Angela Booth's Writing Blog

End the confusion of content marketing: make your content powerful

When we think about content marketing for our business, that’s the way we think of it: we’re using content to market our business.

Not only is this thought process constricting—you either run out of content ideas quickly, or you get bored—it’s not as powerful as it might be.

Instead of thinking about your business, think about your customers, and create buyer personas.

Think about individual customers:

• Who are they?
• What do they do?
• Etc.

You can make your personas as detailed as you choose. The more real your fictional customers become to you, the more easily and effectively you can create valuable content for each persona.

Content marketing becomes fun. You’re creating content for individuals, with their own goals, plans, and quirks, rather than amorphous groups.

Read the full blog post.

 

Spamming this blog: spam comments and trackbacks are deleted

On a housekeeping note, there's a trend towards newbie "Internet marketers" (it's in quotes because they NOT marketers of any description) spamming this blog with comments. The spam trackbacks are coming from companies hiring el cheapo "SEO operatives" to insert trackback spam.

All spam is deleted -- it never goes live, so there's no point to it.

Why it's spam
Spam is an attempt to get a free link to advertise a product or service.

Ostensibly the spam comment is directed at a blog post with a statement like: "Love this post___ and I recommend a product called _____ (software URL with affiliate link)". In this instance it's spam because you're trying to sell something without adding any value whatsoever.

A company hiring link monkeys to spam blogs with bots or manually needs to get a clue. True, you're not wasting a lot of money since these people are paid pennies to spam for you, BUT you're presenting your company as a business no sane person would want to buy anything from.

OK, end of rant. Back to our normally scheduled programming. :-)

Technorati Tags: spam

Comments and writing questions

Many thanks if you take the time to comment on a blog post. I appreciate it. However, because of the (mostly automated, very naughty and WAY bad karma) comment and trackback spam on the blog I've got approvals enabled, which means that you won't see your comment go live immediately.

Regarding questions, I get so many that I can't reply to them all, so I've started doing Saturday archive posts to answer most questions I get during the week. If you search the blog Archives, you'll find most "How do I get started _____" variations of questions answered.

For the "How do I market/ sell my writing" questions, please visit my new Internet Marketing For Writers site. I'll be adding to the site over the coming weeks, developing a resource for both beginning and experienced writers.

If you're serious about writing for the online world, read and do the exercises in my manual Writing For Online Cash: Turn Your Words Into Instant Gold. It's a comprehensive key to becoming both a better writer and a writer who sells his/ her words in the global marketplace.

Technorati Tags: Internet marketing, marketing

Are you writing 500 words for $5? Get smarter

Are you writing for peanuts? I've been browsing freelance writers' boards, with a sense of incredulity at some of the payments on offer. $5 for 500-word articles, $250 for 100 articles...

I'm sure that many of these writers have no idea that the articles they turn out earn a Web publisher anywhere from $5 to $50 dollars a DAY. Yes, a day. For ONE 500- word article. Day after day after day. (Of course, some of the Web publishers earn much more than that a day.)

If you've been signing on for these jobs, you're much better off writing FOR FREE. Or should I say, writing for yourself.

Get smart. Learn about Internet advertising. Learn how to buy a domain name and set up a Web site. Learn about programs like Google AdSense which are simple to join, and which reward you for your words. Learn about affiliate marketing.

When you start off, you'll be making zero dollars a day, but within a few months, each of your articles should be earning you dollars a day, and those dollars won't stop.

There's literally no limit to the amount of money you can earn for your words, if you get smarter.

Technorati Tags: writers low pay

Giggle of the Day: Learn how to market (and quit annoying bloggers)

Love this post on 43 folders, aimed a PR flacks and perpetually clueless marketers:

>>>
Do understand that no one has, to date, started a weblog in order to make your business successful

• If I had, you’d damn sure be paying out the butt for it, believe me
>>>

Technorati Tags: marketing

Joined Write For Cash yet? Great subscriber gift

Write for Cash is my new weekly free ezine that helps you success.

It's not just for writers, it's for anyone who wants to develop their own successful business.

Subscribe now, and get the "Newbies Guide to Online Fortunes" free. It's a 118-page PDF book with brilliant basic money-making info. As the title suggests, it's great for newbies; on the other hand, if you're already successfully making money, this guide will spark your creative instincts and get you generating new hot ideas.

Technorati Tags: books, Internet marketing

Get your instant free content now (and make money with it)

Words are worth money online -- they're called "content", and there are many ways to monetize content online. If you like writing, think "content" when you think "writing" and you could be on your way to making your Internet fortune.

In addition to monetizing your own content, you can also monetize the content of others. For example, a new site, InfoGoRound, gives you a slew of content that you can monetize.

Subscribe to my new (free) ezine Write for Cash if you're interested in monetizing your content.

Technorati Tags: Internet marketing