Clever Copy Blog

Creating Social Media Content: Copyblogger Offers 22 Tips

Barb — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 22:03:42 +0000

Time is a precious commodity and if you’re using social media, you know it takes to time create content. If you can’t hire a freelance copywriter to create monthly content for you, Copyblogger offers these tips to help. (Yes, I’m on an infographic kick lately.) Also, take a look at Why You Should Channel Betty Crocker When Writing for more tips. Enjoy!

Like this infographic? Get more content marketing tips from Copyblogger.

Are You Tapping in to the Content Marketing Explosion?

Barb — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 19:56:22 +0000

As Mashable and others say, we’re in the midst of a “content marketing explosion.” If you haven’t heard of the phrase “content marketing,” know that it’s the new buzz term used by marketers and writers (me included). It’s been around long enough to be in Wikipedia, but it hasn’t made it to the dictionary yet. And it describes a strategy that’s both old and new.

It’s about creating and sharing content to promote your brand. What’s new about this is that we now have more tools for sharing content than ever before. It’s safe to say the entire online culture is now about sharing content (written, visual or oral).

As a business owner or marketer, you need to tap into that culture if you want to gain new business online.

Market your existing content and make it shareable

Here are just a few ideas…

Turn your case studies into slide presentations, videos or both.
Make your data visual with an infographic (like the example below).
Turn your blog tips into an ebook.
Transcribe your email newsletter and make it an audio podcast.
Promote your research report, and your expertise, through a webinar.

There are no limits to the creative tactics for marketing content online. Read on for more insight below and let me know if you need help with ideas! Thanks goes to Blue Glass Interactive for the infographic.

Created by BlueGlass Interactive

Why You Should Channel Betty Crocker When Writing Content

Barb — Tue, 31 May 2011 11:00:56 +0000

Baking Content

I love to bake. I don’t always bake from scratch, but even when I use a cake mix, my family loves the results. I love the results too: less prep time for me, sweet goodies for them.

Believe it or not, when it comes to building content or copy, you can use the same process. We all know creating fresh articles can be a challenge. So why not start out with information you already have? Consider it your Betty Crocker mix for content writing. And yes, you do have at least one box of content mix. You just have to find it.

I’m always surprised how often clients feel they don’t have any material for a story or newsletter piece. They might have just given a speech or resolved a customer issue, but they don’t really consider these things as source material.

Anything can be turned into content really—speeches, work product, presentations, letters, even emails. Sure, you can brainstorm ideas for new pieces. But as a good content chef, you should check your own pantry first.

Here are a few things you should look for…

Speeches
PowerPoint presentations
Long emails you’ve sent to clients
Customer service emails
Articles about you or your company
Press releases
Previous newsletters
Proposals for projects that never happened (unless they’re confidential)
Old, archived files or materials
Event photos
Videos of events or presentations
Industry magazines
Phone conversation notes

Like any good cake mix, raw content will save you a few steps. No research, extensive writing or idea brainstorming required. Just add a couple of ingredients, let it “bake” and polish it off with a few toppings.

You’ll serve content like a pro and no one will know it wasn’t made from scratch.

(Image by Seattle Municipal Archives)

She Power at Shecon 2011

Barb — Fri, 27 May 2011 14:30:54 +0000

I went to another local conference: SheCon, the New Media Expo. While it wasn’t solely for women, there was a lot of She power at SheCon. It was great meeting so many female bloggers and business owners who were focused on making a living online.

Let’s not forget some great speakers, including…

Guy Kawasaki, who spoke about the art of enchantment, the subject of his new book
Aliza Sherman, who definitely knows how to enchant and who spoke about the future of technology
Missy Ward, who offered a ton of affiliate marketing advice and a few free tickets to Affiliate Summit, the conference she co-founded
Mark Horvath, who inspired us (and almost made me cry) with his story about how his InvisiblePeople.tv has helped the homeless
Many other session speakers who spoke about writing, marketing, monetization, PR, social media and more

Guy Kawasaki getting interviewed by CBS 4 News

A few of my favorite tips…

“Sell your dream.” Steve Jobs doesn’t sell the iPhone by talking about software, service, etc. He sells the dream. – Guy Kawasaki
I see Twitter as a “link economy” and Facebook as a “photo economy.” I push with links on Twitter and pull with photos on Facebook. – Guy Kawasaki
Remove speed bumps that will hamper the buying process. Captcha forms, for example, are a good way to lose customers from your site. – Guy Kawasaki
Add personality to your blog. – Karen of KouponKaren.com
Videos and video blogging can help you gain visibility in Google. Optimize your videos to appear in Google results. – Murray Izenwasser of Biztegra
Authenticity has replaced production value when it comes to video online. – Mark Horvath
Enhance the visitor’s experience. Don’t use something because it’s trendy. Add something more. – Aliza Sherman
Blogger reliability is an issue for sponsor companies that work with blogs. Make sure you follow through on your commitments to them. – Stephanie Azzarone of Mom Market Trends
The keys to getting more social clicks: a good headline, a good thumbnail image and the time of day posted. – Founders of Cracked.com

Thanks for the bag De WafelBakkers! Love the LED belt!

The networking was fun too and was spiced with stories from the out-of-town ladies about singing Karaoke with Serena Williams and taking photos of a Lindsay Lohan photoshoot. Only in South Beach! The last one was from Laura, who has a great blog to promote awareness of Spina Bifida.

I had fun SheCon. Thanks!

WordCamp Miami: You’re a Publisher Now. Start Thinking Like One

Barb — Fri, 27 May 2011 13:42:33 +0000

WordCamp Miami 2011 offered some great sessions on developing and marketing WordPress blogs. I had fun, took lots notes and heard some great speakers. Here are a few of their tips…

You’re a publisher now. Start thinking like one.

When writing remember…

General is boring. Specific is interesting
Keep it short (300 to 500 words)
Read it aloud before posting
Tweak it for SEO
Use catchy headlines

- Maria de los Angeles in Blogging 101

WordPress isn’t just for personal blogs.

It’s a powerful platform. Great examples:

StoryCorps.org non-profit site
Martha Stewart celebrity blog
Fisher Price Australia site for sales and parenting advice
Harvard Gazette Newspaper
Reddart Consulting small business site

- Adam Warner in Introduction to WordPress

Most businesses fail to identify their customers.

Spend more time identifying your online customer and they will spend more time buying.

- Dezmon Landers in Steroid Marketing for WordPress

A few recommended WordPress plugins:

Gravity Forms for contact forms that integrate with MailChimp & other software
Poll Daddy creates surveys
Twitter Digest will publish a post of tweets
Youtube Thumbnailer will set a video’s “frozen” image as the post thumbnail

- From “Plugins Even Charlie Sheen Would Love”

The 3 questions you should ask about your site:

How is the site attracting customers?
How is it converting prospects into buyers?
How is it building relationships and maximizing value over time?

- Klaus Heesch in Live WordPress Site Review

It was a great experience and I’d recommend going next year if you’re interested in using WordPress. See some of the slides and video presentations at the WordCamp Miami site.