Jan 06

Driving Content Marketing Consistency Using a Blog Editorial Calendar

Oh my goodness, it’s sad to see how speakers and coaches start a blog and then fail to post on a regular basis. Here’s the thing: people are watching you. Your current clients are watching, your prospective clients are watching and your Joint Venture partners are watching. Are they happy with what they see? Or are they disappointed with you?

Having a great blog messaging strategy in place is essential to your content marketing strategy for positioning you as an expert on your topics, promoting your events and engagements, and simply adding value to your brand.

So, it follows that you’ll want to be consistent with your posting, writing about fresh, valuable topics on a regular basis. The best way to drive consistency is by using a blog editorial calendar.

Creating an Editorial Calendar Using a Spreadsheet

A simple way to keep track of your editorial calendar is using a spreadsheet. Programs like Excel and Google Sheets are easy-to-use, and cost little to nothing. Start labeling the columns in your spreadsheet, including essentials like title of article/blog post, subject/purpose, keywords, Call to Action (CTA), and if it was published or not. This way, you’ll also have the flexibility of adding blog topics in advance as you brainstorm them.

In other words, your editorial calendar is a planning tool for future blog posts, and it’s also a history for your past blog posts.

Scheduling Topics on Your Calendar

The next thing you’ll want to consider is the scheduling of your blog posts. You have all these ideas, but how do you decide which come to fruition first? Planning is important and you need to consider and select topics that you are passionate on writing about.

Something you might think about are the important dates you have coming up. If you have a product launch or event, schedule blog posts specifically covering this topic leading up to the date in question. Similarly, take into account upcoming holidays or current industry hot topics and schedule blog content to be published accordingly. For example, maybe you decide to promote National Speakers Day, so naturally you’d want to schedule the post to be published a week or two before that date.

Tracking the Progress of Your Blog Posts

The advantage of keeping up with an editorial calendar is that you have a physical document or spreadsheet your team can use for reference. Make sure your whole team of writers has access to the document and are updating it regularly as they work on or publish blog posts.

If you find your team falling behind, here are a few tips to get back on top of the game:

  • Examine all your posts and determine which ones can be moved further down the line; if you included a bunch of topics after a brainstorming session, look to see if any of those can be pushed back to a later date.
  • Focus on writing and publishing the posts that are due soon or are specific to certain dates like product launches or reminders about events you’re speaking at. And that includes commitments you have made to your Joint Venture partners to support them.

Participating in a Blog Challenge

Blog Challenges are popular, fun ways to encourage you to publish more blog posts and force yourself to be consistent. If you’ve decided to participate in a blog challenge, the first thing you’ll want to do is design your posting schedule. If you’re participating in a thirty-day challenge, for example, make sure you have all thirty blog posts listed in your editorial calendar and labeled as such. Secondly, you’ll want to have the blog posts done at least the day before they’re due to make sure they get posted on time.

Remember that WordPress allows you to schedule your blog posts to publish on a future date and time. So, get ahead of the curve and schedule a few blog posts so you can keep on track.

A good strategy to keep up with your Blog Challenge is to set aside time in your schedule to write. If you know how long it takes you to outline and/or write blog posts, set aside that amount of time and stick to it.

For example, you might find it takes you a half hour to write a 200 word blog post or 90 minutes to write a 600 word blog post.

Overall, a blog editorial calendar is the easiest way to collaborate, update, and keep track of your blog post schedule while staying consistent in driving your content marketing strategy.

So, get started now and create a Blog Editorial Calendar. And be sure to publish your next blog post within 7 days. Can you commit to that?

Now it’s your turn! Please comment below with your own tips and best practices. And feel free to post if you want to share a commitment.

Dec 04

Tips to Craft a Blog Messaging Strategy

Blogging is an extremely useful Content Marketing strategy which will enable you to attract new coaching clients. And for speakers, blogging provides a great platform to add value, position you as an expert on your speaking topics, promote your live events and drive new speaking engagements.

