Writing on the Web from Patsi Krakoff, The Blog Squad

The Highest Goal for Your Ezine?

Does Your Ezine Connect with Your Highest Purpose?

If you are just starting an ezine, or if you’re not
satisfied with the results you’ve been getting, you may need
to go back to the basics.

Examine why you are publishing

If you are writing and publishing an ezine to get more
clients, you may wish to reconsider your true reasons. It
may be true: you are in business and to get more clients,
you must reach more people and let them know who you are and
what you have to offer. Getting your ezine published and
growing your readership base is the means to do this.

(If your reasons for publishing an ezine go not much further
than, “Well, everyone else is doing it and I was told that
to be a successful coach I must write and publish a regular
ezine,” you are in trouble. But you know that.)

For coaches, there are really two purposes to writing and
publishing an ezine: a higher purpose reason, and a business
objective reason. A lot has been written already about how
important ezines are to growing your business and getting
more clients.

But that’s not enough.

What are the real reasons, those deep ones—the driving
motivations that put you here today, into the position of
being a coach, of wanting to coach people, of wanting to
tell people things that can make their lives better?

If you have been through coach training (please, if you
haven’t, do so NOW, or stop calling yourself a coach!), you
have already done a lot of course work on finding true
purpose, both for yourself and for your coaching clients.

Make no mistake, finding true purpose is one of the hardest
tasks humans can undertake. We are complex individuals
living with contradictions and competing commitments (see
Kegan for more discussion on this subject). We are at
different developmental stages (see Graves, Beck, Vaillant,
Hudson and others on adult life stages). Human beings have
differing behavior styles and thought processing preferences
(see Jung, Spranger, Marsten for example). We are a mix of
motivations and drives (see Maslow, McClelland, Reise, Herzberg,
Lawrence & Nohria and others).

What Drives YOU?

What driving force wakes you up with an idea for your ezine,
and causes you to get up with enthusiasm and energy that
cannot be satisfied until your article is written? What
contribution are you striving to make?

What do you feel you MUST do in your lifetime? How can you
further those desires through writing your ezine?

This is work you should be involved in now, everyday and
for the rest of your life. After some clarification on what
your true purpose and higher goal in life is, there is
continual checking back with alignment to your work.

Gotta Read This

One of the best books on this
essential process is Michael Ray’s The Highest Goal: the
Secret that Sustains You in Every Moment (2004) published by
Berrett-Koehler (ISBN 1-57675-286-0).

Michael Ray has been called "the most creative man in Silicon
Valley,” by Fast Company magazine. His Personal Creativity
in Business course has been one of the most popular at
Stanford University for 25 years.

To read this HIGHLY RECOMMENDED book, click on the graphic
link under my "Good Books" column on the right.

In summary

I believe that your writing and all that concerns your work
will take giant leaps whenever you connect to your higher
purpose, your highest goal. Until that time, you may be
good, but just going along.

Sailing to the heights involves digging deep into your real
reasons for doing this in the first place and continually
checking back for alignment.

Sure you can do this on your own. And, yes, this is work
best done with a trusted coach.

Here’s to your continued success with your ezines, with your
coaching, with your life.

Patsi

Top Ten Mistakes in Coach Ezines

...And Some Solutions!

Top 10 Mistakes Coaches Make with Ezines

1. The ezine is full of fluffy, chatty stuff about
themselves, not enough meat.

2. The ezine is too promotional, asking for sales.

3. The ezine is too long to read.

4. The ezine is too short, gives top ten or five lists
without any serious discussion or backing up with studies or
authority.

5. The ezine is boring. Or too personal. (Thanks for
sharing, but save it for your best friend or therapist.)

6. Ezine takes up too much time and energy to put together,
so coach starts skipping issues and becomes inconsistent.

7. Coach doesn’t commit to sending out ezine for a long
enough time to build results.

8. Coach doesn’t connect ezine to links to products, and
services. And, or ezine doesn’t clearly reflect coach’s contact
information, requests for feedback, encouragement to forward
to friends an associates.

9. Coach doesn’t tie ezine in with an overall marketing
strategy or even a consistent branding look.

10. Coach doesn’t post articles on web, or drive traffic to
website through ezine.

Top 8 solutions to these problems:

1. Your ezine needs to be full of relevant useful
information.

2. Your ezine needs to be written in a clear genuine voice
that reflects what it is like to do business with you. It needs
to be fun to read!

