Writing on the Web from Patsi Krakoff, The Blog Squad

Virtual Hat Drawing for Internet Marketing Retreat: Will You Be Lucky?

Do you feel lucky? Denise and I just purchased a magic hat so that we can use it all next week. We are having a "2nd Year of Blogging" anniversary blow-out sale and prize drawings Sept. 4 - 8.

Grand Prize is a ticket to Tom Antion's Great Internet Marketing Retreat in Virginia Beach, valued at $5000. Ever since we attended last spring, we have more than recuperated those expenses in new revenues resulting from his mentoring.

To win, all you have to do is be subscribed to our weekly ezine, Savvy eBiz Tips. Subscribe here: www.savvyebiztips.com.

Every day during the Anniversary sale, we will send an email announcing a winner along with huge discounts on some of our products and services. But you must be subscribed to win, and to get the email notices.

And if you are one of our affiliates and refer people to subscribe to our ezine, you can win a new Targus computer luggage and $.50 per subscriber. To become an affiliate, go here.

Savvy eBiz Tips - Subscribe and Win Prizes and Discounts

NEWS FLASH: 5 DAYS. 5 DEALS. 5 WINNERS.
Subscribe to Savvy eBiz Tips today and you'll be entered to win big prizes during the week of September 4. The grand prize is a trip to Tom Antion's Great Internet Marketing Retreat Center for a 4 day internet marketing retreat. (Participants pay $5,000 to attend, but you can win a ticket by subscribing now!)

With your free subscription to Savvy eBiz Tips, you'll learn how to market your business on the web PLUS get two bonus reports: How to Pick a Shopping Cart and 31 Frequently Asked Questions about List Building. The Blog Squad's exclusive list building report is part of an indepth program on list building and not available anywhere else.

Learn more and subscribe today to get Savvy eBiz Tips delivered to you every week so you can take your online business to the next level.

NEWS FLASH: 5 DAYS. 5 DEALS. 5 WINNERS.
Subscribe to Savvy eBiz Tips today and you'll be entered to win big prizes during the week of September 4. The grand prize is a trip to Tom Antion's Great Internet Marketing Retreat Center for a 4 day internet marketing retreat. (Participants pay $5,000 to attend, but you can win a ticket by subscribing now!)

With your free subscription to Savvy eBiz Tips, you'll learn how to market your business on the web PLUS get two bonus reports: How to Pick a Shopping Cart and 31 Frequently Asked Questions about List Building. The Blog Squad's exclusive list building report is part of an indepth program on list building and not available anywhere else.

Learn more and subscribe today to get Savvy eBiz Tips delivered to you every week so you can take your online business to the next level.

Ezine Publishing Encyclopedia?

Just launched: The All-in-One Ezine Publishing System will give you everything you need to know to create, distribute, and grow an ezine through email. What I like about this package, is that Denise put together some great video tutorials on how to broadcast your ezine.

I find it easier to learn when I can see things on the computer screen. And of course, we included the audio files from ezine classes, and several audio interviews  with experts, for people who like their learning through listening.

The All-in-One Ezine Publishing System came about when we realized that we were accumulating a body of knowledge in the form of ebooks, special reports, interviews, audio and video files that could essentially make up an encyclopedia about ezines.

I originally wrote Secrets of Successful Ezines ebook to address the special needs of service professionals who needed a platform to create relationships with readers that would ultimately result in clients calling them to hire them. Then that ebook needed to have two other components:

1. Information about list building techniques
2. Information about broadcasting or delivering your ezine

For details on all the elements in this comprehensive package, go to www.ezinepublishingsystem.com.

From Blog to Email Marketing

If you're a blogger or thinking about starting a blog, you definitely should attend this Conversation with Expert Phil Hollows to learn how you can use your blog for email marketing.

Conversations with Experts presents...

Wednesday, August 30, 2006, 8:30 p.m. ET (no charge, registration required)
Guest Expert: Phil Hollows, Feedblitz.com

Back to the Future: Growing your audience and simplifying your email marketing with blogs

Blogs are the Internet's fastest growing sector. Coupled with a new technology called RSS, blogs can recharge and reinvigorate your email marketing and much more. The discussion will cover topics such as how to:

=> Build closer relationships with prospects and customers using blogs and email.
=> More easily differentiate yourself from your competitors.
=> Take the pain out of creating and managing your email marketing, newsletters and ezines.

Whether you have an existing in-house list or are starting out from scratch, Phil will have tips and techniques for improving your list's quality, tracking metrics and increasing its value to you - simply.

Register:  http://www.ConversationsWithExperts.com 

If you cannot attend the Conversation, you can pre-order the audio program for only $4.95.  The audio will be $9.95 after the Conversation.  Save 50% and pre-order now.  http://snipurl.com/Hollows_Preorder

Conversations with Experts: How to Build Your Business On and Off-line
Hosted by Denise Wakeman and Patsi Krakoff.

Conversations with Experts is sponsored by Build a Better Blog System.

Advertorials: An Easier, Softer Sales Page

Sooner or later you will have to write good sales copy, if you intend to make money on the Internet. Some of us academic types have antibodies in our DNA that actively seek out and destroy elements of hype and fluff.

So how do you reconcile your desire to make sales, be credible, maintain trust with your dear readers, AND make big sales?

Write an advertorial. This is a cross pollination derived from a the genetic co-mingling of content- and story-rich article and a pure-bred sales page.

We turned to our charming mentor Tom Antion of Great Internet Marketing for tips on how to write an advertorial. Here are ten tips we got from Tom:

Press Releases: Same Old Writing Rules Apply

Before you write your press release, be sure to define who your audience is. Who are you targeting your message to? Make sure you call out to those people by defining them in your headline, sub-headings, and/or first paragraph.

