Yesterday, something happened that took me aback. Like … I literally sat at my desk for several minutes, looking up and down, and back and forth, between the air above my head in the room in front of me and a text I received through Messenger. Before I show you … a little backstory. I had been stressing […]
It’s something so small, so easy, yet so often overlooked. I’ve been working from home as a marketing writer since 2002. Over the years, I’ve hired many dozens of vendors and contractors: Printers Developers Designers Virtual assistants Editors Researchers Writers And I am consistently dumbfounded by people’s inability to do one simple yet crucial thing, even if asked. That thing? It’s closing loops. Not Fruit Loops®, the brand. Photo […]
This post is Part 3 of a three-part series on infusing the know, like, trust factor into your website and content. If you haven’t read them yet, find Part 1 on KNOWING here, and Part 2 on LIKING here. 3. TRUSTTo trust you, your prospect must feel safe with you. Although the trust element is easier to […]
This post is Part 2 of a three-part series on infusing the know, like, trust factor into your website and content. If you haven’t read it yet, find Part 1 on KNOWING here. Part 2: LIKETo like you, your prospect must connect with you. What does it mean to like someone? I’m not talking “like like,” as […]
You’ve heard it said that people prefer to do business with people they know, like, and trust, right? Me, too. Yet everytime I hear that advice, I think, “Okaaaaaay….” It sounds nice, but what does it really mean to know, like, and trust someone? What does it take for someone to know, like, and trust you, or your […]
Convince prospects of your work ethic to stand out like a lighthouse over a roiling sea … … that is, a roiling sea of people and companies plying their wares on the Internet. I probably don’t have to tell you that there’s a sad lack of service, dependability, and consistency among people who sell products and […]
Beware the indifference… or hostility… of readers. Do you write with the intention of having people eagerly read your work?Me, too!In an an interview with The Irish Times’ Sara Keating, former U.S. poet laureate Billy Collins spoke words of wisdom to all with ears to hear—that means you and me and all CEOs, founders, and other […]
If you can BREATHE, you can sell. Are you one of those people who oozes nervous energy when it comes online selling? If writing content makes you feel like a greasy salesman, then your model of selling is probably akin to a retail version of the furniture salesman—like the new salesman who started last week; his […]
What if your website was perfect?What would that look like? Imagine with me for a moment. People would arrive on your homepage and be impressed right away. Gorgeous colors. Beautiful images. Impeccable design. A easy, yet confident vibe that says, “Hey, I’m an expert. You can trust me. I can help you.”A headline that let visitors know, right away, that […]
The Internet is hopping with people selling their services thanks to $12 domain names and instant site-builder services. But most of those people don’t know what YOU know. They don’t know these five ways to differentiate, ways clients are starving for.
For the love of your blog, please don’t give readers a headache like this oneA few minutes ago an email came in from a services marketing company I follow. It promised a “Top 10 Home Office Gifts” guide. Being a home office professional, I could not resist, as I still need to find a few […]
Word choice lemon: Just because we’re customers doesn’t mean you can be harsh!This morning, a word choice lemon at Rev.com took me aback, making me wonder why their content is so mean.To give you some context, I was selected several months ago to become an editor for a company called Book in a Box. Their […]
Small business marketing + deep listening = better marketing content You know the feeling that comes over you when you see or hear something transformative? When something about life, love, or small business marketing stops you in your tracks, and becomes, at least temporarily, all consuming? You can’t think of anything else. You feel compelled to share […]
Softness. Such a lovely word. It brings to mind pillows and clouds. Feathers, warm towels, and cuddly kittens. But I doubt “softness” is a term you’d associate with a struggling business, so it’s probably not a “solution” that’s crossed your mind. Whether you’re finding it hard to win customers, attract prospects, gain traction, or even break even […]
Chasing down broken emails Just this morning, I filled out a form on the Holiday Inn Express website because they’re sending me email messages I can’t read.Here’s what I see: Broken in the browser, tooI use Outlook, which presents this message for all emails with images: “If there are problems with how this message is […]
Have you ever been swayed by a company’s testimonials? You know, those customer statements that tell you why you should buy? As a prospect, you read through the glowing testimonials thinking, “Gee, if all these people were happy, then maybe I will be, too!” Trouble is, no company willingly publishes negative testimonials. Amazon and Yelp aside, could you […]
In my last post, part two of a three-part series on the value of negative feedback, I talked about a painful instance in which I knew a project was wrong for me right from the start, but I pursued it anyway. In part one of the same three-part series, I talked about yet another instance […]
In part one of this three-part series about the value of negative feedback, I talked about one particular instance where I wasn’t able to satisfy a client, and why I think the engagement went wrong.Here, in part two, I’ll share yet another painful, personal example of a failed client engagement. In this instance, I really […]
The sold-out webinar: Is it false scarcity? Or is it for real?I confess: Since the dawn of the webinar, I’ve always thought that statements like these from webinar hosts were nothing other than feeble attempts to use scarcity to try to convince people to “sign up now”:There are limited seats and we’re almost full up.Seats […]
How do you help prospects self-qualify when they click through on a link of yours? Maybe it’s a link on your website, a link in a blog post, or a link in a social share. Maybe the link takes a prospect to a special landing page, a form, a download, or a static page on your […]
While pursuing a master’s certificate in professional and technical writing, I dabbled in a grant-writing class. Something I read in that class stuck with me because it’s as relevant to content marketing and content writing as it is to grant writing.From Miner and Miner, 2005, p.5., emphasis mine:During the review process, [sponsors] discern among proposals by […]
