Writing on the Web from Patsi Krakoff, The Blog Squad

Repeat the Benefits: Create a Placebo Effect

"Should I reinforce the benefits of my product on the thank you page?" One of our clients asked this question while we were reviewing his autoresponders and online content.

Of course. While this may seem obvious and common sense, many online business professionals forget that all content, even a simple thank you page or a thank you autoresponder, is an opportunity for marketing with content. But it's more than just content marketing good sense.

There's a psychological benefit. You create a placebo effect.

Scientists have proven that some pills can work to create a desired result based on the expectations of the patient. Sometimes when a medication is replaced with a sugar pill, the patient will still get the desired benefits, simply because the expectations are strong and somehow the body responds in the desired direction.

Social Writing: Don't ignore networking sites

There's a lot of buzz online right now about whether or not one should use social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc.

Are these sites important for content marketing? You'll have to decide for yourself and for your business. But it sure does look like you can't ignore this trend.

I try to stick to writing topics on this blog, and our other blogs, BizTipsBlog and BuildaBetterBlog, focus on online marketing.

But let's face it: there's a lot of overlap when it comes to writing content to market your business. What you write on your blog can easily get pushed to your Facebook profile and to any other places you choose.

I'll be brief. Our friend and colleague Kathleen Gage has been writing a series of posts at www.themarketingmindset.com about social networking. Go read her recent post because what you learn may surprise you. Denise has also written about social sites a lot.

If you want to integrate all these new tools into an effective and time-saving marketing system for your business, register for our 4-week mentoring program The Law of Action 2.0 - Attract Clients and Build a Money-Making Business on the 'Net, starting July 1, 2008.

Related Posts:
Social Networks - Are they for you?
Don't become a social networking snob!
Twitter Feedback - Gotta love it!

Relevant Content: Search Engine Bread Crumbs

On our 5 Traps of Internet Marketing teleclass yesterday, almost 1000 people registered and we got some interesting questions. Here's one:

"What is the most important thing to do to get people to find your site when you cannot afford to buy placement on search engines?"

Getting found once you've got a site (website or blog) is what Denise and I call The Great Internet Challenge. We even wrote a white paper on it (if you want the long answer to this question, www.onlinemarketingchallenge.com

Short answer: Write relevant content. Then write more content. Then publish even more content on other sites such as article directories, press release sites, white papers, newsletters archived on your site, etc.

Each time you write content about your key topics, you are seeding the Internet with keywords. Like bread crumbs that lead back to the gingerbread cottage, those keywords will help readers find you.

Search engine optimization experts charge you an arm and a leg and then still ask you to do the same thing as I'm telling you here: write relevant content.

4 Keys for Content Marketing that Gets Results

How do you write good content for your web pages (blog, newsletters, articles, press releases, etc.) that also brings in clients and customers and makes sales?

Let's face it, talking about how great your product and services are isn't going to enthrall a lot of readers. What are 4 keys to writing content that markets your business?

Yesterday, while Denise and I were on a teleseminar called From Contacts to Contracts with Adam Urbanski about social media tools and business blogs, I gave this advice:

"Without a doubt content is key in business blogging, but even when a business professional writes well, they may not be adapting to blog writing for business results." The same is true for many kinds of business content marketing.

Let's look at 4 keys, the 4 E’s for content marketing purposes:

3 Blog Squad Teleclasses this week

Monday, June 23, 1:00 p.m. Eastern Time (10:00 a.m. Pacific)

How to Get the Best Out of Your Blog: A 4-Point System to Get Found, Get Known and Get Clients
Part 1 of a 4-Part Teleseminar series hosted by Adam Urbanski on how to use social networking tools to get more business.

Info and registration

Tuesday, June 24, 6:00 p.m. Eastern Time (3:00 p.m. Pacific)

Discover the 5 Internet Marketing Traps that Can Derail Your Business
with The Blog Squad and Kathleen Gage The Street Smarts Marketer

Info and registration

Thursday, June 26 (Denise's birthday!), 7:00 p.m. Eastern (4:00 p.m. Pacific)

Blogging for dollars: Can you really make 6-figures?
Interview with Author and Problogger Darren Rowse

Info and registration

Again, there is no charge for any of these programs. All are designed to accelerate your business success. Hope you'll join us for one or all these terrific programs next week.

Ask, Ask, Ask: Using Surveys for Content Marketing

We recently asked a thousand readers what their biggest problems are when it comes to Internet Marketing, using SurveyMonkey.com. This a great way to get content ideas, stay in touch with what readers want, and develop programs and info products that sell.

How can you create content that markets your business without knowing what readers want?

You can't know what your targeted audience's pain points are unless you ask. Even if the results aren't what social scientists would validate as statistically reliable data, you can get a ton of comments that can seed blog posts and articles.

Here's what one person said they wanted to learn:

"How best to use my writing skills to attract quality folks who will convert to customers. I write articles, post to my blog, have Squidoo lenses and I'm on MySpace and Facebook. Still, there is a gap. I know that relationship building takes time and patience, but I need to see financial results from these activities."

From this comment you can discern several concerns:

• Time is certainly a factor
• Knowing which marketing tools to favor
• Return on investment of time
• Financial results

Trap #5: The Trap of Manifesting by Meditation and Visualization

The 5 Traps of Internet Marketing that Can Derail Your Business

Kathleen Gage, the Street Smarts Marketer, reveals the #5 Internet Marketing trap: it takes more than the Law of Attraction to be successful online. You have to get into Action! Success on the Internet requires effort...the right kind of effort. Learn the truth about marketing on the Internet.

Trap #4: The Trap of One Big Success

The 5 Traps of Internet Marketing that Can Derail Your Business

Kathleen Gage, the Street Smarts Marketer, reveals the #4 Internet Marketing trap: you only need one really great product to make a lot of money. Success on the Internet requires more than one book or product and the right kind of smart effort. Learn the truth about marketing on the Internet.

Social Networking Online: How to find out what you need to know

Are you puzzled by buzzwords like "web 2.0" and "social media?" If you're like me, you probably cringed when you started hearing the buzz about MySpace, Facebook and Twitter. At first you could ignore it because it was just for 'the kids.'

Not any longer. You can't ignore social sites if you're in business and want to get known, get leads, and be seen as a credible, trustworthy professional.

Fortunately people like my partner Denise paid attention to this phenomenon early on. Another person who was a skeptic ("Online networking is a total waste of time!") is Adam Urbanski, the Marketing Mentor. He's become a raving fan.

Read the rest of this post if you're a skeptic but have a gnawing feeling you really should find out the essentials of how to work things like Facebook into your marketing mix. To solve the problem about what to pay attention to and what to ignore, (and how to save time doing all this) there's a series of free teleseminars you can register for at the end of this post.

Trap #3: The Trap of the Internet Guru

5 Traps of Internet Marketing that Can Derail Your Business

In this video, I talk about how easy it is to fall for smooth marketing hype that promise you millions.

Internet "gurus" don't always have the right answer for you and your business. Success on the Internet requires more than throwing money at a guru. Learn the truth about marketing on the Internet.