Are you just starting to craft your blog messaging strategy? Or do you already have a strategy you’ve been applying to your blogs and it just hasn’t been getting you where you want to go?

No matter which of these categories you fall into, it doesn’t hurt to rethink your blog messaging strategy. Let’s start by taking a look at these three essential founding features of a blog messaging strategy.

How to Determine How Often to Post

The frequency of your posting should be one of the first things you consider when crafting a blog messaging strategy. To figure out how often you should post blogs, first think about your available time and energy. Do you have a whole team involved in creating content or is it a one-person job?

One person can’t feasibly crank out a dozen high quality posts a day, so if you’re banking on posting frequently, make sure you have the exact resources capable of doing this.

By the way, a good goal is to publish one blog post per week. There may be times when you can publish more, such as when you are participating in a blog challenge.

Secondly, think about what your goals are. If you’re trying to market your products and services through lead magnets attached to your blogs, then you’ll want to focus on creating high-quality content over a high quantity of content.

Of course, the more high-quality posts the better, but don’t bite off more than you can chew.

If you’re concerned with attracting traffic to your site in general and you have a team of writers, the rule of thumb for posting is about four times a week. Professionals argue for four as the magic number to a steady and consistent increase in traffic.

And something to remember is that the more often you post, the more traffic you will receive from Google. You will simply have more content for Google to index and people to find. Plus, Google will rank you higher in the search engines because your site will be considered more credible and authoritative.

The takeaway here is to test your blog post frequency to determine how often to post. Try posting a lot, try posting less, and see what high-quality content looks like for you. From here, you’ll be able to find that sweet spot.

How to Create a Variety of Posts on Different Topics

If you’re feeling a little daunted in the face of creating unique content, don’t be. Focus on creating content that’s tried-and-true. In other words, do what works.

Here are some tips that have worked for other successful blogs:

  • Take into account your audience and what they want to see. Use your analytics or even ask your audience through a social media poll.
  • Look to see what experts in the industry are posting. Read their blog posts and take note of what kind of content they post and what topics they explore.
  • Research different kinds of blog posts. What types of posts have been attracting traffic in recent years? How-to style blogs and spotlights are just a few examples.
  • Don’t create redundant blog posts. Stay away from creating posts on topics you’ve already covered by using a content management system (CMS) to keep track of all your posts.

How To Schedule Your Posts

The best way to be consistent with posting is by creating and maintaining a blog editorial calendar. Write and schedule posts far in advance so you have them queued up and ready to go on the date of their posting. You can also use project management tools to track when your blogs are being written and posted.

When you’re deciding on and scheduling posts for your editorial calendar, be conscious of company events, news, and product launches you might want to write blog posts for, and schedule them appropriately.

In other words, if you want to create buzz, then start talking about the topic weeks or even months ahead. Build interest and you will prepare your audience for your launch or other event.

Always leave room in your calendar for extra posts that might need to be written at the last second. This will help you make sure you have the time and personnel to do the job.

Nov 30

7 Productivity Tips for Coaches and Speakers

You’ve probably heard that time is money. It’s true and for small business owners, the difference between being productive and wasting time could be the difference between success and failure.

There is only so much time in the day and if you have set ambitious goals for the year, then there is no time to waste. And you can be assured that if you sit still, play small and twiddle your thumbs, your competition will step in and take the clients that you really want to work with.

If you’re a working professional, at some point you’ve reached that barrier where you just can’t seem to be productive anymore. You know what I’m talking about; you hit the wall!

As a coach and speaker, you’re not immune to the imminent burn-out that famously goes hand-in-hand with working. You’re consistently coming up with new material and advice, imagining innovative strategies to inspire, and interacting with people, so you need to be on top of your game.

If you want to lift up and inspire your clients, then you need to peak perform consistently. And that means you need to be productive.

Here are 7 Productivity Tips that Will Help you Manifest your Dreams:

1.      Think About What Productivity Means For You

The first step in conquering your workday is defining productivity for your purposes as a coach and speaker. Start by asking yourself some questions. Is productivity doing work that makes me feel accomplished? Is it achieving goals I set? Is it when I make someone else’s day productive?

