I don’t know about you, but I’d prefer to do the latter.

To help you, we’ve released a Content Marketing Swipe file that will help you with your…

• Headlines
• Power Words & Phrases
• Transitions
• Calls-to-Action
• Closings
• Post Scripts

It’s a little excerpt from the weekly Better Content Marketing course and I hope you’ll find it helpful.

Download Link:

Click here to download your swipe file (PDF)

Keep it handy while you create your content, edit your PLR or work with a ghostwriter.

Perhaps you also submit to article directories, YouTube and even guest blog elsewhere, but when it comes to publishing content on one’s own virtual real estate, most online business owners rely heavily on their handy-dandy blog.

It seems to make sense as it’s your central content hub.

And it’s what everyone else seems to be doing.

While a blog is a very powerful tool, in many cases a blog will serve you best with people who are already familiar with your work or who were referred by someone else. These are people who have come to expect or have been told they can expect stellar content and a unique reader experience from your blog.

But what about brand-spankin’ new prospects? Let’s follow the path of the visitor that has never heard of you before…

While they may be looking for stellar and unique, most times the new prospect is simply looking for answers. They type in keywords and hope Google will point them in the right direction. Sometimes that direction will be to the fantabulous blog content you pour your heart into and other sometimes it’s not.

Taking that into consideration, there are a couple of major problems with relying on a company blog to attract and retain plenty of brand new prospects:

1. You’ll bore your regulars to death if you focus on keyword content

If you’ve done your research with Market Samurai or another favorite keyword tool, you’ll see a ton of phrases that would be great to target, but don’t really make sense for a central blog or for your regular readers.

Let’s say you sell accessories for small dogs and you’ve been working on your most awesome blog. You have posts about your products, along with great ideas for training your dog and other useful things that your readers would love. When someone visits your blog, it just makes sense for someone to scroll through and see your latest posts. They get a nice snapshot of the remarkable content you have created. It’s that stellar and unique experience we talked about.

But from your keyword research, you discover you could be creating TONS of articles on different dog breeds, product specifications, product comparisons and other relevant and detailed content. It’s the kind of stuff people will search specifically for…not necessarily something they want to wade through on a blog. The want to come to a page and get the info they want…and then they plan to leave.

But of course, if you set your content up right, you’ll get them to follow your call-to-action instead of leaving right away. That’s why you should consider that…

2. A company blog is often designed with plenty of distractions.

Look at your blog, it’s probably got plenty of navigation, links to a bunch of categories, maybe some ads and all kinds of other stuff that isn’t specifically relevant to each single post. That’s the kiss of death with a brand new prospect. You want your brand new prospect focused and shown a direct path to a relevant call-to-action.

The Solution

It’s simple…publish plenty of content, but don’t put all your self-published content on your blog.

For your blog, focus on content that makes sense for your current readers. Use it for more timely pieces and ones that really show your unique perspective. For example, if you have an opinion on a controversial dog training technique that is growing in popularity, that’s perfect for your blog. But an article talking about the characteristics of a Schnauzer or common skin problems of a Westie…maybe not so much.

Create a “New Prospect Content” Section of Your Website

Create a separate section of your website – or even a separate website – for your more generic and keyword-based content. That doesn’t mean post crap – not at all. It simply means that you provide the content that your potential new prospects are actively looking for. Not all useful content has to be mind-blowing and innovative. It just needs to serve a purpose for your reader and ultimately, a purpose for your business.

Call it a “How To’s” section, a “FAQ” or whatever describes the type of content you’re creating. Only call it a “New Prospect Content” section in the privacy of your home or office.

Have a Simple, Distraction-Free Design

While you can certainly use WordPress or some other blog platform for your New Prospect Content, keep it completely separate from your blog. That means a separate RSS feed and definitely a simple design. New prospects have an even shorter attention span than a regular reader…don’t take chances.

Tips:

• Minimize the distraction of navbars, categories, ads, etc. Have only the bare minimum links needed and place them at the bottom of the page if possible.
• Include strong and focused calls-to-action. Offer them a subscription to your mailing list or even a link to a product, but make sure there is a strong and relevant offer.

When in doubt, always put yourself in the mind of your visitor. Think of how they got there, what they are looking for and how you can deliver exactly that.

As a new feature here at Contentrix, we’re posting the (currently monthly) newsletter for All Custom Content.

