business tips - Express Writers

#ContentWritingChat Recap: How to Grow Online & in Business by Improving Your Mindset with Michele Walsh

December 31, 2020October 28, 2016 by Rachel Moffett

Are you ready to catch up on this week’s #ContentWritingChat? We’ve prepared an awesome recap with some of the tweets from Tuesday’s chat, so get ready to dive in! #ContentWritingChat Recap: How to Grow Online & in Business by Improving Your Mindset with Michele Walsh Join us for #ContentWritingChat on Tuesday, October 25th at 10 AM Central with @TheMicheleWalsh! pic.twitter.com/dr8Qwj3UEt — Express Writers (@ExpWriters) October 18, 2016 Our guest host this week was Michele Walsh. Michele is a business confidence coach and the author of The Big Shift. She joined us to talk all about the importance of mindset within your business. It’s a different topic for us, but she provided a lot of helpful advice you can implement in your own business. Q1: What role does mindset play within your business? We kicked off the chat by asking our Twitter friends what role they felt mindset played within their businesses. We received some great answers in return! Check it out: #ContentWritingChat Did you know mindset is responsible for more than 80% of the results you achieve? — Michele Walsh (@TheMicheleWalsh) October 25, 2016 #ContentWritingChat You can have all the strategies in the world but if you have the wrong mindset then the results will be sporadic at best — Michele Walsh (@TheMicheleWalsh) October 25, 2016 Michele shared a pretty important statistic with us. She said that our mindset is responsible for more than 80% of the results we achieve. So, it only makes sense that if we want to achieve big things in our lives, we need to be in the right frame of mind to make that happen. You need the right mindset in order to see major, consistent results. A1: A positive attitude yields more positive results! #contentwritingchat https://t.co/x5mNZXzEup — Polaris Direct (@PolarisDirect) October 25, 2016 To put it simply, a positive attitude will yield more positive results within your business. How can you expect to see positive results if you’re thinking negatively? A1 I think as with any part of life, positivity, determination, focus all help improve it. Forward motion is key! #ContentWritingChat — Amanda Vera (@amnda_vera) October 25, 2016 Amanda is right on with her answer. Positivity, determination, and focus are all key aspects of your mindset and important to achieving success in business. @writingchat A1: Everything! The attitude you bring each day is imprinted in every piece of work you do. #ContentWritingChat pic.twitter.com/Cm9z4WWdfQ — Keystone Click (@KeystoneClick) October 25, 2016 Your attitude is imprinted in every piece of work you do. That’s pretty crazy to think about, right? When you have a positive mindset and you’re passionate about your work, people will take notice. A1. Everything. You can choose how to think and subsequently, how to live! I have a mindset of working hard every day. #ContentWritingChat — Julia McCoy ? (@JuliaEMcCoy) October 25, 2016 For our CEO, Julia, she knows that having the right mindset can impact her life on a daily basis. She chooses to have a mindset that empowers her