Growing your coaching practice means consistently enrolling new clients and maintaining a busy schedule filled with coaching sessions. But at the same time, you may want to blog, publish articles and even write a book.

Building a speaker business means booking a speaking engagement, traveling to the venue and delivering a great presentation. But you also have to write and practice scripts, develop Powerpoint presentations and work on that next book you want to launch.

As a coach or speaker, productivity could have more than one definition for you; don’t put yourself in a box. What you deem productive really depends on your brand. And it depends on your goals.

2.      Set Goals and Deadlines

Once you’ve thought about what productivity looks like for you, the next logical step is to set goals and deadlines that reflect this. If you want to book an event or engagement, put it on your list along with a feasible, yet strict deadline. Even small day-to-day tasks like reaching out to people or posting on your blog could make the list.

Set goals for completion of deliverables, such as blog posts, articles, videos, presentations, book chapters, and so on. Space your deadlines out over time so you can consistently complete and implement deliverables for maximum impact.

Consistency is key, so don’t leave the office or shut down that computer without designing your productivity list for the next day. When you come back to work, you’ll already have a solid outline for your day.

Also consider using a To Do app or other productivity software program to help you plan and track your results.

3.      Come Up With a Process

Creating a to-do list is one part of your action plan, but at some point it needs to become more ‘action’ and less ‘plan’. Design a process from conception to completion of tasks and follow through with it.

Do what works. Conduct your own trial and error by applying your process to a task, analyzing its effectiveness, and determining if anything needs to be changed.

There’s some wiggle room with this strategy as well; try creating multiple processes for different kinds of tasks.

For example, if you plan to lead a webinar, then you need to set a date and time and schedule the event on Zoom, GotoWebinar or other tools. You need to create an event registration page and a success page on your website and integrate the web form with your e-commerce or email marketing system. And of course, you need to promote your event. This whole process could be completed in one or more days. The best part is that this is a repeatable and duplicatable process. And remember, you also delegate tasks to your team.

 

4.      Decide What Tasks Are Most Important

Don’t make the common mistake of letting yourself be fooled by your to-do list. The idea of this list isn’t to get the most things done necessarily, but to get the most important things done.  In other words, you need to prioritize the tasks on your list.

If you know you have to edit some of your blog posts but you also know you have to outline some talking points for an event you’ll be speaking at, consider what is more important for you.

It could be that this task will take more time, maybe even your whole day. But just think about how you’ll feel and how much will be accomplished just by knocking out that one task.

Prioritize your task list daily, weekly and monthly. Remove completed tasks. Break out complex tasks into simpler steps. For example, putting “Write a book” on your task list probably won’t accomplish anything. Instead, put “Write 5 pages on Chapter 1” is much more focused and will likely result in progress. Focus on completion, not perfection. Move the project forward.

5.      Take Time Away

You can’t help others until you help yourself first. Take time away from work to refresh your mind and come back with a new and refreshed perspective.

This is particularly important for content creators struggling with writer’s block. You need to draw from the wellspring of your creativity to manifest new content and launch new products.

Take a break to clear your mind and remove the thick fog in your brain that’s been blocking you from seeing or prioritizing anything other than work. Take a walk, exercise, listen to music or even take a nap. Allow your brain time to rest and recover and then get back to the task at hand.

Not only will your mind be chock-full of new ideas, you’ll be excited and energized to be back inspiring and helping others. You can produce new material or come at your old material with fresh eyes.

6.      Ignore Your Emails

Though a large part of your business is interacting with others, learning from them, giving them advice, and more, to be productive sometimes it means closing out your email and turning off notifications to free up your mind to achieve a higher level of concentration and deep focus.

Not realizing the impact small interruptions have on your day is a significant oversight. Set time aside in your day to get work done without interruptions. The total time you get back could be the difference in increasing your overall productivity.

