketing to share content on Twitter that is pertinent to my ideal clients, I help them get to know what I have to offer. Combined with my personal tweets and active conversations with my network, Twitter is helping me expand my connections and grow my business.

WHY grow your list? Linda Claire Puig explains…

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This is a guest post by Linda Claire Puig, my co-counselor for the Pink Spoon Telecamp:

WHY Grow Your List? (Count the Many Ways)

by Linda Claire Puig, president, Claire Communications

List-building tips are all over the Internet these days. You can learn for free (including my Momentum articles from June 30, 2008, and July 10, 2009), you can buy e-books on the topic or you can take high-priced courses.

But are you really clear on WHY it's important to continually focus on growing your list?

When you understand what's possible with a bigger list–not just a bigger list, but a bigger relevant list–you open to new potential…for your business, for your life.

Sign me up!It's easiest to explain with an example. Let's say you have a list of 200 people that you keep in touch with on a regular basis. (You are sending a newsletter, aren't you?) You decide to run a $350 group program and announce it to your list by sending a promotional email. Seven people sign up and earn you a total of $2,450.

In marketing circles, those seven new clients represent a very good "conversion rate" of 3.5%. Conversion rate is the ratio of people who purchase to the total number of people on your list.

Now let's say your list grows to 3,000 (still a relatively modest list size), and you offer the same $350 group program. If your 3.5% conversion rate remains the same, you will now sign up 105 new members for your group, for a total earnings of $36,750. You may have to run concurrent groups to accommodate all the new business, a nice problem to have!

But even if your conversion rate dropped to 2%, you'd still sign up 60 new members for your group, for a total of $21,000 in earnings.

So $2,450 vs. $21,000…FOR THE SAME AMOUNT OF PROMOTIONAL EFFORT!

Three important mentions here:

1) It's NOT all about a having a HUGE list. Smaller lists can be more responsive than their bigger counterparts. So decide on your income goals, determine your conversion rate history and let that help you determine how big you want to grow your list.

2) Don't forget that while you may attach numbers to your goals, building your list is ultimately NOT a numbers game. It's about building relationships with people who you would like the opportunity to serve. If you approach it this way, you will have a growing list that is always a relevant list.

3) Your list will not grow just because you wish it so. You may set a list-building goal for your year, but you won't meet it unless you take specific, focused action toward that goal. The very FIRST place to start is to have a great pink spoon…something that addresses a pressing need for your audience that you can give away in exchange for their contact information.

There are other reasons to grow your list that go way beyond numbers and dollars. Tell me, how do you help people? What are your gifts? With a larger list, your influence and your ability to help more people also grows.

Bottom line: No one is served by your list (or you!) remaining small.

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To learn more about what makes a great pink spoon, how to use it to grow your list and generate more business — and to create your own pink spoon under the guidance of two marketing communications experts — please register for the Pink Spoon Telecamp.

How to use article marketing to tempt the local media

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This blog post comes in response to a question I received from an Idea Generator subscriber. Feel free to add your own article marketing question if there's something you need help with!

There are many benefits to being featured in local media outlets like cable television shows, community newspapers or larger print outlets like your city's main paper or magazine. This kind of exposure can help you to:

  • Attract local clients for your in-person services or events (workshops, presentations, classes, book signings, etc.)
  • Make valuable contacts with potential local partners, vendors and referral sources
  • Increase your credibility to both local and online audiences by handing/mailing out copies or posting a link or PDF of your piece

Local media professionals are just like anyone else – they do business with people they know, like and trust. And in this case, their business is to write about you and what you're doing, or have you on their show.

Article marketing is the perfect way to help that process along and build positive relationships with local media professionals. For example, you could:

  • Keep your website and/or blog updated with new articles about your area of expertise – this makes it obvious that you are a knowledgeable, trustworthy source of information about this topic
  • Write articles that link your area of expertise to current events or issues in your city
  • Include the name of your city in some of your titles, articles, tags or within the code of your website (speak to a web designer or SEO expert for more details) so that it is easy for local media to find you

Does it work? Well, I can tell you that I have not actively marketed myself as a coach for years, yet all of the article marketing I did when I was building my coaching business is STILL attracting the attention of local media. Just the other week I got a call from someone looking for local life coaches to audition for a new reality show.

Of course there are other important steps to building relationships with local media professionals than being well-placed in the search engines. Here are three to get you started:

  1. Be open to media inquiries even when they're not an exact fit. Do your best to connect them with someone else, and record their contact information so you can keep in touch!
  2. Build on this list by adding the names of any journalists whose work you admire, or who have covered stories on related businesses or issues. 
  3. Contact these folks directly whenever you have news to share. For great PR tips, I recommend that you sign up for Joan Stewart's newsletter. When you do, she'll send you a jam-packed list of 89 Reasons to Send a Press Release.

And of course, remember to practice the four networking basics (be visible, be positive, help out, and educate). You never know when one of your colleagues will get a call from the media that isn't right for them, but is perfect for you!

Article marketing FAQ’s

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Thanks to everyone who submitted article marketing questions to me last week in response to my birthday request (it was in the Idea Generator update newsletter on August 11th).

Congratulations to the winner of the free 30-minute article marketing strategy session with downloadable MP3 recording. I notified her this morning and I’m just waiting for her to claim the prize and to give me permission to share her name with you. [Update, August 20: Our winner was Lydia Dean-Reese.]

The best present of all? There were exactly 10 questions!! Perfect for someone who just loves Top 10 lists 🙂

Here is a list of these juicy questions, which I look forward to answering over the next few weeks:

  1. When you don’t really have time to blog or write an article, what is the most time-efficient way to complete the task? And the related question: How do I make the time to put article marketing at the forefront of my To Do list?
  2. How can I feel like what I’m contributing is fresh and new?
  3. How can I use article marketing to tempt the local media?
  4. How can I combine article marketing and social networking to build a following?
  5. Are there any tricks that will improve my “open rates” when I email articles to my newsletter subscribers (most of whom are women)?
  6. What is article marketing and how can it help my business? (I pointed this subscriber to: https://www.contentmasteryguide.com/2009/07/article-marketing-takes-the-prize.html and https://www.contentmasteryguide.com/article-marketing-fundamentals/.)
  7. Do you have a system for writing an article, creating a blog post, creating your newsletter and possibly using social media…all based on the same article? (I pointed this subscriber to: https://www.contentmasteryguide.com/2009/07/three-part-strategy-article-marketing-magic.html.)
  8. How can I manage my article marketing efforts? Specifically, what are the best sites to post on and how do I monitor what’s working/not working so that I can determine where I am getting my best ROI and focus my efforts on posting to those sites or writing about those topics?
  9. How can I use different bios for my different projects without creating more confusion for the readers? (I can definitely relate to wearing different hats, though this description of my hat collection is a little outdated now.)
  10. How do I make the leap from splashing free content all over the Web to getting it to generate money for me? Do I link each article to a product? (I actually used that strategy with the “Featured Article” page at Genuine Coaching Services.) Develop a subscription model for my articles site?

Are there any questions you would add to this list? I promise I won’t be upset if there are more than 10 🙂 Please add your questions by posting a comment below.