Cathy Stucker - The Idea Lady

Attract Customers and Make Yourself Famous

  • Home
  • Blog
  • Shop
  • Work with Cathy
  • About

3 Strategies for Quick & Easy Content Creation

September 2, 2020 by Cathy Stucker

No matter what business you’re in, if you’re marketing your products and services (and you no doubt are) then you’re most likely creating content. Lots and lots of content.

Blog posts. Emails. Opt-in gifts. Books. Membership programs. Videos. Podcasts…

The list is endless. In fact, you can spend the majority of your workday creating content. And it’s still not enough.

Sound familiar? What if you could quickly and easily create more content, without spending hours at the keyboard? Here are a few ideas to help you quickly and easily create the content you need (without breaking the bank hiring writers). [Read more…]

Filed Under: Cash Content Tagged With: content marketing, repurposing content

When You Don’t Know What to Write

September 27, 2017 by Robert Middleton

Note from Cathy:
This article resonated with me for a number of reasons. In many ways, Robert’s experiences in content marketing are similar to mine. I am doing less consulting (and less content marketing) these days, but writing articles for my website and ezine, and to publish elsewhere online, was an important part of how I built my business.

When I suggest that starting an email list and sending an email newsletter is important for a new business, many of my clients would say, “But I don’t know what to write about!” Robert’s answer is perfect.

Have an email newsletter, publish your content on a website or blog, and post links to your content on social media. It works.

And if you are not sure what to write about, just start writing. I used to write a weekly newspaper column. Every week I had to turn in 500 words. It didn’t matter if I didn’t know what to write about, I had to write about something. There were times when my column was due in an hour and I still didn’t know what it would be about. But it always got written and submitted on time. Make yourself write. If you are selling what you know as a consultant, coach or information marketer, content marketing can be the most effective way to get more clients and make more sales.

Now take a look at what Robert has to say. I think you will enjoy it an be inspired by it.

Cathy

Some Mondays I don’t know what to write in my weekly eZine article. Other Mondays I’m more prepared because I’ve been thinking of a topic for several days.

Today is the former. No idea what to write about.

So, what do you say when it seems you have nothing to say?

Recently, I listened to a video program by Larry King about communication, and the problem of having nothing to say was one of the very first things he talked about. He related the story of when he was the host of a radio show for the very first time.

When he was cued that he was now live on the air, he went blank and nothing came out of his mouth. So after a minute or so he simply started talking about what had happened.

“As soon as I was cued, my mind went blank and I didn’t know what to say…” and he simply took it from there, reporting what had happened in the moment.

This turned out to be one of the most valuable lessons he had ever learned about communication: simply communicate what’s going on right now. And if you do that, inevitably the mind kicks in and things go just fine. Now Larry is rarely at a loss for words.

So here I am on a Monday afternoon, writing this article with no idea what to talk about. I often talk to my clients about exactly this when they ask me what they should write about.

“As a consultant or coach, your clients have problems, right? And don’t you help them with solutions? Aren’t there a lot of things you teach them and show them? Well, that’s what you should write about!”

And a few minutes later we inevitably have a list of a dozen topics for articles they could write.

Maybe that’s enough of an idea for you to start writing articles as well, but then there’s this question: “Why should I write articles in the first place?” and, “What good does it do; will it really help me grow my business?”

Those are really important questions.

Back in 1997, I’d launched my website only a year earlier. It really wasn’t doing much. A client I worked with had started writing a weekly email newsletter and he inspired me to start one as well.

I didn’t know that writing a weekly article was impossible, so I just started. Twenty years, and more than a thousand articles later, I’m still at it.

Did it work? Well, it helped me grow my email list to as high as 50,000 subscribers and build an international marketing coaching business.

For the first nine years, I simply sent out the eZine by email. And since 2006, I also posted it on my blog.

Nothing really complicated, high-tech or tricky. Yes, I also post links to Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter, which takes me just a few extra minutes.

A few years later, the whole concept of ‘content marketing’ became the rage, but I realized I’d been doing that for more than fifteen years already.

All those articles are out on the web, and people find them. Then they end up on my website, many of them signing up for this eZine. Ultimately, some of those subscribers become clients or participants in my programs. It’s that simple.

So, when I don’t have the most brilliant, ground-shaking marketing topic to write about, I don’t worry. I trust it will all work out… if I just keep writing!

But I will share a new tip with you. I decided to add more content to my website with an “Ideas” section and also put links to all my content on the home page of my site.