Some lifestyle experts have suggested limiting email processing to just twice per day. Personally, I have found it difficult to pick an exact time each day to respond to emails. However, on average, I review and process emails once or twice a day. The key is that I focus on answering emails for 30 minutes or so at a time. That allows me to be productive, but not get sidetracked from the important responsibilities in my business that will drive success.

7.      Think Outside the Box

It can be nerve-racking to try new things, especially when you’ve got your old faithful ideas that have always worked for you.

If you’re in a rut with content creation or new ideas, journey outside your comfort zone. It can be exciting to try new things and can give you a new appreciation for your work.

Also, talk with speakers and coaches and find out what works for them. I have gained many insights over the years from talking with peers and mentors.

Starting Anew

The good news is that every day is a new day. It’s a new day to wipe the slate clean and begin again. It’s a new day to reconnect with your goals, get motivated, and take action. And it’s a new day to make a difference in the world!

Nov 07

Spotlighting People on Social Media

A simple yet powerful technique to create goodwill and produce many benefits is to spotlight people on social media.

People love attention. They love recognition. So, why not give people what they want.

This is a simple technique and yet so few people do it.

Twitter Spotlight

A great example of this technique is the #FollowFriday strategy on Twitter. It is common for people to send Follow Friday messages on Fridays.

In most cases, this is poorly executed. People use the simple approach of simply including a bunch of unrelated Twitter ID’s without an explanation of why they are being shared. I have used this approach over the years. I limit it to only 4 Twitter ID’s and I do provide a simple reason why I am sharing these people such as, “Great Speakers”.

The better approach is to pick one person and tell something about them. This is a much better way to spotlight someone. It grabs their attention and creates goodwill. Plus, the whole reason to do a #FollowFriday is to encourage people to follow them. And when you give people an actual reason why to follow them, it is much more likely they will take action.

Facebook Spotlight

Let’s talk about Facebook. One of my favorite ways to spotlight people is to create a graphic featuring the person’s photo. Then, give a simple reason why you like this person. One day, I created a graphic featuring my friend Julia Neiman. I included a short message about her being an inspirational woman.

What’s nice about this approach is that is a positive interaction. In my opinion, there is too much negativity on social media these days. I would like to see more positivity. I am doing my part. And I encourage you to do your part.

Watch my Twitter and Facebook pages for examples. Give this strategy a try yourself.

In fact, email me a link to your next social media post spotlighting a friend. I would love to see how you implement this strategy.

Rick Cooper
Online Marketing and Social Media Trainer

Apr 25

How to Build Virtual Rapport Online

The challenge many face online today is that there are so many people to connect with, it can be very overwhelming to know what to do to build relationships.

And for most small business owners, whatever they choose to do tends to be “hit and miss”. They often do not consistently implement a strategy.

Build Trust and Rapport All Over the World

One of the benefits of social media is the ability to build trust and rapport with people all over the world. You have at your fingertips the most powerful databases in the world for cataloging human experience. And to the extent that people share what is going on in their lives, you have an opportunity to see it.

This was just not possible 30 years ago. However, things have changed. And this now gives you a competitive advantage, if you use it.

It also gives you a unique opportunity to relate to people, become a part of their lives and to live authentically.

If you want to build rapport online, you need to be deliberate about it.

Here are a few tips to build virtual rapport online:

  • Make a list of people you want to get to know better
  • Think holistically about people. Visit their profiles on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn to put together a complete view of who that person is
  • Look for areas of commonality and make note of it
  • Communicate both publicly and privately with the people you select
  • Take a long-term approach in building relationships with people

Build Deep Relationships Online

Don’t expect instant results. Although, sometimes you might be surprised at the opportunities that arise when you start building deep relationships with people online.

Set goals and expectations for what you would like to accomplish over the next year.

Lather, rinse and repeat. Meaning, repeat this process on an ongoing basis. Choose a new list of people and then get to know them.

Let me know how it goes. Share any successes that you achieve.

Rick Cooper
Online Marketing and Social Media Trainer

Apr 18

Tips to Repurpose Speaker Content

As a public speaker, you are a fountain of knowledge. And knowledge leads to content. Whenever you speak, pearls of wisdom pour forth. Or, as least, that’s the assumption.

