Content Mastery Guide

Editor and Ghostwriter

Could Your Last Email Exchange Be Your Next Blog Post?

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As I was thumbing through (yes, I printed out the e-book) Karri Flatla's new Sales Page Relief package, I noticed she had a section about how to craft a mobile version of your sales page or "mini website."

Typepad does a decent job of displaying my website on mobile devices (at least from what I've seen on my iPod Touch), though not as nice as the Genuine Coaching website I recently re-built using Weebly.

I've been wondering whether I should bother creating a separate mobile version of this site, so I emailed Karri to ask what she thought. When she replied promptly with a stellar answer, I immediately suggested she post it to her blog – and so she did!

She was respectful enough to leave my name out until she could check with me, but of course I was happy to tell the world about how brilliant she is.

Karri

You can read Karri's post at: Wondering if You Need a Mobile Website? Some Things to Consider. [Update January 19, 2013 – This blog post is no longer available, but check out how Karri is bringing a coaching approach to real estate in Lethbridge, Alberta!]

Blog post ideas from your emailWriting prompt: Has anyone responded to one of your emails lately by saying something like, "Thanks, that was really helpful!"? If so, see if you can re-work that email exchange into a blog post that ALL of your readers can learn from. 

Weekly Blog Posts I’d Like to See from Beaches Fine Market Grill in Barrie

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Beaches-grill I'm not the easiest person to cook for. Between the foods that don't agree with me and the ones I stay away from for health reasons, there's not a lot to work with!

That's why I'm always glad to find a restaurant that can accommodate me and still make my meals taste amazing.

I recently met Tom Friedli, co-owner (with his wife Dale) of Beaches Fine Market Grill here in Barrie. I had an amazing meal featuring fresh, local food, and it got me thinking: How could Tom apply some of the weekly blogging techniques I covered in last week's call about how to be a weekly blogger?

For starters, I'd like to see a feature article that reinforces the philosophies of the business, e.g., the health benefits of eating locally-produced food.

Following up that article, I'd like to read about one of their suppliers, e.g., a local farm, and hear more about where my food comes from.

Then, maybe in another week, I could get the background story on one of their regular customers and hear about why eating locally is important to him or her.

At the end of the month, maybe Tom could provide some tips for shopping at the farmer's market – since I can't eat ALL of my meals at his restaurant.

And in each email, why not tantalize me by describing a featured menu item – maybe something a little different that I wouldn't have thought to try.

Receiving these gems by email every week, would I be more likely to think of Beaches Fine Market Grill the next time someone asks me to join them for a meal or a coffee? Absolutely! I'll probably be dreaming up reasons to eat out!

There, Tom, now you're set for the month! You can thank me later, and YES, I will work for food 😉

Just kidding! I definitely paid for my own meal at Beaches Fine Market Grill, and this blog post was my idea, not Tom's. I wanted to show all of you that thinking of weekly blog post ideas can be creative, fun and easy! Stay tuned, because I'll be posting more ideas using other businesses as examples.

UPDATE! March 23, 2011 – Tom's new blogging journey has begun: Fresh, locally sourced food…many PROs…any CONs?

Curious what kind of ideas I might have for YOUR weekly blog posts? You can submit your blog for consideration and I will write a post just like this one – but it will be about YOU, YOUR business and YOUR prospective clients.

Click here to apply now.

Don’t Be Last Week’s News, Be a Weekly Blogger

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Something wonderful happened when I was on the phone with a client last week. We were only two weeks into our new weekly blogging schedule, and we were on the phone planning content for the following month.

As we were sending some resources back and forth to each other by email, both of us noticed that his newest blog post had just been published and emailed to his list – great! Then, a few minutes later, my client noticed something else.

Someone had just sent him this reply to his email: “This caught my attention. Give me a call.”

If my client hadn’t sent his email, it wouldn’t have landed in that reader’s Inbox at precisely the right time, to deliver the message he was obviously primed to hear. And my client would never have had the opportunity to make that connection.

How many of your prospective clients are primed and ready to hear from you right now? So what’s stopping you from posting to your blog every week and sending that content to your mailing list? Maybe you’re thinking:

  • I don’t have enough to write about
  • I don’t have time for that!
  • I can’t write well enough
  • My audience is too busy to hear from me every week – they’ll get angry and unsubscribe (actually, Hubspot reported that businesses who send one email per month have a much higher unsubscribe rate than people who email more frequently)

We addressed all of these concerns in a Content Mastery Action Day presentation call, “How to Be a Weekly Blogger,” where I covered:

  • How one feature article can feed your blog and newsletter for an entire month
  • How planning and batching can save you time
  • How to make the most out of your editing time
  • How to provide more value in every single post

Branding Your Writing, Writing Your Brand

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"Imagine someone hiring you after falling in love with your writing style, only to find you entirely different in person!" – from Write Your Way to More Clients Online (Part One: Plan Mindfully)

On Thursday's call with choice, the magazine of professional coaching, Publisher Garry Schleifer was doing triple duty – he was my gracious host on the call, he was listening for writing tips for his own content marketing efforts, and he was managing the Facebook fan page where listeners were posting questions.

Pam Strand asked, "What are some tips for keeping [your] writing consistent with your brand?"

I shared that I had spoken earlier this week with a team who were redoing their website. It felt to them like they needed permission to move away from the crisp, professional and utterly generic language of their current site.

While I always encourage people to write with the same language your ideal client would use, it should be natural and authentic for you as well.

Maybe you are a member of your own target market, or maybe you're just looking to attract clients who are a natural fit. But how will you know if you speak the same language if you're trying to sound like someone you're not?

Writing prompt: To match your writing with your brand, consider what you want people to think of when they hear your name, or the name of your business. Look online for examples of others who write in that style. Then practice applying those techniques to your own unique ideas, topics and expertise.

Five Writing Resolutions that are Worth Keeping

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Want to write more and better blog posts this year? Then

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  1. I will plan out my writing time and topics.
  2. I will write masterfully, always pausing to step back and ask, “How can I make this even better?”
  3. I will read my writing out loud before I send or publish.
  4. I will publish more frequently than I’m publishing now, by first getting more consistent, and then gradually increasing.
  5. I will share my writing with as many people as possible, in as many places as possible, while always aiming to treat each reader as if they were the only one.

My newest book will help you with all these resolutions, with five sections devoted to how to:

  1. Plan Mindfully
  2. Write Artfully
  3. Edit Skillfully
  4. Publish Consistently
  5. Share Widely

Write Your Way to More Clients Online: How to craft captivating content for newsletters, blogs and social media is available from Amazon.com and Coaching Toys.

NEW: Write Your Way to More Clients Online is now also available for your eReader.