Month: June 2016

SEO Defined in 60 Seconds [Animated Video]

How do people find what they’re looking for on the web?
Search engines.
And in order for business owners to ensure that their content appears as the most relevant resource for prospective customers, they must optimize web pages to show up in search engine results for specific keywords.
But let’s say you’re a beginner when it comes to search engine optimization (SEO).
What exactly is SEO?
Watch our short, fun video about SEO
With help from our friends at The Draw Shop, we whipped up 12 definitions from our new Content Marketing Glossary into short, fun whiteboard animated videos.
Check out our video for the definition of SEO:
Animation by The Draw Shop
And for those of you who would prefer to read, here’s the transcript:
SEO stands for “search engine optimization.” It’s a process of getting traffic from the “free,” “organic,” or “natural” search results generated by search engines.
Google and Bing are the biggest search engines, and they use algorithms to examine the content on a given page in order to decide what that page is about. Then, based upon more than 200 factors, they decide how relevant that page is to certain keywords.
The job of a search engine, like Google, is to find content that matches your query — or, the basic question you’re asking, like:

How far is the earth from the sun?
Who is the lead singer of Led Zeppelin?
What is a freemason?

Those questions contain keywords. The more your content matches those questions, the better the experience for the user.

Original Source

The 7 Things Writers Need to Make a Living

If you’re a writer, you might have heard this most of your life:
People don’t make a living writing. You should find something practical to do with your life.
Smart, capable writers grimly pass around war stories on Facebook. Penny-a-word assignments, clients who don’t pay, disdain for our craft, and disrespect for our profession.
And yet, look around at this digital world so many of us spend our lives in — it’s made of words. The technology to produce digital content exists because we create words worth sharing.
Text, video, audio — it all needs great writing if it’s going to be worth spending our time on.
If writing is your profession and your passion, you can accept crap assignments for crap money and crap treatment.
Or, you can choose something better. Because there is something better.
In the time I’ve been writing professionally, I’ve noticed some necessary traits, abilities, and strengths that make the difference between life as a well-paid writer and life as someone who likes to write but can’t seem to get paid for it.
Here are seven of the most important.
#1: Love
This might seem squishy, but if you’re meant to be a writer, you know what I mean.
There is no substitute for the love of writing. For the passion of getting the words right: the head-scratching and the pacing around the house and the endless drafts that aren’t quite right yet.
If you don’t love language and your topic and the act of putting words together, none of

Original Source

3 Cs that Reveal the Quality of Your Blog Post

If you’ve ever had the pleasure of purchasing a diamond, you’re probably familiar with the four Cs that determine its value: Cut, Clarity, Color, and Carat.
As the Editor of a national online publication, I’m faced with the task of assessing the “value” of articles that are submitted to me every day.
The value of an article depends on its ability to resonate with readers.
Any editor will tell you that predicting what will strike a chord with an audience is an inexact science. But, over the years, I’ve developed my own system of three Cs that help me effectively evaluate the quality of an article.
I check for:

Clarity
Continuity
Connection

And the beauty is, you can also use the three Cs to decide whether or not your work is ready to be published.
Let’s break down how to use each of these factors when reviewing your own writing.
1. Clarity
Sometimes I read an article and can’t pin down exactly what the writer is trying to say. What idea is he trying to communicate? If it’s not clear, the writer hasn’t spent enough time creating a precise message.
Similarly, a writer may begin an article with one idea and then veer off on a related, but separate, tangent halfway through the text. We’ve all done it — even me.
For instance, my last post on Copyblogger was about getting comfortable with throwing away your words. In the first draft of that post, I also covered self-editing. Those two ideas are related, but the

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Freelance Writers Share the Surprising Keys to Their Successful Careers

We talk about the lives of professional writers and content marketers a lot on these pages.
And we’ve done our fair share of interviews with well-known writers and top-notch content marketers.
But what about those writers whose names you may not know, but who have discovered the secrets to running profitable freelance writing businesses?
We thought it was time to shine the light on these folks so you could learn from their journeys. And to find them, we didn’t have to go far: our Certified Content Marketer page is full of them.
Welcome to our Certified Stories series, where we’ll share insights and tips from successful freelance writers.
Here’s who’s joined us today:

Terri Cruce is a copywriter and content marketer for small business owners and solopreneurs who understand the need for well-written, engaging content, but lack the desire, skill set, or time to create it themselves. Contact Terri
Mark Crosling offers content creation, plus content, social, and search strategy. Contact Mark
Sharlyn Lauby is a Master Level Certified Content Marketer who offers human resources content marketing that focuses on strategic campaigns to increase engagement and lead generation. Contact Sharlyn

