Habits of a Good Content Writer

Pouring out content consistently burns out many website owners. Discovering a good content writer can be just as stressful. Investing some effort into research so that you are working with a content writer that you know on some level may save you the hassle or re-writing content or the pain of paying for content that you do not want.

Tips for Finding Good Content Writers

1. Grammar and spelling – pay close attention to the emails that the writer sends to you, including the subject line. The more attention that the little things get then the more attention the big things will get.

2. Response time – the amount of time it takes for the content writer to answer an email may be an indication of the amount of time it will take for a project to be completed.

3. Existing clips – spend a little time and effort to research a writer before you begin a working relationship. It may be harder to find anything on new writers, but a quick search by name will probably turn up something if that writer has been active for very long.

4. Word of mouth – references can still be used today. Ask a new writer to provide you with someone that you can contact about past work.

5. Critiques – good content writers should be willing to hear your requests or changes and be willing to work with you to get the content right for your website. An even better content writer will ask you a number of questions from the beginning to be sure you are both on the same page from the start.

No matter how you find your content writer you should consider starting slow. Offer smaller projects until you are comfortable with the voice and style of that content writer.

Pay writers a decent wage. The old adage, “you get what you pay for,” holds true in writing. Pay peanuts and you will end up with a lot of nuts. Start new content writers off at a lower amount but be sure to increase compensation along the way or you may end up losing a good writer to a better deal.

Getting things in writing should be stressed from both sides of the deal. Writers need the protection but the clients need the protection as well. Keep in mind that emails may be enough protection if no formal contract is signed, but take the better route with a signed contract.

Finding good content writers gives many websites owners a headache. The writer that seems great in the beginning quickly starts to fizzle out. Molding and growing a content writer means that writer flies off to another point in his or her career. Knowing how to find good content writers and then working to keep them around can be the answer that many websites owners desire.

1 Comment  

Does Your Content Have Purpose?

So big question, hey? No, I’m not talking about whether your content is deep, meaningful and will cause a life-changing epiphany for your readers.

Not at all…good content doesn’t have to be your life’s work or anything close to it.If you’re writing content for business purposes, it simply needs to serve a need for your readers…and in turn, how does it benefit your business?

A few days ago Annette, gave us some advice on using an editorial calendar and Kathryn provided more tips for planning your content.

All that planning is all well and good, but what I’m wondering is if you have a reason WHY you publish your content? It may not be something you think about consciously, but if you’re creating content, having a PURPOSE for that content is going to go a long way for you and your business. Because let’s face it, publishing content for content’s sake is only going to drain your time and/or wallet. So instead, consciously think about the purpose for each piece of content you publish.

Here are some purposes that your content might serve:

Search Engine Food: Get people to find your site through keyword searches that lead to highly targeted content pages. In other words, create content the subjects your target market is readily searching for.

Word-of-Mouth Material: Content that gets people talking candrive traffic. Whether it’s informative, entertaining or controversial, it can build traffic and readership.

Pre-Sell Material: Pre-sell your readers on your products or services. For example, if you sell a potty designed for easier toddler training, write articles on potty training that talk about your product, publish reviews, show product comparisons, etc.

Ethical Bribes: Quality information can serve as an ethical bribe to get someone on your list. If you sell debt consulting services, give your readers something they can use to learn more about solving their debt issues. For example, a report on understanding your credit, information on how creditors actually work against debtors, etc.

Establishment of Expertise: Content can establish your expertise, so that people will call on you to work with them. Whether it’s as a contractor or contributing author, good content can get you noticed. Put together a report, publish articles, make guest blog posts that highlight your skills and knowledge. Just make sure the people who read the content know how to join your mailing list, request your products and services.

Reader Satisfaction: There’s something to be said about keeping your current readers satisfied. They come to expect certain quality from you, so deliver that. If you use content to build an audience and generate sales, do it with some consistency. That doesn’t mean YOU have to write day in and day out. You can employ ghostwriters, use PLR or guest writers.

Customer Relationships: Content for customers that helps them consume your products, make BETTER use of them and shows how further products can help them is a win-win for all. Give them a surprise bonus guide that shares stories from other parents who successfully used the potty (and include information on other helpful products for parents of toddlers). Or give them even further strategies and introduce products that will help your clients reduce their debt even faster.

A Product to Sell: Of course some content is a product itself. Sell ebooks, checklists, resources, spreadsheets…whatever satisfies your target market’s wants and desires.

So what purpose does YOUR content serve? Are you just publishing content because you heard it was a good idea…or do you have a purpose?

7 Comments  

When You Just Don’t Feel Like It

A lot of people will tell you that if you blog, you MUST do it regularly or you will lose your audience.  While I can appreciate the value of regular content, I don’t think it’s necessary that YOU personally have to knock yourself out writing day in, day out.

Some people will have noticed that I haven’t blogged here since December 2, 2009 and that post was simply an announcement about a new PLR bundle. Certainly nothing to write home about. And while some people may have wished I wrote more, overall, business has not suffered by my laziness. Traffic is steady, sales are up and I’ve enjoyed my couch potato time.