3. Your ezine should bring results: it should grow your
business by focusing on and solidifying relationships over
the long term, yet letting people know you have something
(products or services) that could help them achieve or
obtain what they want.

4. Your ezine should be crafted regularly with a minimal
amount of time and energy. If you don’t enjoy doing it, you
probably won’t commit to doing it over time. Do the parts
you love, outsource the rest.

5. You need to commit to at least 12 months of ezine
publication before you can evaluate its effectiveness. It is
like exercise, the longer you engage in it, the easier it is
to do, the less time and energy it takes, and the more
results you see.

6. Your ezine should tie in with your website and overall
marketing strategies. There should be a branding consistency
in the look of your ezine, your printed materials such as
business cards, and your web design. Your products and
services should carry similar logos. Your ezine should
reflect not only the graphic look, but the professional
voice you create in all your marketing pieces.

7. You can get help, you don’t have to go it alone. We all
started from zero. Ask for help you will receive. Take
courses, sign up for ezines, get a coach!

8. Use a newsletter service. Outsource to professional
service providers those tasks you least enjoy and struggle
with. That’s what they are there for.

Here's my Shameless Plug:

Customized Newsletter Services is in the business of
providing services for coaches to make their ezine tasks
easier and more efficient. We are here to help.

We have a
number of standardized options available as well as truly
customized services. If we don’t have an option that is
suitable for you, we may be able to create it. Just ask!

Patsi

patsi@customizednewsletters.com
011-52-376-766-4803
U.S.: 956-242-4254

Internet Marketing for Coaches

The Challenge of Making it as a Coach or Consultant

© 2004 Patsi Krakoff, Psy. D.,
www.customizednewsletters.com

If you are like many coaches or consultants, you love your
work and love helping others to grow and develop. No matter
what your niche, or your experiences, you are special and
unique in your strengths for helping others.

But like many professionals, you probably feel the challenge
of keeping your practice full of clients who pay you well
for your services. The statistics on the numbers of coaches
or consultants who are thriving are not encouraging.

There are now many products and services available to help
you market your practice. Some marketing gurus make big
promises. Some cost a lot of money. Worse, some require huge
investments of your time and energy.

But wait a minute…you want to be coaching and working with
people! You didn’t go into business to spend your time on
learning to implement marketing strategies.

The Challenge of the Internet…

And now there’s the Internet, and you have to learn a new
system of marketing all over again: the Internet and email
newsletters or ezines.

Where will you find the time? Can you afford not to take
advantage of Internet marketing? Of course NOT! You are
probably already behind others in your field.

You Must Publish an Ezine

Everyone will tell you how important it is to publish an
ezine. Some will tell you how to do this, again for a large
fee. None of the Internet gurus or experts give you
everything you need in a clear concise manner and include
resources you can use to accomplish these important ezine
tasks…until now.

We believe that you have what it takes to publish your own
ezine but may not know all the tips, tricks and tools that
will actually make your tasks effortless. You have the keys,
you need to learn where to find the boxes and the locks!

Make no mistake, there is some hard work involved in
publishing an ezine. You probably can’t code HTML, or handle
distributing your ezine yourself.

You probably can write your own articles, but do you have
the time to read, research, and format them?

There are services available for every step of the ezine
publishing tasks.

Get Help

Did you know that there are systems and software out that
are now actually user-friendly even for non-techies?

There are article content services and formatting and
distribution systems.

There is even my own little service company: Customized
Newsletters where we will do most of the work for you!

None of us knew anything about email, ezines and Internet
marketing a few years ago, or very few of us did.

Start learning about ezines. Don’t wait until you have a
better web site, better photo, more subscribers. Start it
now so you can learn as you go and get better as you grow.

You don’t have to do it alone. There are many e-books you
can buy to teach you the basics, some are even free.

If you must wait, wait until my own e-book is released in
November:

Secrets of Successful Ezines, by Patsi Krakoff and Elge
Premeau.

We should have this finished by mid November an you
won't want to miss the valuable resources, writing tips,
formatting and distribution systems information, and all
the valuable information we can give you to make your
ezine tasks easier.

Your ezine should work in the background like a well-oiled
machine without a lot of time and energy.

Get back to coaching and making the money you deserve!

