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In this new and improved primer you'll learn how to strike a chord with your content. There are 16 lessons for creating all kinds of content that shall rock the web.
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YOUR CONTENT SHALL ROCK
does your content strike a CHORD?
WE’VE PICKED A HANDFUL OF OUR HITS TO SHOW YOU HOW TO STRIKE A CHORD WITH CONTENT 3
A REAL LIFE LESSON... 5 A MIGHTY METAPHOR... 7 NEGATIVE POINT OF VIEW... 9 CHALLENGE CONVENTION... 11 HUMAN NATURE... 13 DROP A BIG BOMB... 15 DELIVER SERIOUS VALUE... 17 SIMPLIFY STUFF... 19 EXPLAIN WHAT WORKS... 21 SERIOUS FUN... 23 UNLOCK A SECRET... 25 SMART STRATEGIES... 27 EXPRESS APPRECIATION... 29 HOLIDAY WISHES... 31 HAND OVER THE MICROPHONE... 33 PLAY A GAME... 35 LEAD THE WAY... 37 CONTENTS CONTACT... 39 Share this eBook 4 4
lesson one A REAL LIFE LESSON TEACH SOMETHING SOMEONE TAUGHT YOU 5
A REAL LIFE LESSON Tell a good story. Take the reader on a journey with you. Use basic storytelling elements: a place, a time, characters, conflict and resolution. The main character overcomes an obstacle. A lesson is learned. Guest blog post Read “The Most Valuable ‘How to’ Lesson of My Copywriting Career” on Business2Community. 6
lesson two A MIGHTY METAPHOR INTRODUCE AN IDEA TOO STRANGE TO BE IGNORED 7
A MIGHTY METAPHOR Kill it with curiosity. Metaphors are fascinating. Especially when they’re a bit unusual. Metaphors make it easy to understand a concept. Set it up and drive it home. Have fun with it and your readers will too. Guest blog post Read “Your Website is a Mousetrap and Your Content is the Cheese” on Social Media Today. 8
lesson three NEGATIVE YOU’RE DOING IT WRONG POINT OF VIEW 9
NEGATIVE POINT OF VIEW Have no fear. You might have been told it’s best to stay positive. Wrong. It’s positively boring, actually. Break free from the predictable “how to” now and then. Be a contrarian. Amplify a painful problem. Use the magnetic pull of the no-no and the power of the unknown. Guest blog post Read “11 Reasons Why Prospects Don’t Convert into Customers” on Convince and Convert. 10
CHALLENGE CONVENTION lesson four YOU’RE ENTITLED TO YOUR OPINION 11
CHALLENGE CONVENTION Speak your mind. Your unpopular opinion might make your content popular. When I told thought leaders what I thought of their ridiculous self- appointed title, I ruffled some feathers. But I don’t apologize for having an opinion. I strongly suggest you have a strong point of view and put it out there. Guest blog post Read “Don’t Tell Me You’re a Thought Leader: Just Be One” on Social Media Today. 12
lesson five HUMAN NATURE WE ARE WHAT WE ARE 13
HUMAN NATURE Basic needs. Take a cue from the covers of Cosmopolitan and the other popular magazines that fly off displays at the checkout counter. Headlines that speak to our basic desires such as sex, love, comfort, and happiness will generate supreme curiosity. Of course, it doesn’t hurt to get a little frisky now and then either. Guest blog post Read “If You Don’t Treat Social Media Like Sex, You’re Doing It Wrong” on Social Media Explorer. 14
lesson six DROP A BIG BOMB FORCE THE ISSUE 15
DROP A BIG BOMB You can’t top this. In this, my most read article to date, I held nothing back. When you use superlatives like “the most” or “the ultimate,” be careful not to write checks you can’t cash. But if you can make a big promise and deliver, do it. Guest blog post Read “The Most Effective SEO Strategy of All Time” on Social Media Today. 16
DELIVER SERIOUS VALUE lesson seven HERE’S HOW TO GET THE JOB DONE 17
DELIVER SERIOUS VALUE Show and tell. Social Media Examiner has established a large and loyal audience by delivering a steady stream of detailed “how to” tutorials. Choose a topic you know inside and out and teach a lesson your audience will value. This is your ticket to building authority and establishing trust. Guest blog post Read “How to Generate Leads with SlideShare” on Social Media Examiner. 18
SIMPLIFY STUFF lesson eight IT’S ALWAYS SMART TO GET BACK TO BASICS 19
SIMPLIFY STUFF Be the lens. New information, ideas and challenges are coming at your prospects and customers relentlessly. They crave clarity. Find an area of confusion. Zoom in on the issues, help readers understand them and focus on what matters most. Guest blog post Read “Making Your Online Marketing Work: Sharpen Your Focus on This One Thing” on Copyblogger. 20