Subscribers get monthly tips and a special offer on our services. You can sign up as well, plus get a free outsourcing content guide right here.

This month’s topic is all about coming up with plenty of blog post ideas.

Argh…What to Blog About?

It’s the middle of summer – at least in the Northern Hemisphere – so you may be busier out having fun and enjoying the weather, rather than worrying about what to blog about.

We don’t blame you!

But coming up with blogging ideas doesn’t have to be complicated. If you develop the habit of being ready for content anytime, you can be armed with plenty of ideas at a moment’s notice.

To help you out, here are 4 pretty simple ways to come up with ongoing blog post ideas:

* Keep a notebook or another device that record ideas handy. Whether it’s a digital recorder or notes function on your phone, be ready to make a note of ideas as they come to you.

* Subscribe to other blogs in your market. They’re great for generating ideas and keeping your finger on the pulse of what’s happening in your niche. No, don’t read them day in and day out – but beware of what’s happening and read some.

* Ask your readers. Ask them what they want to know and pay attention to the questions they ask. Do your research and you’ll find out exactly what they’re looking for.

* Keyword research. It’s great for creating fresh content to bring in new readers through search engines. Write content around keywords that are highly targeted for your ideal audience.

But what if you don’t want to come up with the ideas? You’re in luck because we have, perhaps, what might be the easiest way to generate ideas.

We’ll Come up with a Month’s Worth of Ideas for $30

From now until August 14, 2010, we’ll come up with a month’s worth of ideas for you. That’s 30 ideas for $30.

And if you don’t feel like writing the blog posts either, you know we’ll happily give you a hand with that too. We’re here to serve!

To get 30 ideas for $30, complete the submission form here and make note of the “All Custom Content Blog Post Idea Special” in the comments section.

If You Want to Continue Come up with Your Own Ideas

30 ideas done for you can put you ahead of the game for a while, so now you can develop your own habits for having plenty of ideas to draw from. To help you get ahead, try these ideas:

• Set aside time each month or each week just for coming up with ideas. Whether it’s an hour or two, just dedicate yourself to idea generation. Save the writing until later…all you need is ideas right now. Make it a habit.

• Think outside the box. Content doesn’t have to just be text blog posts. Create audio recordings, take a picture, conduct an interview, make a video. Just have fun.

Related Posts:

• Content Brainstorming – Anywhere…Anytime
• Creating Content Quickly – No Matter Where You Are
• Don’t Know What to Write About? Here’s Some Help
• 7 Ways to Use All That Content Hiding on Your Hard Drive
• The Benefits of Seasonal Content

I’m talking about:

* The words that make up the content of your product

AND

* The words you use to sell your product

Without these important words, your product is pretty much dead in the water. But once you’ve got those key items together, it’s time to consider your looks.

Because really, they do matter.

Let’s talk about a few key ingredients that will help you:

• Sell more by grabbing attention and making your digital product more tangible.

• Create more customer satisfaction through a professionally polished product.

Looks aren’t everything, as they say, but let’s face it, they do mean a whole lot in the info product world.

Use These In Your Info Product Recipe:

• Professional Formatting: Sure you can slap together a Word document and go, but formatting gives your product an instant advantage when it comes to customers being receptive and appreciating the content of your product. If something as simple as setting up a style sheet, creating headers and footers can give move you up the ladder of customer satisfaction, it seems silly not to go that extra mile.

• Images in Your Product: The addition of images helps you make your content more readable. They can create a more vivid mental image, elicit emotion and draw the eye in at key points. And once again, they give your document that professional look that gives your customers confidence in your ebook.

• eCover Graphics: An ebook is just a digital file that takes space on a hard drive. And while the world has become more digi-focused, people still want tangibility – to know something REALLY exists. An ecover design can do just that for you. Much like a cover design for a paper book, an “ecover” is simply a digital representation of your product.

• Video: Long gone are the days of the static web. Video is HUGE and businesses are cashing in. YouTube.com is world’s 3rd most popular website (source: Alexa.com), telling you something about the popularity of video. Videos on your sales page inspire confidence (think: more tangibility of the product and you, as the seller) and proven over and over again to increase sales conversions. Videos also get shared. Make a great promotional video and people will pass it around. How great is that?

