Writing on the Web from Patsi Krakoff, The Blog Squad

Client Stories Make the Best Content for Marketing

Donna Maria Cole Johnson writes a terrific blog called the Indie Business Blog, and never runs out of ideas for what to write. She says,

"...it’s not about me. It’s about my audience, my listeners. I love them and I am here to serve them. I think they sense that and it keeps them coming back."

Featuring stories about the people in her network, her readers say "...it reminds them that they are not alone and lets them see real life details of how other Indies handle the same problems they have."

What a terrific way to develop content that attracts like minded people and to build a huge community of fans. I recently interviewed Donna Maria about her use of content for marketing, and her responses are enlightening. She maintains an active participation online through Twitter and Facebook besides her blog and radio show. Here's her interview:

Word Up on Wordle: Word Cloud for this Blog

If you want to get a 'word cloud' or a visual idea of what words you use most often on your blog, try this tool from the folks at Wordle....

I'm not sure what practical applications there are for such a tool, but I thought it would be fun anyway...

Getting Readers to Comment is Biggest Blogging Challenge

Denise and I recently ran a contest for people to submit their biggest blogging challenges. We did this blogging challenge contest both on our Build a Better Blog and our Blog Squad Facebook fan page. Lisa Braithwaite was picked as the winning entry.

She says her biggest challenge is getting readers to leave comments. Which is why we presented this week on how to include a 'call to action' in your blog posts with the Master Business Building Class teleseminar series this week.

This is the most common of blog challenges that we hear our clients mention. There are things you can do to encourage audience involvement and participation. I write about how to get readers to act here.

What other ways have you found are effective in getting people 'out there' to come 'into' your blog and participate? (I don't recommend a megaphone and shouting at them like the person in the photo!)

Content Marketing for the Entrepreneur: An interview with Des Walsh

How does writing content shape the course of your professional evolution? We've seen many entrepreneurs start off in one direction and discover new strengths and talents through writing online content. I think regular blogging where you document and share your daily journey helps shape the trip.

Des Walsh comes to my mind. His entrepreneurial journey has been visible online through his blogs and social networking participation. He's been a pioneer in online content publication.

We met Des Walsh back in 2004 when we first started blogging and we've watched him evolve and gain massive visibility on the Web. At the time I think he had recently retired from a government/public service position and focused on helping others with home-based businesses. My memory's a bit foggy on this, but what really counts is what he's done since then.

He's often speaking at big conferences and generously shares his knowledge and networking talents with  everyone. Read his responses to this interview about content marketing for more insights.