I want you to become prolific when it comes to creating content. I want you to get into action and publish something valuable online.

Here are 3 tips to get inspired to write:

1. Sharing content online will attract your ideal clients.

2. Publishing content online demonstrate your expertise on a topic.

3. Putting your thoughts in writing and sharing them with the world is a creative exercise that feeds your soul.

Have you done any of the following?

  • Spoken to a class
  • Delivered a presentation at a seminar
  • Hosted a Facebook Live or Periscope broadcast
  • Delivered a break out session at a conference
  • Given a keynote presentation

If you have done any of the previous actions, then you are a publish speaker. And you can your content that you have already delivered and you can publish it online.

Let’s face it, it takes work to create valuable content you can share with your audience. As a speaker, you should be regularly engaged in the content creation process.

One of the secrets to leverage your time more effectively is to repurpose content. You can use content from your presentations to turn into blog posts, articles or online videos.

Repurposing is the process of taking content from one form and transferring it into another form. For example, you can turn a blog post into a video. Or you can take 3 articles and turn them into a Special Report. In fact, there are dozens of example of techniques to repurpose content.

By the way, you can also write a blog post and then turn it into a speech. Same for articles and videos.

The point is that you can get extra mileage from your content. In fact, I would suggest that if you are not using each piece of content you create in at least 4 places, then you are wasting your time, energy and effort.

It’s time to be intentional and to become systematic in your content creation and repurposing.

Repurposing Example

Let’s say you have a 45 minute presentation you have delivered to a Meetup Group or Association. The speech works very well. How can you repurpose it?

First, you may have enough content to write several blog posts. Think about whether the content has a natural breaking point to allow you to separate several bigger ideas and turn each of them into a blog post.

It’s possible you might be able end up with a total of 3 blog posts.

Are you willing to do that?

I would encourage you to take inventory of your speeches and look for ways to repurpose it.

Get started now!

Rick Cooper
Online Marketing and Social Media Trainer

Oct 09

Tips to Create a High-Converting Lead Magnet to Attract Clients


Would you like to generate more leads online? The key to generating a new lead online is to create a valuable lead magnet that will attract your ideal clients.

And be sure to create a Lead Magnet that converts, meaning that a higher percentage of people that visit your Lead Capture Page opt in to your email list in order to receive your free offer.

So, what is a good lead magnet and how do you create one? Start with a problem your ideal clients have. You need to pick a tough topic, something that people struggle with.

For example, in the online world, people struggle with building their email list. They want to have a big list of people who want to hear from them.

Once you identify a problem, then you can begin working on your high-converting Lead Magnet.

There are generally two approaches you can take when creating a Lead Magnet. One is to focus on the problem and the other is to focus on the solution.

Problem-Oriented Lead Magnet

A problem-oriented Lead Magnet or free offer will help to clarify what your prospect is experiencing. It can help them understand the pain they are experiencing.

A problem-oriented Lead Magnet does not have to provide a solution, just the promise of a solution. In fact, a good Lead Magnet will lead the prospect to the next step, whatever that is.

And by the way, it’s important to understand what the next step is. Do you want them to schedule an appointment with you, attend a webinar, download an audio program, watch a video or buy a product?

You need to determine how best to capitalize on the opportunity. And the process does not stop once a prospect acquires your Lead Magnet. You should continue to follow up with a customized message, ideally through an autoresponder series.

Solution-Oriented Lead Magnet

The second approach is to focus on the solution. It’s okay to offer people a solution. You can explain what they need to do to solve their problem. In many cases, they won’t be willing or able to implement the solution themselves. By clearly explaining what they need to do, you will automatically position yourself as the ideal party implement the solution and solve their problem.

A common question I am asked is how long should a Lead Magnet be? It depends on your audience and your industry. You don’t want it to be too long because it will create resistance to taking the next step. In general, the shorter the better. You should be able to consume the content in less than an hour, whether it be written, audio or video content. It should be at least 15 minutes in length for an audio or video and a comparable length in written format.