I figure this will help in two main ways: 1. The links on the home page will help Google rank me higher, 2. My site will become ‘stickier’ as the content on the site is easier to find and navigate.

I just landed a new client this week who had found my site, spent a lot of time reading several articles, and ultimately contacted me. So it’s working!

Don’t know what to write? Don’t worry. Just start writing and posting. Before long your website will contain a treasure trove of good ideas that will engage prospective clients asking if you can help them.

By Robert Middleton of Action Plan Marketing. Please visit Robert’s web site at www.actionplan.com for additional marketing articles and resources on marketing for professional service businesses.

Filed Under: Guest Posts, Marketing Tagged With: articles, content marketing, ezine

Your Next Product

June 11, 2012 by Cathy Stucker

A reliable way to increase your revenue and profits is to introduce new products. Each new product or service you add gives customers another chance to do business with you.

Where a lot of people stumble is deciding what products they should create, and which product they should create next (or first). Let’s take a look at how to come up with your new product.

What Is the next Logical Step?
If you already offer products, what is the next thing that your customers want or need from you? Build on what your existing products have done for them, and take them to the next level.
[Read more…]

Filed Under: Creating Information Products, Passive Income Tagged With: content marketing, information marketing, product creation

Thin Slicing Content

May 28, 2009 by Cathy Stucker

tomato_slicesOne of the mistakes many content producers make is trying to cover too many topics in one product, article, blog post, teleseminar or other piece of content. As Tim Carter of AskTheBuilder.com said in his Cash Content Formula interview:

The key in [my] ebooks is, I am solving a very precise problem. In other words, if someone wants to know how to put crown molding up, I have the step by step photographs, and I have the supporting text to show you how to complete the job. That is it.

They are not interested in door trim. They are not interested in cutting the grass. They are not interested in laying a brick wall. If they are, then fine. Write a separate e book for that.

Tim gets it. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Blogging, Creating Information Products Tagged With: content marketing, creating content, information product

Get Content, Get Links with Blogger LinkUp

April 22, 2009 by Cathy Stucker

bloggerlinkupBloggers love using guest posts because it gives them a day they do not have to write, and it brings another perspective to their blogs. Bloggers and others love to contribute guest posts because they get visibility and links back to their sites.

Sounds like it should be easy, right? Bloggers want guest posts and other bloggers want to provide guest posts to them. What ought to be simple, though, is not. Finding good writers to contribute their content isn’t easy, and it is harder than you might think to give away your writing.

Until now, that is. I have recently launched a free service that makes it easy. With Blogger LinkUp, bloggers can find each other to request or contribute content. Need some guest posts while you are on vacation? Want to contribute to other blogs to get traffic and links? Blogger LinkUp was made for  you.

Learn more and sign up at http://BloggerLinkUp.com/.

Filed Under: Blogging Tagged With: Blogging, content marketing, guest post, guest posts

  • 1
  • 2
  • Next Page »

Search

Join Me! (Get Free Stuff!)

Get useful tips and techniques to build your business, plus member-only exclusives such as free webinars, as an IdeaLady Insider. It's free!

I respect your privacy & will NEVER sell, rent or share your email address. More than a policy, it's my Privacy Pledge.

Connect with Cathy

 Facebook Google+ Twitter YouTube Pinterest LinkedIn Flickr StumbleUpon RSS Amazon Author Central

Recent Articles

  • The Short but Powerful Guide to Finding Your Passion
  • 3 Strategies for Quick & Easy Content Creation
  • What to Ask When Hiring a Ghostwriter
  • Take a Real Break – Fully Disengage
  • You Get an Extra Day

Categories

Be an Expert Blogging Business Start Ups Cash Content Copywriting Creating Information Products Creative Ideas Creative Marketing Strategies Creativity Customer Service Customer Testimonials Dealing with Clients Email Getting Things Done Growing Your Business Guest Posts Image Internet Marketing Life Lessons Making Changes Making Good Decisions Marketing Market Research Monday Morning Messages Money and Finances Motivation and Inspiration Mystery Shopping Networking Online Business Passive Income Persuasion Positive Thinking Pricing Productivity and Time Management Publicity Public Speaking Reputation Management Running Your Business Sales Search Engine Optimization Social Media Success Technology Working Smarter Writing and Publishing

Learn About

Mystery Shopping
Book Publishing
Marketing
Becoming an Expert
Free Publicity

Return to top of page

Copyright © 1998 - 2023 Cathy Stucker - All Rights Reserved