May 3, 2008 at 7:38 pm · Filed under Publishers Bar
Writing business articles is one of the quickest, most effective marketing tools for professional service providers to gain exposure for their firms and for themselves. What better way to demonstrate your expertise in a subject area to potential clients than to write about it?
As a matter of fact, 62% of buyers of professional services claimed they would be “Very” or “Somewhat” likely to initially identify and learn more about a potential service provider through an industry website article or story (RainToday.com study, How Clients Buy: The Benchmark Report On Professional Services Marketing And Selling From The Client Perspective).
The good news is that, as an experienced professional, you already have valuable advice to share. The bad news is that just “knowing your stuff” isn’t enough to write a successful article that will be picked up by publications and read by potential clients.
So what is it about an article that gets it published in an e-newsletter or on an industry website? What makes an article soar to the top of page-view and click-through charts? As an editor at RainToday.com, I read a lot of articles and have come to learn what separates the everyday from the great. Here are six basic guidelines that will help you make the content in your articles really sing:
1. Start With A Great Hook
You could write the most fantastic, helpful article ever, have an OK title, and it would never get read. This is one of the most tragic things that can happen to a great piece of writing. The trick here is to have an appropriate hook.
Readers want to know that if they’re going to spend time reading your work, it had better be worth it. As much as I love creative titles, they historically lose out to simpler, more straightforward ones. The best titles express exactly what the reader will take away from your article.
Some of RainToday.com’s most successful titles include:
How To Get Smarter About Pricing by Andrew Sobel
From Layoffs To Payoffs: How To Get Your Practice Out Of A Revenue Slump by Cal Harrison
Five Myths Of Professional Services Marketing by Michael McLaughlin
Legacy Of The Three Martini Lunch: Seven Guidelines For Effective Networking by Mike Schultz
2. Cut To The Chase
Your introduction is your second impression on the reader and it is also critical. If I see an intriguing title, click on it, and start reading the first paragraph only to find it irrelevant or uninteresting, I’m not going to waste another two seconds to read the second paragraph, let alone the rest of the article.
One of the most common mistakes that professionals make when writing an article is that they think they need to “build up” to something great. There is no need to warm up your readers. They’re there, so take advantage of their attention while you have it.
Write something bold. Write something controversial. Add a famous or entertaining quote (that is relevant). Tell them you’re going to reveal how to build their business (or whatever the topic of your article is) and then jump right in!
3. Know Your A, B, C’s And 1, 2, 3’s
OK, so now you’ve got a great title and opening paragraph. Everyone is clicking on it, they can’t wait to read what the 10 Most Effective Ways To Earn Double Your Profits Next Year are, or whatever secret it is that you’re about to share with them. The next step is to make your article web-friendly.
Reading an article on the web is much different than reading one in print. In general, people on the web tend to skim rather than read, regardless of what the content is. Therefore, organization and readability are key. Chunk out your article into short, direct paragraphs. A good rule of thumb is after four lines or so, you should start a new paragraph.
Use subheadings, numbers, and bullets. Create bold subject headings or bulleted points throughout your article to guide your readers’ eyes and help speed-readers grasp the concepts quickly and more effectively.
4. Don’t Be Vanilla If You’re Really Rocky Road
There is nothing more refreshing early in the morning than reading an insightful article that also expresses a sense of humor or individuality. When people read e-newsletters at work, the last thing they want is to be reading something dry, deeply technical, or incomprehensible. There is, of course, a time and a place for this kind of writing, but it is not here. (Well, never the incomprehensible part, but the technical part anyway).
Be yourself! Don’t necessarily write like you talk, but write in language that expresses your personality. Beware of using too much technical jargon - it is better to err on the simplistic side of language than the unintelligible side. And stay away from the thesaurus. Big words do not equal a smarter article.
5. Once Upon A Time
Everyone loves stories. Why? Because not only are they entertaining to read, but they are one of the best ways to learn. Articles with examples get the points across more effectively than those without them. Stories and examples engage the reader by putting the topic at hand in context and allowing them to see how the takeaways may be applied.
Plus, by writing about your own experiences, you are able to demonstrate your expertise to prospects in a completely legitimate manner.
6. Save The Selling For Sales
This may be disheartening for those of you excited about writing your next article and your next marketing piece all rolled into one, but it’s not a good idea. Another common mistake that professionals make is trying to position themselves as experts by spelling it out in their articles. While this might be fine for your next brochure or piece of direct mail, it is not OK in an advice piece.
Give your examples, tell your stories, offer advice, and explain your strategies. But, let your readers decide on their own that you’re an expert and they need to hire you for their next project.