EXPLAIN WHAT WORKS lesson nine TELL A SUCCESS STORY 21
EXPLAIN WHAT WORKS Success is seductive. Tales of triumph are compelling. You can focus on your customer’s accomplishment, your own (as I did here) or anyone you know readers can relate to. Give it a story treatment. Color it with details about the challenge and dig into exactly what works. Guest blog post Read “Inbound Marketing Works: A Copywriter’s Success Story” on Social Media Today. 22
RIDICULOUS FUN lesson ten THIS ONE’S A LAUGHER 23
RIDICULOUS FUN Get theatrical. Why not take chances with some unconventional storytelling styles? This one’s a comedy sketch. It’s a parody actually. I had a blast writing it and the readers got a kick out of it too. Keep your eyes open for some day-to-day drama, give it a twist and surprise your audience now and then. Blog post Read “Is Social Media as Worthless as the Telephone” on The Point, the Feldman Creative blog. 24
UNLOCK A SECRET lesson eleven THERE’S SOMETHING YOU NEED TO KNOW 25
SLIDE PRESENTATION Tricks of the trade. You should share your secrets, your shortcuts, and the tricks you know will benefit potential customers. This presentation delivers a lesson on repurposing content to extract more value out of it. The reaction was overwhelming. Try it. See “The eBook is the Stud in Your Content Marketing Stable” on SlideShare.
SMART lesson twelve SHARE ‘EM IF YOU GOT ‘EM STRATEGIES 27
SMART STRATEGIES Be a teacher. Conducting webinars is a wonderful way to present a detailed lesson. Resist the temptation to pitch products. Teach, don’t preach. You’ll come across as an authority. Webinar Watch “Magnetic Content: Strategies to Transform Your Website Into a Customer Attraction Force Field”on YouTube. 28
lesson thirteeen EXPRESS APPRECIATION SAY THANK YOU 29
EXPRESS APPRECIATION Give thanks. A mentor of mine wrote about how meaningful it is to recognize others. He’s one of the many people who influenced my approach to marketing and is thanked in this infographic. Not surprisingly, the people and organizations recognized here appreciated my gesture—and shared the content. Infographic Check out “Feeling the Vibe of the Tribe” a “ThankYouGraphic on Social Media Today 30
HOLIDAY lesson fourteen WHO NEEDS HALLMARK? WISHES 31
HOLIDAY WISHES From the heart. Holidays present special occasions for doing something thematic. Strong marketers seldom miss the opportunity to take advantage of timely and topical content. In this infographic, I cited a great report I came upon and gave it a Valentine’s Day treatment. Do you love it? Check out “Engagement: The DNA of Relationships” an infographic on SlideShare. Infographic 32
HAND OVER THE lesson fifteen GIVE SOMEONE ELSE A CHANCE TO TALK MICROPHONE 33
HAND OVER THE MICROPHONE Now hear this. With the mass adoption of smart phones, podcasts have only grown in popularity. You’ll strike a chord with those that like to listen by producing podcasts. Hosting a show not only extends your reach, it gives you a great opportunity to invite influential guests to join the program. Podcasts Listen to “Content Marketing Minds” and “The Point - In Your Ear” by searching iTunes for “Barry Feldman.” 34
PLAY lesson sixteen GET THE AUDIENCE INVOLVED A GAME 35
PLAY A GAME Gamification? You might have come across this funny word. People love to play games and learn by doing so. Make what might have been a mundane experience fun and unforget- table. “WTF” was a game show created to kick off a marketing conference. Play the game, “WTF: Words, Things, Faces” (New media’s favorite game show” on SlideShare. Event keynote 36
lesson seventeen LEAD THE WAY GIVE SOME GUIDANCE 37
LEAD THE WAY Lay out a plan. The name of the game is publishing. Consider how you can collect your best advice and create a helpful guide. “The Plan” is an example, as is this eBook. I hope you learned a lot. eBook Read “The Plan to Grow Your Business with Effective Online Marketing” available on the Feldman Creative website. 38
STRIKE A CHORD Visit www.feldmancreative.com Call 916.984.9988 Photo by Martin Fisch/Flickr 39
Share this eBook Written and designed by Barry Feldman of Feldman Creative