If you’re facing content writing burnout and are looking for a way out, I’ve got news for you. Actually, a few pieces of good news:

• A blog doesn’t die because you can’t post every day or at regular intervals. A blog thrives when you or your writers have something interesting to say.

• YOU don’t have to do all the writing. The more your business becomes about YOU, the more you’re on the hook for personally keeping your audience entertained and educated. Take this blog, for example. I haven’t blogged for almost 2 months, but there’s been plenty of great advice and perspective to be found. In fact, all my business ventures are a combined effort – relieving pressure on me and increasing profit potential by tapping into a variety of skills and assets.

• If you’re not doing the writing, there are plenty of options:
  • You can have guest bloggers or regular authors on your website.
  • You can accept one-time and sporadic submissions from writers.
  • You can hire a ghostwriter.
  • You can use private label content. PLR can be published as is or used for inspiration for more original content.
  • You can pose questions and allow your readers to generate the content in the form of contents.

• Despite the fact that a blog is a powerful way to connect with your audience, in most online businesses, it’s not going to be your biggest sales driver (but IS very useful for driving TRAFFIC). Even in 2010, the so-called age of social media, email is still the heart of all your marketing. It is your direct contact with your target market and customers. Here’s a few reasons why:
  • Email is still the most important method of online communication for a huge number of people.
  • While social media has replaced a lot of friend-to-friend communication (i.e. Sally can log into Facebook to say hi to Jane instead of sending her an email), this may result in people having less overwhelming email inboxes, meaning your email may just get more attention than it might have received previously.
  • People are busy and will forget about your business. An email can pull them back to you – over and over again.
  • A pitch is often expected through email. While you can also pitch through a blog, it is often more subtle. You can hit them much harder with an email.

If you’ve got limited time or you’re in that “just don’t feel like it” mood, choose your writing focus wisely. Do you really need a blog post or would a few more messages to your autoresponder do the trick? Then leverage the resources and skills of other to round out your blogging and content marketing.

1 Comment  

New Year’s Resolutions for Content Marketers

Are you the type who makes New Year’s resolutions?

If so, it’s a good idea to make resolutions about your content marketing. I’ve come up with 10 resolutions for you to pick and choose from. Or why not resolve to do them all?

Here you go:

1. I will always keep an eye out for content ideas for my readers.

Read about finding content ideas here, here and here.

2. I will only publish content that I believe to be useful, informative and accurate.

Everything you put out there should have the potential to make your readers happier or more successful.

3. I will promote my products and/or services with confidence.

Don’t ever feel “dirty” for promoting products and/or services ever again, whether yours or other people’s. As long as you’re following resolution #2, you’re good.

4. I will promote other people’s products only after I have thoroughly reviewed them and deemed them to be worthy of my readers’ time and attention.

This follows from resolutions #2 and #3 above. You owe it to your readers to only recommend products/services that are solid and potentially helpful to them – whether you get an affiliate commission or not.

5. I will reuse or repurpose one content at least 3 ways.

Creating content is hard work! Make the most of every piece of content by recycling it. Read this post for 10 ideas and this one for 10 more.

6. I will track my results regularly.

It’s the only way you know what’s working and what isn’t, which approach is worth your time and energy and which isn’t. Learn how to use Google Analytics or some other tracking service.

7. I will value quality over quantity, when it comes to content.

Don’t let anything out into the world unless you’re absolutely, positively proud to stamp your name on it.

8. I will keep a notebook close at hand at all times so I can capture content ideas as I get them throughout the day (and night).

You never know when inspiration will hit, so be prepared at all times. (Now if you know of a waterproof note pad and pen, let me know. I get tons of ideas in the shower )

9. I will plan my content by using an editorial calendar.

You’d think I would have started doing this long before I found myself writing for five different blogs. But no, I only became disciplined enough beginning in October this year because I decided it was a good idea to post every single day in one of my blogs. Now I’m never looking back.

Even if you have only 1 blog, an editorial calendar will make blogging easier, faster, less overwhelming and more effective. You can actually plan your promos ahead of time.

10. I will monitor my market by tracking blogs, Twitter, forums and other web 2.0 sites.

Dominate your market by knowing it inside and out, more than you know the back of your hand. Get under your target market’s skin, know the language they use, find out what they really care about.

What do you think? Will you be resolving to do any of the resolutions above? Or have you been doing these things all along? If so, how do you plan to become an even better content marketer in 2010?

Do share by posting a comment below.

Have a Rockin’ 2010!

3 Comments  

The Benefits of Seasonal Content

With Christmas almost here, I’d first like to wish all of our readers a happy and safe holiday season and a wonderful, healthy and profitable new year. And second, I’d like to discuss the benefits of seasonal content.