to work hard every day, which is exactly how she’s built Express Writers. @writingchat A1: A positive mind impacts the health, growth, & productivity of not only your business, but yourself! #ContentWritingChat — Tyler Brown (@__tylerbrown) October 25, 2016 Remember that having a positive mindset doesn’t just impact your business. It impacts you and your life in general. Q2: How can your mindset impact your content marketing efforts? Now that we know how important the right mindset is for business growth and success, let’s talk about content marketing. How could mindset possible impact our content? Here’s what some participants in Tuesday’s chat had to say: #ContentWritingChat Less marketing more aligning your mindset with your intentions, having trust and belief and the results will manifest — Michele Walsh (@TheMicheleWalsh) October 25, 2016 Michele said it’s important to align your mindset with your intentions. You need to have trust and believe in order to see your desired results manifest into your life. A1. I think that your mindset – particularly how you handle challenges – determines your success or failure. #contentwritingchat — Kristen Dunleavy (@KristenWritesIt) October 25, 2016 Kristen noted that your mindset, and especially how you handle the challenges you face, can determine whether you succeed or fail. Great answer! A2 Mindset impacts everything. In marketing, setting goals and having the firm mindset to hit them is tremendous #ContentWritingChat pic.twitter.com/hUqjjpubfQ — Julia McCoy ? (@JuliaEMcCoy) October 25, 2016 As Julia said, it’s important to set goals and have a firm mindset that will help you meet them. That really is the secret to making things happen! A2: A good mindset breeds creativity and allows you to think outside the box for more innovative content. #contentwritingchat https://t.co/Ru9Q9Gyyt0 — Polaris Direct (@PolarisDirect) October 25, 2016 A good mindset breeds creativity and allows you to think outside the box. a2: Content is about reaching your audience, they can tell if you let your mood affect it. Stay positive and focused. #contentwritingchat — Jobs2Careers (@Jobs2Careers) October 25, 2016 The way you feel can easily show through in your content. It’s important to stay focused and positive! A2 If your mindset is internal, #contentmarketing will reflect it. If your mindset is to serve your audience, you will. #contentwritingchat — Bill Skowronski (@BillSkowronski) October 25, 2016 Bill said that if your mindset is focused on serving your audience, you’ll be able to do just that. Providing great content helps, too! A2 An open, flexible, bend-able mindset helps you empathize with your TA + understand better their needs, intents #ContentWritingChat https://t.co/JrxmG6wxR8 — Zala Bricelj (@ZalkaB) October 25, 2016 Zala recommends keeping an open mind. This will allow you to be more welcoming of new ideas. It’s also important to understand the needs of your audience. A2. I have found that when I have a negative or uninspired mindset, my content suffers. #ContentWritingChat — Bourbon & Honey (@BrittanyBrander) October 25, 2016 Brittany knows that the wrong mindset often means her content will suffer. If she’s thinking negatively or feeling … Read more