When creating a Lead Magnet, think about how you are going to offer it.

You Can Offer a Lead Magnet through a:

  • Lead Capture Page (or squeeze page)
  • Blog
  • Email
  • Webinar
  • Phone call
  • JV Partner
  • Etc.

When creating a free offer, be sure to consider whether you will require an opt in. There are numerous benefits for lead generation by requiring an opt in. You can also just put a Lead Magnet on your website for anyone to find and download.

If you can get someone to simply download a free offer to their computer, you then own a space in their mind. They will think about you in the future and may come across your resource as they search their computer.

This is also a great approach when communicating with existing clients and prospects. You already have their email address. You can just offer them a free value-added resource to build trust and rapport and lead them to a next step in working with you.

I used to say it takes 7 points of contact before people remember who you are and what you do. But in today’s complex social media age, it takes more like 28 touches before you achieve the same effect.

So, you need to invest more time and energy into developing free content for your prospects and clients to acquire and consume.

Here are 7 Critical Benefits to Creating a Lead Magnet:

  • Create goodwill
  • Educates potential clients
  • Offers referral opportunities
  • Leads them to a next step
  • Creates desire for your products and services
  • Builds trust and rapport
  • Plants a seed for future sales opportunities

Are you a creative person? If so, then just go ahead and create a free offer. Put it out there. Allow people to benefit from the information.

If you can write a blog post, you can create a Lead Magnet. It’s mostly the same thing, just a little different format. And potentially with a different intent.

A good Lead Magnet has the potential to get people excited and anticipate it being released. You should consider how you market your new Lead Magnet to your existing list. This will also enhance sharing and referral opportunities.

A good evergreen Lead Magnet is worth its weight in gold. “Evergreen” simply means it will have value today, a year from now and possibly ten years from now. It’s not time sensitive. It doesn’t expire.

I want to challenge you now to create a new Lead Magnet in the next 30 days. By the way, remember that you can repurpose content for your freebie. There is really no reason you shouldn’t be able to accomplish this except for a lack of willpower or resolve to grow your business.

Think about it and get it done!

Have an idea for a Lead Magnet? Share it below!

Rick Cooper
Online Marketing and Social Media Trainer

Sep 27

How to Overcome your LinkedIn Phobia


Are you afraid of LinkedIn?

Why is it that people are much more comfortable spending time on Facebook rather than LinkedIn when they would actually get better results from using LinkedIn?

There are 6 Common Reasons People have a LinkedIn Phobia:

1. They don’t have an impressive LinkedIn profile

LinkedIn more so than Facebook allows people to compare you against your competition. And for many people this is not in their favor.

If you have LinkedIn Profile Envy when you visit a competitor’s profile, then do something about it. Step up your game and update your profile.

2. They don’t know what to post

LinkedIn, just like Facebook offers you an opportunity to post updates. You should be posting at least once per day on LinkedIn. I post 5-6 updates on LinkedIn 7 days a week.

3. They don’t have many LinkedIn endorsements

LinkedIn offers an easy way for people to endorse you based on your skills. This is a bit like a popularity contest. If people visit your LinkedIn profile and see you don’t have many endorsements, they will question your credibility.

4. They don’t have many LinkedIn recommendations

Testimonials are a powerful form of social proof. When someone reads a testimonial about you, it establishes credibility and builds trust and rapport.

LinkedIn offers a way for people to give you testimonials. It is called recommendations. In fact, there is an easy way for you to request recommendations.

5. They don’t know who to contact on LinkedIn

One of the reasons people don’t get results on LinkedIn is that they have no plan to contact people.

LinkedIn, like any social media site, works best when you reach out one-on-one and make contact with people. You need a strategy to contact people and schedule appointments to talk to them.

6. They don’t know what to say

Even if they identify someone to contact, they don’t know what to say.

And if you don’t know what to say, you aren’t going to make contact.

So what’s a person to do?