Yes, it’s a little late to start thinking about putting up Christmas content for this year. But if you’re really feeling the Christmas spirit, there’s no reason you can’t put that creative energy to use and start writing for next Christmas. And there are plenty of other seasons and holidays coming up between now and then, so seasonal content is something that should always be on our minds.

Why? Because it brings in traffic year after year!

There are plenty of websites that focus solely on seasonal content. They bring in very little traffic during most of the year, but when the season for which they were designed rolls around, they experience a surge in visitors. These types of sites are usually owned by webmasters with lots of online real estate, and they often create sites that are focused on various seasons or holidays to keep overall traffic (and hence income) coming in year-round.

But what if you only own one website, or a few sites that aren’t seasonal in nature? Is incorporating seasonal content still a good idea?

Actually, it is, as long as it’s relevant to your site’s niche. Here are a few reasons that it works so well:

• It gives the impression that your site contains fresh, new content. Even if your strategy is to build websites filled with content and then concentrate more on getting traffic than creating new content, visitors that find seasonal content will feel that you’re providing timely information. And that will keep them coming back for more.
• Relatively few websites feature seasonal content. That means that it’s easier to get good search engine rankings for seasonal keywords than it is for more general ones. And higher rankings, as we all know, equal more traffic.
• It gives you good topics for blogging. If you’re stuck for something to blog about, you can always write a post about the current or upcoming season or holiday. Your readers will like it now, and by the same time next year, the search engines will be familiar enough with it to send plenty of extra traffic your way.
• Holiday traffic can be quite profitable. Just about every holiday has become very consumer-oriented. For Christmas, we buy gifts for friends and family. On Valentine’s Day, we buy cards, chocolates and other goodies for our sweethearts. On Independence Day, we buy fireworks and flags. And so on. Create holiday content and surround it with appropriate advertising and affiliate links, and your traffic will quickly turn into dollars.

Seasonal content can provide a welcome boost in visitors to virtually any website, so don’t let the holidays pass you by! Plan your holiday content ahead of time, and reap the rewards when the holidays arrive.

Leave a Comment  

Where to Find Content Ideas in the “Real” World

Previously, I shared two ways of getting content ideas online: through keyword research and through web 2.0 sites. This time, let’s explore how you can find topic ideas offline.

This is going to be lots of fun and, unlike doing research online, won’t make you all flabby

Are you ready? Grab your purse and go to your favorite bookstore and take a look at…

Books

Books in your niche or market are a good source of content ideas. The table of contents will easily give you at least half a dozen new topics. Also take note of the blurb at the back cover of the book. This is where publishers typically highlight the most attractive parts or angle of the book. Take inspiration from there as well.

While you’re in the bookstore, pick up a few…

Magazines

Magazines are another good source of content ideas. They always strive to stay on top of a particular market, so magazines are a good source of fresh and current topics. Flip through the pages and skim the articles. You can also find topic ideas in advertisements and letters to the editor.

It’s also a good idea to read…

Newspapers

Newspapers are a good source of new developments and latest issues on a variety of topics. You may not always find one that’s directly related to your market or niche. However, you’ll easily find topics that are related to more general subject matter. For example, news about H1N1 can spark a content idea whether your niche is natural health, parenting, fitness, self-development or something else.

Similarly, you can find topic ideas from…

Television, radio and film

Again, the radio and TV news are  a good source of content ideas about what’s happening in your market. But so are documentaries, talk shows and even purely fictional programs produced for entertainment. I once used American Idol as a take-off point for a client’s sales page – for a marketing product. Who would have thought?

Now if you really want to dominate a market, it’s time to attend…

Live seminars

Imagine being completely immersed in your niche for at least a couple of days. The seminar topics themselves will give you enough content fodder for a year of blogging. Also take note of the questions raised during open forums. Your readers probably have the same questions, too.

Now that you’ve had a taste of a live event, you should also try to go to…

Industry meetings and trade shows

These can be more serious than a live seminar, but just as inspirational for a content producer like you. The meeting agenda is a good source of content topics. You’ll also find plenty of raw material for your content from the meeting’s resolutions and recommendations.

Trade shows can introduce you to new products and services for your market. They’ll also alert you to emerging trends in your niche.

What Should You Be Looking For?

As you can see, you can mine the world around you for content ideas. It’s easiest to spot specific topics you can create content about. But don’t forget other people’s content that you can respond to. If you find new developments, trends and notable products on the horizon, report about them to your readers.

Even entertainment media can be a good way of sparking new ideas. Use them to find metaphors for something in your niche. Something like, “10 Online Marketing Lessons from the Twilight Saga.” Or, “How Tiger Woods Inspired Me to Become a Better Virtual Assistant.” Content like this shows off your creativity and ability to create compelling and unique content.

I hope this post inspires you to get away from the computer once in a while and engage with the world that’s around you. Remember, before you became a blogger (or online content producer), you were a person with a passion and interest for life. Don’t lose that.

What’s Your Offline Experience?

Have you ever gotten a brilliant idea for content from the offline world? If so, please post a comment below and tell us all about it.

Leave a Comment  

Next Page »