25 Web Content Creation ROI Tips: Copy That Sells (Infographic)

January 1, 2021November 3, 2015 by Adam Oakley

Creating great web content online is the best way to help push site conversions and bring in awesome new clients. But, how can you create content that sells? In other words, have content ROI? Content that is crafted well has the ability to return on investment, or ROI, for your brand. In this infographic, we take a look at the top reasons you need great content, with 25 useful, fundamental tips to help you get knee-deep in the creation of copy that sells. Full transcript below. Enjoy! And if you like this, we’d love a share and comment! Transcript Why is Awesome Web Content Vital? You have approximately 8 seconds to convince someone to stay – after that, you could lose them. Around 96% of site visitors are not ready to buy yet, and content keeps them coming back until they do. If you create and publish around 31-40 landing pages, you’re likely to generate 7 times the amount of leads than those who don’t. And 40+ generates 12 times more. Visual content like product videos can increase purchases by 144%. Research shows that Google consistently ranks posts over 2,500 words. 25 Surefire Ways to Create Web Content that Sells (Content ROI) Here are some great ways to create wonderful content that can help boost your sales and bring you ROI. Emotions Help Motivate. Emotions are an incredible way to motivate clients to act. Peer pressure, self-improvement tips, and more are excellent motivators. Weave these in your copy. Create a Sense of Urgency. When writing your content, make sure you create a sense of urgency. Show that there is a demand for your product. Tie in brevity to urgency to compel your reader. Create a Case Study. 63% of UK marketers think that case studies are excellent marketing tactics. You can use them to show customers information about your company and product, convincing them to choose you. Create Evergreen Content. Well-researched, in-depth, long-form blogs that answer timeless questions are considered evergreen. These pieces can convert readers and rank you high in Google if done right. And, they’ll always stay relevant. Have Excellent Headlines. Half of your content creation time should be spent coming up with a persuasive headline. Make it useful, have urgency, be unique, and specific. Plug in power words and adjectives to transform an otherwise typical headline. Don’t Be Afraid to Have a Conversational Voice. Think of this like how you’d talk to a client who is also a friend over coffee. Enrich your content with a lively, fun, conversational tone. This can help immensely with building connections that will convert. Find Your One “Thing.” Each company has a “thing” that sets them apart – yours included. Find your “thing” and focus on it with your content. Research Audience Needs. Content that sells needs one crucial element – audience research. Know what your audience needs and create content they can use. Stay Authentic. Marketing now requires authenticity, especially if you plan to market to millennials. Be unique, for example showcasing pictures of your office on Instagram, and your daily grind—and have fun while you’re doing it. Your brand fans will love it! Create a Plan for Content. Plan out your content through various tools such as editorial calendars. You will find it easier to maintain a consistent content plan with one. Make Important Info A Focus. Simple tip, but a vital reminder. This goes for pricing, calls to action, and any other pertinent info. Don’t let it get lost on site or else you’ll lose visitors. Refine Your Approach. Compile a full list, or “brain dump,” of your ideas for content pieces. Next, narrow down and refine your approach. Create content on just a few of your narrowed-down, hot topics for impactful results. Make Vital Points Standout. People only read about 20% of all of the content on your page – make what you want them to see stand out from the rest. Remove Distractions. Too many choices can create higher levels of anxiety for visitors, which can negatively impact conversion rates. Focus on your highest seller or main pain point and dwindle down anything else. Make Your Content Easy to Scan. Only 16% of readers will read all of your blog content, but 79% of visitors will scan. Writing easy-to-scan content will help you reach out to every visitor and reader. Break your content up with sub-headers. Use the Power of One. The “power of one” helps you establish one big idea that you can focus on. This can often be your one “thing,” as well. Focus on one thought for every page or post. Know Which Content Types Work Well. Multiple content formats are excellent, but before you jump into each, make sure you know which ones will work the best. Test, analyze, and check the engagement of your content types; and tweak or change your habits accordingly. Utilize Visual Content. When an image is used, tweets see more engagement with 18% more tweets, 89% favorites, and 150% re-tweets. And Facebook saw a growth of 3.6x in the amount of videos used on the channel. Write Long-Form Content. Long content gives the perception of added value, making people more likely to trust and read. Posts over 2,500 words also do very well in the rankings. Create Relevant Content. You don’t want content that is outdated or doesn’t make sense to your audience. Instead, write content on trending topics within your industry as well as content you know your audience wants and needs to see. Bloggers, Include a Subscription Box. Email subscription boxes are a great way to give visitors access to content, eventually converting them into leads. (For every $1 spent on email marketing, average revenue is $44.25.) Test Different Calls to Action. Just by changing and testing the copy on their calls to action, Mozilla saw higher download rates for Firefox. They went from “Try Firefox” to “Download Firefox – Free”, and saw more clicks. Try and test actionable verbs and adjectives to convince people to click, purchase, and share … Read more