I would recommend just getting on LinkedIn with a goal of contacting 3 people per day.

Then, work through the list above to make improvements.

Rick Cooper
Online Marketing and Social Media Trainer

Sep 18

5 Ways to Make your Campaign Emails More Compelling


Email marketing is an effective strategy for adding value.

You can send a solo email. Or you can schedule a whole email marketing campaign.

Email campaigns allow you to systematically build trust and rapport and share details of an offer or opportunity over time.

Here are 5 strategies to create effective campaign emails:

1. Create an interesting subject line

All of your hard work will be wasted if people do not open your email message.

There are many ways to influence someone to open your email and one of the best ways is to simply write a great subject line.

It may take you awhile to develop the skill set for writing subject lines.

How good are you at writing interesting subject lines?

2. Ask a question at the beginning of the email

You have to grab the attention of your audience at the beginning of your email if you expect them to read through to the end.

A great way to do this is by asking a question.

Your question should get them thinking.

One approach is to ask a question to which the answer, “yes.” For example, “Would you like to be more healthy?”

This will help to identify a pain point or an opportunity. It plants the seed to get them thinking about how they would like to change.

For example, “Would you like to make more money?”

Your audience will think to themselves, “Yes, I want more money. I wonder how I can do that.”

This is a subtle form of influence and it is one of the factors for persuasive marketing.

3. Tell a story in the message

Stories have a powerful effect on people.

I can remember when I first started my business back in 2003. I realized how powerful email marketing was. I also realized it might take me years until the strategy paid off. But I knew once it did pay off, it would have a lasting and sustainable impact.

See what I did there? I told a story to illustrate a point.

You need to use stories in your email marketing.

4. Create curiosity to lead toward your call to action

There is no guarantee people will read your whole email. So, you need to stack the odds in your favor. You can do that by creating curiosity.

Curiosity is a powerful force. It causes people to stop in their tracks and try to solve the puzzle you have presented.

I heard a TED Talk one time from JJ Abrams, producer of the TV Series LOST, and many great films. He utilizes mystery in his shows as a way to draw people into the plot. He creates curiosity.

JJ talked about a product he bought as a child called the Magic Mystery Box. What’s interesting is that he never opened the box. He said it represented possibility and infinite potential.

And he used it as a metaphor for the approach he takes on shows like LOST. And what the audience often learns is that when you finally do open the Mystery Box, another mystery is revealed. It’s an incredible method for keeping an audience entertained and engaged.

LOST built a huge cult audience devoting time and energy at unraveling the mysteries contained in the show.

So, how can you apply the concept to your emails? Simple. Include a little bit of mystery.

You don’t have to lay out all of the details for people. You can reveal information over time. Create curiosity. Keep people coming back.

Rely on digital assets like blog posts and videos to reveal information about what you are sharing.

5. Add a PS to share additional details

The final step in creating a great marketing email is to add a PS blurb.

Do you have to add a PS to every email? No.

Pick and choose which emails to enhance with a PS. It can be a good tool to use in recapping an offer and sharing a final call to action.

Your PS statement can also share an alternate offer or a By the Way message.

Experiment with the PS.

What you need to know is people often skim through an email and then read the PS. So, keep that in mind.

In the end, email marketing is a process of building relationships through adding value, building trust and rapport and leading people to a next step in working with you.

What’s next for you? How do you plan to use email marketing over the next 90 days. Please comment below.

Rick Cooper
Online Marketing and Social Media Trainer

Aug 29

Creative Marketing TV Features Rick Cooper on Livestreaming Strategies

Livestreaming video is a great strategy to attract potential clients and build trust and rapport.

I recently had the opportunity to participate in a panel discussion on Creative Marketing TV. I joined 4 other experts including Anna Scheller, Joan Kent, Tim Maudlin and Andrew Poletto. We each shared our experiences in livestreaming video online.

Creative Marketing TV is hosted by my friend and colleague Susan Joy Schleef.

Watch the video now…

Click here to learn more about Video Marketing

Rick Cooper
Online Marketing and Social Media Trainer