Do not tell your readers that you’re writing this because you want their business. Share prescriptive tips prospects can apply directly to their business and they will begin to trust you and turn to you when they are ready, as you have already proved that you are a valuable resource.
Do not write things along the lines of, “My firm, ABC Accounting, currently works with the top financial institutions in the U.S., and are well-versed in all aspects of financial accounting.” Save this for your short biography and keep the article focused on valuable information.
Selling yourself in an outlet where you are supposed to be offering advice is cheesy. Whichever publication you submit your article to, salesy language will be deleted. Or, worse yet, it will make you come off as just another salesperson to your prospects - when what you really need to be working on is establishing trust.
Writing business articles for the web as a form of marketing is a different kind of writing than what most people are accustomed to. Your target audience is made up of busy professionals. They want their information in an efficient way while still being entertained.
So remember: Write catchy titles to stand out from the plethora of other articles. Get right to the meat of your advice. Organize your thoughts. Have personality. Share your stories. And don’t even think about selling. With an effective article, the sales will come naturally.
Rebecca Gould is the Editor of Rainmaker Report, RainToday.com’s http://www.raintoday.com flagship newsletter, and can be reached at rgould@raintoday.com.
April 18, 2008 at 3:20 pm · Filed under Publishers Bar
•Know Its Purpose: An elevator speech is not a sales tool. Nor is it intended to give an overview of what you do. Rather, it is designed to pique the interest of the other person by concisely giving him/her a clear understanding of the type of people with whom you work and how you can help them.
•It’s not all about you! When crafting your elevator speech, remember that people don’t really care about you, your job title or even your company name. And, they don’t want to hear a direct sales pitch (even if they make one themselves!).
•Problem-Solution. The first half of you elevator speech should identify a problem common to a unique group of people - your niche market. The second half of the speech positions you as a resource for solving that problem. And, remember: Stick to one problem and one solution. Saying too much causes your listener to “zone out” and not hear you.
•Write it out, then file it! Until you become totally at ease with developing and using the elevator speech, write it out. However, don’t attempt to memorize it. Instead, memorize the formula and get comfortable with filling in the blanks. Put your written version in a file folder for later review and updating.
•Practice! Practice! Practice! The only way to become comfortable with this tool is to use it as often as possible. Before you use it at networking events, take some time to practice with your coach or with peers. However, don’t strive for perfection. Once you feel reasonably confident, take it out into the real world.
•Be Flexible. One elevator speech will not fit all situations. So, create a repertoire of them. Select the one that best matches the networking event in which you are participating. You may even want to create a new one for each event.
•Be yourself. Learn to develop impromptu elevator speeches (again, just plug in to the formula) in order to avoid sounding “canned”. It’s far better to bumble the speech a bit than it is to be too perfect. Others will empathize and listen.
© 2005-2006. All rights reserved. Impact Coaching International.
Copyright and bio paragraph must be included when reproducing this article.
Rosemary Hauschild is an innovation and creativity business coach serving individuals developing intellectual property. Impact Coaching International offers a year-long program showing creative individuals how to protect, promote and profit from their innovative ideas in less time and with more profits. Individual coaching services are also available. To learn more about how to protect and promote your intellectual property, you are invited to subscribe to the free e-zine, Creations Of The Mind, by sending an email to subscribe@impactcoaching.biz with the following phrase in the subject line of your e-mail: subscribe creations list. To contact Rosemary directly, please email rosemary@impactcoaching.biz.
April 13, 2008 at 11:40 pm · Filed under Publishers Bar
How I landed, juggled and completed a baker’s dozen of projects
and how you can too!
By David Geer
During April - May (2003) I completed 13 simultaneous projects.
I pitched an antiques magazine on a tip from a gallery about the
recovery of North Carolina’s Bill of Rights. The publication
assigned the news item. The story suited their readership; I had
also sent a previous query, which though rejected was well
written. The news release gave me contacts. I developed solid
interview questions in order to cover the topic thoroughly. It
wasn’t hard to turn around in a few hours, spread out over some
days. They paid $1/word.
I landed an assignment about a new technology by approaching a
magazine’s news editor with my availability. They needed someone
experienced and he assigned me the topic. This editor provided a
detailed template. This article paid $1,000.
I received an article published in an engineering publication
(randomly, by e-mail). There was mention that the author had
gone on leave. On the chance that they might need someone, I
looked them up. They needed someone in Ohio to pitch ongoing
stories. I pitched an idea that was perfect for a grouping of
pieces about to be published. If I could complete it in a few
days, the assignment was mine. After looking up a local source
that was a big part of the story, it wasn’t hard to find the
other participants.