Patsi

Two Biggest Fears with Ezines & Blogs

Survey of Two Biggest Fears to Writing and Publishing

According to a leading expert on ezines and blogs, Debbie
Weil from WordBiz.com, time is cited as the biggest obstacle
to writing and creating a business blog. The second obstacle
is fear of not knowing what to write.

I am not surprised at these survey results. My own
experiences with coaching others on their ezines validate
these two big fears about writing and publishing.

Not enough time
Not enough to say

Baloney!

Let me just say that a few years ago, I myself experienced
both these fears and many others. I was one of the original
techno-weanies. When it came to publishing anything on the
web or through email, I had sticky fingers and keyboard
paralysis.

Now you can go to Debbie’s seminar to overcome these fears
for $79. Or, you can let me take a cyber-slap at you: Get
over it!

It took me exactly 20 minutes to write and post this article
on my weblog.

Get Over It!

I don’t have any more time than you do, and I have only as
much to say as you do in your own chosen field and niche. I
am no genius. My husband will tell you that.

But I do have motivation and a drive to help others do what
I myself have learned.

Help is just a click away: email or comment here to give me
your opinion on what your biggest obstacle to writing and
publishing your own ezine REALLY is.

And while you're on it, tell me again, why you wouldn’t just
start your own blog like this one? If I can, you can.

Coming soon: Denise Wakeman and I are starting a teleclass
series to help you get started with blogging.

Prediction: Blogging or publishing a weblog is the wave of
the future.

Secret: It is much easier than publishing your own web site
or ezine!

Here is Debbie Weil’s survey:

WordBiz Update: text-only Oct. 18, 2004
===========

* Lack of Time Is Top Obstacle to Blogging *

Over 70% of respondents to a WordBiz survey report lack of
time is their key concern to managing a business blog.

In addition:

- 45% of you are unsure what to write about

- 18% question whether the content needs to be edited
or pre-approved

- 15% wonder who would be responsible for the writing

Yet, when asked if you have considered starting a business
blog, more than 80% responded yes.

To register, go here:
http://www.1shoppingcart.com/app/adtrack.asp?AdID=104812

The Magic of Ezines

Why Ezines are Like a Magic Wand…

Do you know why writing and publishing an ezine is a magical
marketing wand for any coach wanting a full practice? Stop
and take the time to imagine a few of these things:

…Imagine getting a note of appreciation from a subscriber
whose life was impacted by one of your ezine messages.

…Imagine getting email replies in your inbox from people
you’ve never met inquiring about your services or wanting to
buy your products.

…Imagine freeing up time for clients and networking because
many of your ezine tasks are automated.

…Imagine having more free time to write new products and
design new programs because you don’t struggle with your
ezine anymore!

…Imagine fulfilling orders for your informational products
and telecourses just from sending out a link in your ezine.
(Listen carefully and you might be able to hear a ringing
“ker-ching!”)

…Imagine never having to struggle with keeping to your ezine
schedule, or coming up with something to valuable to write.

…Imagine someone contacting you for your services because of
something you wrote years ago, something they’ve kept all
this time.

…Imagine ideas flowing from your fingertips onto the
keyboard and reaching thousands of people across the globe
every month with little of no effort or expense at all!

…Imagine the thrill of seeing an article you wrote picked up
and reprinted in another newsletter or journal, reaching
thousands of people you’d otherwise never come into contact
with.

Ezines are truly a marketing miracle for all coaches or
consultants wanting to reach and impact the working and
personal lives of as many people as possible.

What other opportunity is there for one person to reach and
teach so many others so rapidly, globally, and
inexpensively?

To learn how to write, format, publish and distribute a
monthly coach ezine for one low price go here:

Connecting Emotionally with Readers

Creating an Emotional Connection with Your Readers
Some psychological secrets to keep in mind for your ezine...

Readers are more likely to respond to your offers of service
or products if there is a resonance between you.

What do I mean by resonance? An emotional connection is
forged when your reader experiences being on the same ‘wave
length’ as you. This can be done several ways.

Now, this is not always easy to do in an email or ezine.
Why? Because people are so different, and what is appealing
on an emotional level to one is really aversive to another.

Furthermore, the written word, especially in email form,
lacks the vocal intonation and body language that usually
communicate meaning to your messages! So you have to
be very clear when writing, more so than with speaking.