Read on as Terri, Mark, and Sharlyn spill their professional secrets.
Who’s your favorite type of client to work with?
We all have clients who are secretly our favorites.
It’s probably in our best interests to hide the fact that we enjoy working with them so much, we’d almost do their work for free.
(Don’t work for free. Read our Pricing for Service

Original Source

Rainmaker Rewind: 3 Simple Hacks for Better Copy and More Conversions in Less Time

This week on Rainmaker Rewind, Jerod Morris welcomes copywriting and content marketing expert Joanna Wiebe to The Digital Entrepreneur.
Joanna is the brains behind Copy Hackers: a copywriting resource for digital entrepreneurs and online business owners. On this special episode of The Digital Entrepreneur, Joanna offers up a handful of simple copywriting hacks.
And, as always, be sure to check out the other great episodes that recently aired on Rainmaker FM.

The Digital Entrepreneur. Joanna Wiebe of Copy Hackers joins Jerod Morris to share a few copywriting hacks that work especially well for digital products: 3 Simple Hacks for Better Copy and More Conversions in Less Time
Copyblogger FM. Rainmaker Digital COO Tony Clark hops on the show with Sonia Simone to discuss the powerful new tools that can make marketing messages more effective: The New Age of Marketing Automation: Powerful, Simple, Cost-Effective
Confessions of a Pink-haired Marketer. Sonia Simone explores transparency, authenticity, and the point at which sharing becomes oversharing: Things I Love / Things I Hate #4: Trade Secrets, Transparency, and Lemonade Stands
Elsewhere. Jerod Morris sat down with Mike Chan on the Go and Grow Podcast to chat about the power of developing a valuable brand: Jerod Morris on the Go and Grow Podcast
Zero to Book. Pamela Wilson and Jeff Goins dive into the art (or science) of titling your book: Name Your Book: How to Go from a Working Title to a Title that Works
The Writer Files. Jane Friedman joins Kelton Reid on the show

Original Source

7 Advanced Tactics Pro Facebook Marketers Use to Boost Conversions

It’s time for better results – more leads, more revenue – with Facebook ads.
Today, you’ll get 7 advanced tactics for Facebook ads.
These are the best of the best techniques I use to increase conversions for myself and my clients.
Before we dive in, there’s one essential piece of “pre-work” for you. To help you track sales and conversions, you’ll need to have the Facebook Pixel installed on your website as well as one of two methods of conversion tracking implemented.
Start with the Facebook Pixel
Facebook Pixel is just a bit

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Podcasting Defined in 60 Seconds [Animated Video]

Perhaps you’ve reached a stage in your business where you are ready to do something new.
You have a story to tell or education to share, but you’d like to do more than just writing. Or, you may feel that your audience isn’t growing as quickly anymore.
If you relate to any of those scenarios, then you might want to consider launching a podcast.
But what exactly is podcasting?
Watch our short, fun video about podcasting
With help from our friends at The Draw Shop, we whipped up 12 definitions from our new Content Marketing Glossary into short, fun whiteboard animated videos.
Check out our video for the definition of podcasting:
Animation by The Draw Shop
And for those of you who would prefer to read, here’s the transcript:
A podcast is audio content you can subscribe to and listen to on demand. This American Life is a podcast. The incredibly popular crime-investigation show Serial is a podcast.
In fact, you can think of a podcast as portable radio. Once you’ve downloaded the episode, or subscribed to the show, you can listen to your favorites anytime, anywhere — as long as you have a smart device like a phone or tablet.
Some podcasts follow an interview format, like Marc Maron’s WTF. The podcast Stuff You Should Know uses a rotating panel of experts to discuss different topics. Some are sheer entertainment, like The Truth, which is essentially a movie for your ears. And then there are long-form monologues like Dan Carlin’s Hardcore History.
Rainmaker

Original Source

How to Land Writing Clients with Advanced Facebook Ad Targeting

The idea of spending money to make money can be a bit scary.
Especially if you’re in a freelancing slump.
After all, Facebook Advertising is certainly not free.
But there is one thing that Facebook Advertising is, and that is specific.
Unlike Google, Facebook is not going to have you competing against Scripted, Outsource, and Upwork, who are likely going to outbid you for the term freelance writers. Instead, I’m going to have you targeting your ads to very specific people. People who fall into one of three categories.
1. Clients who are already

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