This is another good tip from Joan Stewart, the Publicity Hound, and her 89 Day Tutorial for writing great press releases.

Other tips include the many of the same good writing habits you should be using for other kinds of writing. Common sense things like:

• Keep your message simple
• Make sure you include all your correct contact info
• Use eye-catching headlines
• Use sub-headings to further draw people in to reading your message
• Always write with the readers' interests in mind
• Always include a clear call to action, where you take them by the hand and walk them through the steps you want them to take

As for that last tip on the call to action, we'll stop right here. Joan feels that part of writing a good press release is so important that we will devote a full post to it, in our next post continuing on everything you need to know to write a great press release.

Your Best Year Yet? Why not!

This week The Blog Squad held a Conversation with Sylva Leduc, leadership coach, about committing to goals, and programs you can use to track and achieve your goals.

Even if you are already an avid goal setter, or especially if you are not a fan of goals, it may be time to stand back and assess where you are at, and where you want to be. Only so many months left in this year, you know.

What I like about Sylva is that she is super-organized and logical, very clear. She shared with us some great tools for keeping focused on your goals. She is a big fan of Your Best Year Yet program based on the book by Jinny Ditzler.

I'm attaching my notes here. Be sure to read the notes, because she offers a free goal setting assessment at www.desktopgoals.com, but you need the code.

We had one of those techno-demons descend upon the recording line, leaving a white noise instead of an audio file you can download. So here are my notes, enjoy:

Download notes_from_sylva_leduc.doc

PR Tips - Write for Action

Here are some more good tips for writing press releases about your business from Joan Stewart's 89 Day Kick-Butt Press Release tutorial.

• Decide exactly what you want your press release to accomplish. It's all about changing people's behavior and prompting them to do something they wouldn't do had you not written the release.
• Define your audience(s) before you write

• Keep your key message simple

Remember Joan's first tip about writing press releases that work? It's not so much about getting a story printed in the media (although that's always good!), but more about getting found by your clients on the Web through press release services like PRWeb.com.

And it's not a sales pitch either. But write with the goal in mind: what do you want readers to do?

Joan Stewart on Getting Results from Your Ezines

I just spotted this tip about ezines on Joan Stewart's Publicity Hound weekly ezine:

"Most ezines that find their way into my email box are garbage. The biggest mistakes publishers make are concentrating only on selling a product or service, and publishing on an irregular schedule, or less than every other week."

Joan advises, "At the very least, send a tip of the week to a list of people who have given you their email addresses and permission to market to them.

"Here's what's happened to me (and what can happen to you) as a result of publishing an electronic newsletter, almost every week, for six years:

--I'm invited to speak at conferences because people who read this pass it along to meeting planners in their trade associations who hire speakers.

Goals: Committed, or Just Kinda Interested?

Conversations with Experts presents...

Are You Committed to Achieving Your Goals or Just Kinda' Interested?
Wednesday, August 16, 2006, 8:30 p.m. ET (no charge, registration required)
Guest Expert: Sylva Leduc, Leadership Coach

How often have you heard someone lament they aren't achieving the goals they set for themselves? People can have great ideas, yet lack the process, structure and commitment to achieve their goals.  So they don't stick to their plan.

Syl Leduc calls it "pin-the-tail on the donkey goal setting," an ineffective hit-or-miss approach to success.   

Is this you?  It may be that you convinced yourself you're committed to your goals when you're only kinda' interested in success. 

Okay, so is there a better way?  Absolutely!  Join us as we talk with Syl about getting the results you want, year after year.

Syl Leduc, MEd, MPEC is a Leadership Specialist and Business Coach. She's a self proclaimed "techno geek" who founded (now former president of) a software company, called Client Compass.  Syl is committed to making every year the Best Year Yet for herself and her clients. At www.DesktopGoals.com  you can attend a free online goal planning workshop (use the "secret" password). Visit her blog www.WindowSyl.com  and learn what name you should never, ever call her.

Register:  www.ConversationsWithExperts.com

Conversations with Experts: How to Build Your Business On and Off-line
Hosted by Denise Wakeman and Patsi Krakoff.

Conversations with Experts is sponsored by Build a Better Blog System.

Conversations with Experts presents...

Are You Committed to Achieving Your Goals or Just Kinda' Interested?
Wednesday, August 16, 2006, 8:30 p.m. ET (no charge, registration required)
Guest Expert: Sylva Leduc, Leadership Coach

How often have you heard someone lament they aren't achieving the goals they set for themselves? People can have great ideas, yet lack the process, structure and commitment to achieve their goals.  So they don't stick to their plan.

Syl Leduc calls it "pin-the-tail on the donkey goal setting," an ineffective hit-or-miss approach to success.   

Is this you?  It may be that you convinced yourself you're committed to your goals when you're only kinda' interested in success. 

Okay, so is there a better way?  Absolutely!  Join us as we talk with Syl about getting the results you want, year after year.

Syl Leduc, MEd, MPEC is a Leadership Specialist and Business Coach. She's a self proclaimed "techno geek" who founded (now former president of) a software company, called Client Compass.  Syl is committed to making every year the Best Year Yet for herself and her clients. At www.DesktopGoals.com  you can attend a free online goal planning workshop (use the "secret" password). Visit her blog www.WindowSyl.com  and learn what name you should never, ever call her.

Register:  www.ConversationsWithExperts.com

Conversations with Experts: How to Build Your Business On and Off-line
Hosted by Denise Wakeman and Patsi Krakoff.

Conversations with Experts is sponsored by Build a Better Blog System.