The editor of a legal publication called upon getting wind of my
research for another project. He wondered if I had ideas for a
spin-off. I pitched a spin-off that looked at the topic from
multiple angles and he liked it immediately. The assignment paid
$1,500. Prior research eased the process.
I am a contributing writer for a wireless publication. I pitched
a three-part series on space shuttle wireless, coincidentally
just after the Columbia tragedy. They were looking for pieces
about wireless that works and liked the idea. I used the same
research for all three pieces.
A real estate appraiser contacted me. He needed marketing
letters and other work (three projects to start). He provided
samples, which saved research time. More work is coming, at
$75/hour.
I have been working for a consultant. I take IT interviews and
write them up. The consultant approached me about two new topics
and with a “can do” attitude I assured him I could handle it. He
originally found me through someone he hired especially to find
people just like me. The only deadline was ASAP; I was fortunate
to turn them in at a good clip.
I submit poetry. Finally, a publisher in NY accepted a poem. I
had been following their guidelines faithfully for a while.
Because they were responsive, I believed they would eventually
publish my work. They advised a rewrite; once I understood what
was needed, I completed it in an hour or so, to everyone’s
liking.
Here are some additional lessons from this experience. Take in
news releases about topics you even MIGHT like to write about.
Pitch stories that FASCINATE you. KNOW the markets for your
ideas ahead of time. Write great queries about great ideas EVERY
time. Persevere. Follow up on leads that seem to come from out
of NOWHERE and from EVERYWHERE. Make SACRIFICES to take on
assignments that are worthwhile. Try to get more work out of
people who are already assigning you projects. Market yourself.
Be available. Say, “Yes, I can!” and then make sure you do.
Build relationships. Pitch and submit to the same people over
and over until they use you.
April 4, 2008 at 8:31 pm · Filed under Publishers Bar
For the last six years I have been living in the beautiful
mountain town of Asheville, North Carolina. Three years ago I
experienced what many Americans have since 9/11; I was laid off
from my job and there were few prospects in sight. After nine
months of unemployment and only one call back in my field I had
the inspiration to go into business for myself. I was lucky
enough to find a talented, intelligent woman interested in
investing in a business partnership with me and we began
networking with and marketing to the local community. As time
passed we realized what many other small business professionals
have in the past, our best bet for success was on the Internet.
Online we could reach a much broader client base, which would
allow us to make more money and eventually support ourselves
through the business.
Publishing Articles Online
One of the first steps my business partner and I took to begin
marketing our company online was to write and publish articles
through a variety of web sites. These web sites ranged from
industry specific sites and e-zines to general web portals. Web
portals accept articles on a wide range of topics and make them
available to a variety of online and offline editors. As each
article was posted to a new site a link to our company web site
was included, this began to increase our web site traffic and
our number of leads. As our marketing plan moved forward we
realized this was a tool we could teach other small business
owners to use and a service we could offer to clients who wanted
to increase their web site traffic. My business partner and I
created a seminar and offered it at a local microenterprise
organization. We also began to use this tool when consulting on
web site development and Internet marketing projects. Overall,
my clients have seen their web site traffic increase, along with
their number of qualified leads each month. Since the services
my company provides are affordable the client simply reinvests a
small portion of the current marketing budget into my company.
The client’s marketing budget stays the same while sales
increase.
The Virtual Reputation, Is It Real?
I am not certain who first coined the term “virtual reputation”.
I know I put the words together in a business meeting one
afternoon and when I began to research the idea I realized many
marketing professionals had made the same connection. Many
people I have shared my Internet marketing ideas with have a
slight aversion to the idea of a “virtual reputation”. They feel
it implies a reputation that isn’t real. I beg to differ. The
virtual reputation is not one of dishonesty or false
representation, it is simply a reputation created by a computer
network, like any other virtual experience. When others using
the Internet read your articles or visit your web site they are
having a virtual encounter and meeting the virtual you. They
will make numerous judgments about your personality, belief
system and talent. This is why a positive, well-constructed
virtual reputation is essential, it can mean the difference
between a sale and no sale!
Building Confidence Leads To Success!
The most important way creating and maintaining a virtual
reputation can help small business professionals is that it
builds self-confidence. In the virtual world your reputation is
not built through face-to-face contact or phone introductions,
it is built by the personal expression of your ideas, skill and
feedback from others. This levels the playing field for
entrepreneurs who are just starting out in the business world.
It is also a great tool for those who battle with shyness,
anxiety or self esteem issues. Once you have encountered
encouragement and criticism of your products or services online
you are more aware of your target market and you have a
realistic view of how your business can be more successful. A
greater sense of confidence leads to a more competitive edge on
the Internet and in the three dimensional world.