If you’re like me, you don’t really want to mess with these things as you have more important tasks to focus on. I usually turn to others for formatting, graphics and making things look purdy. One of the people I rely on most in this department is Kelly McCausey at FreshNets. So when I heard she was putting together a great package to beautify your product and make it more marketable and satisfying to your customers, I wanted to share it.

Here’s What Kelly & Freshnets Can Do for Your Ebook:

They’ll take your ebook and not only make it more attractive, but more usable. They’ll also create a cover graphic, a promotional video and even throw in a custom Twitter background.You can even few a sample to see exactly what they have planned for you.

The package is already a great deal, but I asked if she could pass on an extra discount to our readers and she agreed.

Here’s what to do to learn more and get your discount:

#1 Go here for information -> Beautiful Ebook Treatment

#2 Purchase your “Beautiful Ebook Treatment” and enter coupon code: 15495 to save $20.

Then the Freshnets team will get in touch with you to get started on your project. Like I said, looks aren’t everything, but they sure can make a difference. If more customer confidence and satisfaction are your goals, looking good should definitly be on the priority list.

Here’s the thing…if you didn’t know it already, website visitors are a fickle bunch. They’ll click away in an instant if you can’t get their attention or if you don’t keep them engaged in your content.

The good news is – there is plenty you can do to keep their attention and really, it’s a matter of a few simple edits. This video shows 7 checkpoints to make your content more appealing and readable – keeping your website visitors on your page longer.

A Summary of the 7 Checkpoints in the Video:

• Headline – grab their attention right at the start.

• Use Images – graphics can convey a mood, information and more.

• Engineer Your Paragraphs – forget traditional grammar rules, break up your paragraphs for easier readability and impact.

• Subheadlines – format your content into bit-sized chunks for easier scanning and reading.

• Bolding, Italicizing & Underlining for Emphasis – just the right amount makes your content easier to scan and read.

• Focus on the Reader – if you want them to pay attention, it’s got to be about your audience.

• Eliminate Excessive Words – We tend to use more words than we need. With short attention spans rampant, we’ve got to get to the point quickly.

About This Video

The video above is a small part of Lesson 3 – The Contentrix Guide to Style of the Better Content Marketing course. While students get a complete lesson (they can choose from print or audio), templates, checklist and assignment, this was just a little something extra I put together for them that I thought you might also be interested in.

If you want more people to read your content all the way through, click play to watch.

Like what you see? Join us as a Contentrix Better Content Marketing Student…it’s just $1 to start. We’d be pleased to have you.

As a new feature here at Contentrix, we’re posting the (currently monthly) newsletter for All Custom Content.

Subscribers get monthly tips and a special offer on our services. You can sign up as well, plus get a free outsourcing content guide right here.

This month’s topic is all about recycling, reusing and repurposing content.

Are You a Content Environmentalist?

We all work hard to create our content. Whether you write it yourself, hire a ghostwriter or use PLR content – there is either time or money invested…and to get money, it takes work.

But what if we told you that you can make your content go further?

Yes, were talking about reusing, recycling and repurposing your content.

In our businesses, we answer the same questions over and over again. We deliver the same information, but to slightly different  audiences. Why would you need to start from scratch each time?

A few ways to reuse, recycle and repurpose:

1. Take a few articles and turn them into a report. Use it as a gift for subscribing to your newsletter, a product bonus or a tool for your affiliates.

2. Take a report and break them up into articles that you distribute to article directories or on your own website.

3.Submit your content to print publications. Just because our base is the web, doesn’t mean all our content has to live there.

4. Keep a searchable reference library of your content on your computer. Then when you find yourself explaining the same things over and over, you can copy-and-paste snippets as appropriate.

5. Purchase quality PLR content and reports on topics that you frequently write about. Add them to your searchable library, so you have extra ideas to draw upon.

6. Create a slide presentation video out of a how-to article, allowing your readers to have a more visual look into a particular process.

7. Have your videos and audios transcribed. Better yet, have the content repurpose it into a stand-alone product.

At All Custom Content, we’re in the business of writing and repurposing content. If you want to take a report and turn it into a blog series, we can help. If you want to turn a transcript into a product – we’re here for you.

And better news – from now until July 10, we’ll repurpose your content (you must own the rights to this content) for

10% off the regular price. Just tell us about your project right here….and we’ll talk about exactly how we can help you.

So whether you use us to help you or not, how will you repurpose your content today?