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 […]
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 […]
“What you seek is seeking you” is true for grammar errors, too Confession. I used to be a card-carrying member of the Grammar Police. Incorrectly used pronouns … wrong tenses … even typos would fuel the demon in me, which mercilessly lashed out at the poor writer or speaker who DARED to err. But I quit the Police […]
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 […]
Imperfect action ≠ crappy content The gurus say that imperfect action is better than no action. In a way, I agree: It’s better to have an “imperfect” something out there than nothing at all. BUT. A huge BUT. Imperfect doesn’t mean “crap.” Glaring content issues that shout “CRAP!” to everyone Imperfect doesn’t mean you let content out of the house with […]
Free, no-email-required guide on know, like, and trustYou’ve probably heard at least one expert say that people buy from people and companies they know, like, and trust. Trouble is … that’s where the guidance stops. It’s like: “Know, like, and trust. You need it, so go do it! Get to it!” But HOW? What does it *really* mean to […]
It seems that everyone loves long-form contentYou know what? I get that long-form content is great for driving traffic. Neil Patel says so. Kissmetrics says so. Search Enging Land says so. Content Marketing Institute says so. I’m not here to argue about the effectiveness of long-form content. Having a supply of long-form content on your site is a good thing. […]
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 […]
Why do bad things happen to good marketers? Are you one of those people who always seems to run into glitches and snafus on the web — terrible email marketing messages, broken forms, unreadable pdfs, nonsensical writing, mystifying online shopping processes? Then you, my friend, may be, like me, a damn-good, empathetic marketer. It’s my theory […]
When online chat goes wrong: Frustration, multiplied Are you now using or have you ever used Audible.com? I was a customer several years ago, paying $14.95 a month for an ebook, and stockpiling ebooks when they went on sale. Finally, when my ebook library far outgrew my capacity to listen, I put my account on hold. […]
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 […]
Differentiation is the name of the writing (and selling) game. I’m into personality assessments and have taken lots of them over the years. Recently, I took a Myers-Briggs test over at www.16personalities.com (great site and presentation, by the way), and saw something in the results that I thought you, my client or prospective client, ought […]
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 […]
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 […]