Remember, in another article I talked about 50 percent of
people being ‘feelers’ and the other 50 percent ‘thinkers?’
So using emotional language will probably put off some
people instead of connecting with them.

Connecting with a Wide Audience of Readers?

Don’t forget that even thinking type processors are
emotional human beings too. And so are emotional processors
quite capable of being rational. So striking resonance means
you have to show you care and show that you are logical at
the same time.

Make no mistake: it is not easy to successfully connect on
an emotional level with a large subscribership. Here are my
suggestions for doing this:

1. If you speak about spiritual issues, keep them
non-denominational and generic. I recently read an ezine
that made a lot of sense to me, but then the writer admitted
to being an agnostic, even while expressing many spiritual
views based in a faith in a higher purpose. His subsequent
ezine expressed dismay that so many readers unsubscribed.

This could have been avoided by not admitting his personal
beliefs but keeping the concepts clear. Likewise, I would
avoid references to any particular religion or religious
doctrine. Ezines are read globally, and not everyone is a
Christian. This applies to mentions of holidays as well.
When you do reference your local customs and holidays,
show your readers you are aware of them being in other
parts of the world.

2. If you speak of political issues or refer to political
parties and beliefs, keep in mind that a successful ezine
should target people internationally, and not only would
national politics have no meaning to some readers, but you
could come across as being ethnocentric and not aware or
respectful of readers from other parts of the globe.

3. If you want to forge emotional ties, try reaching your
readers on a level of their “humanness”… universal needs and
wants of all human beings. We all want a sense of belonging,
we all want to feel a part of life and society and we all
seek meaning out of life. There are certain emotions that
are common world-wide: loneliness, alienation, love,
achievement, pride, shame—the paradox of being human means
we are sometimes bad and sometimes wrong as well as good and
right.

4. Another way to connect on an emotional level is to share
some of your own humanness. Mistakes are a great way to do
this. When a reader reads about something stupid you did,
they access a memory link to something similar that they
did. When you then explain your lessons learned, you are
teaching them indirectly how they can apply this lesson to
their own lives, without actually telling them to do
anything!

They can feel a kinship to you because they know
you are like they are. But just be sure you relate something
authentically and that it has universal value. Again, be
aware that your readers may not be American or of your
religious or political philosophies; keep things generic and
universally human.

5. You can also create emotional pictures by using words
that ask the reader to imagine something. Ask them to become
aware of their feelings when they imagine something. This is
called hypnotic suggestion. One internet marketer is making
a fortune now selling the so-called secrets of hypnotic
selling. Nothing wrong with that, but what he is doing is
using the power of the imagination to get readers to tap
into their feelings. And since we all know that people buy
for emotional reasons and then afterwards find a rationale
for their purchases, this makes sense, no?

6. Be authentic. No matter what your philosophies, your
politics, your religion, your ethnicity, share something of
yourself. You don’t have to hide yourself, but when you
express your personal perspectives, be ready to admit that
is your perspective and you know that there are many other
people from different backgrounds and different
perspectives. Make it okay for your readers to be different
and still connect with you.

7. Extend a hand to your readers. Show you care. Ask them
for their opinions, ideas, perspectives, why not even ask
them to share something about themselves. Get a two-way (or
I should say multiple-way) dialogue with your readers going.

Get their input. First, it makes for interesting content.
Secondly, you can keep a finger on the pulse and know what
your readers' interests are. Try either an informal or more
formal survey from time to time. Make it easy for them to
reply to your ezine. If your email distribution service
doesn’t allow this, give them an email address where they
can write to you.

Agree? Disagree?

Here's my challenge to you: I know there are other ways of
connecting on an emotional level. Please share your tips and ideas about this essential
key to writing effective ezines. Just click on the comment button
and you can contribute, or criticize, and/or give your opinion.

I welcome your ideas and thoughts!

Thanks, Patsi
www.customizednewsletters.com

BIG P.S.:

Come visit with me on a teleconference Wed. Oct. 13, 4-5 p.m. ET.
I will reveal secrets to writing effective ezines that get clients to
call YOU! My colleague Sylva Leduc from Client Compass has
scheduled me to participate in an hour call for their Ask the Expert
Series. You can register for free as my guest by clicking here:
www.clientcompass.com/AskPatsi.htm

Sign up for my two free ezines, Newsletter Nuggets and BizBook Nuggets
and get note and quotes for busy folks. Sample article content.
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