Winning Strategies for Writing Unique Content

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Posted on 3rd December 2010 by Krishna Gupta in Blog

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Are you wracking your brain for exciting, unique content for your blog or website? Expert Zeke Camusio from www.TheOutsourcingCompany.com shares some killer tips on getting the best out of your creativity and onto paper:

Target your markets. Think about your online audiences who visit your website or blog. Your articles need to capture and hold their interest. Unique content needs to educate and inform your readers, and keep them coming back for more articles.

Define your niche. Don’t write about generic topics. You need to hit your niche with your articles. For example, if you own a sporting goods store and want to sell more running shoes online, don’t write content about running shoes. The topic is too broad. You need a unique perspective such as the health benefits of running or how to choose the proper running shoe for your stride. Angle your article to fit your specific niche.

Keep up with industry trends and news. Read daily industry news and be ‘in the know.’ Unique content needs to be fresh and timely which makes you look like an expert in the eyes of your readers. Don’t regurgitate information that can be found on The New York Times website.

Write on a regular basis. In order to keep those creative juices flowing, it helps to write on a regular basis. If you write a blog, write consistently and keep a journal or notebook on hand. Jot down notes and ideas as they come to you throughout the day. This will help you create new, interesting topics.

Don’t compare yourself to other writers or industry experts. Each writer has their own style of writing. It will only hurt your creative process by comparing yourself to others. It’s helpful to research blogs, ezines and websites for ideas, but don’t copy another writer’s style. The key to branding yourself as a content writer is to find your own style and stick with it.

Don’t duplicate content. Do not steal or copy information from online or offline sources. It’s acceptable to directly quote information, but copying word-for-word is plagiarism and is illegal. If you summarize content from another website and stick it on your site, you are basically duplicating information. As a result, your site will lose search engine rankings. Unique content bumps you higher on search engines.

Keep your writing simple. Don’t confuse your readers with jargon and complicated language. Write in a breezy, conversational style. It’s okay to bend some of the rigid grammar rules when you write web content; however, it’s still recommended to edit and use spell check. Implement this editing trick: print out your article and circle mistakes with a red pen. When you review a hard copy, it’s easier to find errors.

How to write copy that pulls them in — and pushes them to act

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Posted on 11th November 2010 by Krishna Gupta in Blog

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The next time you turn on your word processor, keep in mind the three immutable laws of human behavior when it comes to reading copy:

People never read.
People never believe.
People never do.
But don’t worry, there are solutions for these laws: pull them in, prove your case and push them to act.

First, you need to pull them in – a bang-up headline on a print ad, an audio and video clip on your Web site’s landing page, pop-ups on the Web, or even just pens stuck to your direct mail pieces – with whatever you’ve got in your arsenal.

After you’ve grabbed their attention, it’s now time to prove your case with ample proof. You can do this by telling a detailed story, providing an amazing anecdote or by including an image, such as someone perched on their new Mercedes Benz.

Now you’ve set the stage and it’s time to push them to act. Now is not the time to wimp out and fail to ask for the order.

For instance, “I don’t have the time” is one of the most common objections you’ll hear, so make sure your call to action is dire – get them to act immediately. Don’t think that asking them to bookmark your page and visit later will suffice. It’s the same as with closing sales face to face, always ask for the order immediately after your presentation.

Your information will never be more vivid and poignant in their mind than right then. Without repetition, our short-term memory cache loses information at exponential rates, so immediate action is always best in the sales world!

Next in this series: Captain Hook.

This post is the fifth in a series of excerpts from OneCoach CEO John Assaraf’s interview with direct response copywriter Michel Fortin. See his Web site here: http://www.michelfortin.com/. Members of the OneCoach Business Growth Network have unlimited access to this and hundreds of other interviews with world-class thought leaders.

30 Ways To Optimize Your Blog

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Posted on 4th June 2010 by Krishna Gupta in Blog |SEO

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1. Industry News – whats happening this week, this month

2. Industry where is the industry going, what are the emerging hot segments

3. Customers Pain Points – Write posts that provide solutions for your customers problems

4. Customers successes – Write up a case study about a clients successful project, they will often let you publish their name

5. What not to do – highlighting where something hasn’t worked (the names shall remain anonymous of course)

6. Create a video blog post by interviewing a successful client – this can a powerful providing authentic evidence of authority and credibility for both you and the client

7. Write articles for the different types of customers that are relevant for each of  your vertical markets

8. Brainstorm blog post topics with colleagues and management and create a list for future reference and planning

9. Subscribe to the top industry blogs in your market, both company blogs and personal blogs for ideas

10. Look through your latest news releases for ideas

11. Sign up other staff to write on topics in your industry or market that they are passionate about

12. Develop a series of how to blog posts

13. Turn the “how to” blog posts into short videos

14. When you have a great idea, go straight to your “add new” button and write the headline and save it as a draft or write it down before you forget it.

15. Include a great iconic image at the start of the blog that catches the eye

16. Case Studies are always popular to write about and not just your own

17. Place Powerpoint presentations on your blog by posting  and then embedding links from Slideshare

18.  Run polls and surveys on your blog

19. Create great headlines that catch people attention and makes them want to read the rest of the article

20. Add credbility banners such as how many subscribers, number of hits, blog grade and any awards

21. Provide “share this” buttons to Facebook and Twitter as a minimum

22. Implement “subscribe” buttons via RSS and Email

23. Write in bite size chunks and use bullet points so readers can quickly and easy consumption

24. Break up large blocks of text with iconic and interesting images

25. Take screen shots to place in your post using Software like Snagit to highlight points .. a picture is worth a 1000 words

26. Be yourself even if it is a company blog.. be authentic.

27. Optimize your blog for SEO (Search Engine Optimization)

28. Promote and distribute your posts on to other social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn

29. Make the blog easy to find on your company’s web page with a large bannner or button

30. Finally, have fun, mix up the types of posts and add some humour occasionally