20 Marketing and Business Books That Will Actually Change Your Future

December 31, 2020June 8, 2015 by Adam Oakley

The world is full of great business books by awesome authors. I want to specifically look at the bookshelf of someone who’s involved in marketing and business and recommend the best-ever books they could put on their shelves. I’ll admit to not reading each of these cover-to-cover (yet they are all on my must-read list), BUT I know plenty who have benefitted from reading them, and recommended them; plus, I am familiar with each of the authors . I hope you find this book list helpful! Get Ready To Change Your Life With These 20 Business Books Many entrepreneurs and captains of industry started off as regular people, but the books they consume changed who they are at a fundamental level so that they were able to make the decisions that put them into the positions they are today. And, a book is like an insight into another person’s mind. People inspire people. Want to be inspired by someone? Read what they write and understand where they’re coming from. Business coaches, self-starters and entrepreneurs all write books detailing their thinking and the model of their success. By reading their books, you can pattern your thinking around theirs and reap similar results. Here’s a list of the twenty most influential business books I’ve come across that are very likely to change your future. 1. See You at the Top – Zig Ziglar: Originally rejected by over thirty publishers, this particular book is one of Zig’s greatest works. Although it’s a bit dated (it was published in 1974) a lot of the principles it teaches regarding your own personal motivations and how you get what you want are still relevant. Through a series of steps based around your own, honest self-evaluation, he develops a method for changing your outlook on life and your aims of accomplishing what you believe needs to be done. It’s not new information, but it’s a brand new way of looking at yourself. 2. So You Think You Can Write? – Julia McCoy: Authored by yours truly, this is a summary of all the lessons I’ve learned on how to craft successful, winning online copy after 5+ years in the field learning it on my own. I left nursing school and built a multi-million dollar company around online writing. Now, I’m sharing all the lessons I know so you can change your life by a) writing winning online copy for your brand that gains you rankings and reads or b) make a career out of online copy. It’s on Amazon as print and Kindle. 3. Maximum Achievement – Brian Tracy: As far as motivational manuals go, this one is among the best available. Brian Tracy is a self-made-man. He outlines his tactics in Maximum Achievement and creates a roadmap for all of his readers towards success. Although the things that Tracy propounds should be obvious to anyone, the way in which he presents them makes you think critically about your goals and your results. It delves into the idea of result-oriented tactics. Even if you don’t follow what he says, his writing will forever change the way you look at a task. 4. The Art of SEO – Rand Fishkin: This book is a must-read for marketing professionals, simply because of how well laid out it is. Fishkin and company outline and define the important aspects of SEO, ranging from the basics to the extremely advanced approaches. And when I say it covers everything, I do mean everything. Anyone, at any level of SEO knowledge can pick up this book and learn something from it. It’s obvious that as time goes on, SEO will be even more relevant to everyday life, which is what makes this book an investment in understanding the future. 5. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People – Stephen. R. Covey: You’d be hard pressed to find someone in business and industry who hasn’t read this book. It belongs on the shelves of everyone because it helps you to get your mind focused on your tasks at hand. Covey developed a methodology for personal effectiveness that is as important today as it was the day it was published. Another oldie (this one was also published in the 70’s), the book goes back to the roots of what drives success and makes you think about your character first and your personality second, something that many books of the period seem to do in reverse. It’s definitely one of those business books that will affect the way you look at life. 6. Rich Dad, Poor Dad – Robert Kiyosaki: Kiyosaki, a self-made multi-millionaire, explored the differences in conditioning between a rich parent and a poor parent and explores the differences between the thought processed between the two social classes. It’s semi-autobiographical and reads extremely easily. By applying Kiyosaki’s lessons to your own financial situation and change the way you perceive value. That’s a lesson that tends to follow you all the years of your life. 7. Ogilvy on Advertising – David Ogilvy: This particular book has helped many entrepreneurs figure themselves out. Ogilvy focuses on big-picture thinking, proposing that your most important ideas are the ones that are huge. Those ideas are the ones that drive your success. He also writes about dealing with negativity and always having your facts to hand, two things that serve you very well in day to day life. Although the book is mostly aimed at advertising professionals, everyone can glean some form of inspiration or insight from it. 8. The Magic of Thinking Big – David Schwartz: Schwartz deals with the mind-over-matter phenomenon. It’s a book that has changed the lives of many people by teaching them a time-honored lesson: “don’t sweat the small stuff”. It’s mostly self-motivational in content, but it does help you to overcome hurdles that your own mind erects for you. Most importantly, it has something for everyone, no matter what level of business you find yourself at. From employee to owner, everyone can benefit from reading this book. 9. Switch: How to Change Things When … Read more

The Great Content Roundup: Week 9, How Much Is Too Much Promotion?

June 19, 2024April 15, 2015 by Adam Oakley

Welcome to my Great Content Roundup, folks! Today, I’m looking at a big question that applies to businesses of all sizes. When do you start promoting yourself (your content, your business) too much? The only exception I could think of is local ice-cream shops – I probably wouldn’t ever get tired of seeing their posts, but maybe that’s just me. Recently, I’ve encountered some businesses that over-promoted the “heck outta themselves,” excuse the grammar. I’m talking every HOUR on Twitter they were tweeting about their app. Every other day the rep was messaging me, either on LinkedIn or on my personal email. Granted, the company had a nice Twitter community going and what looked like some actual real interested followers who were devoted fans—but as a prospective client of theirs, I was turned completely off and decided to tell them to “stop spamming me” a few days ago. Now this experience was so fresh and real in my mind, as I read content this week I couldn’t help but place it next to what I was reading about. So, let’s delve into: The Great Content Roundup, Week 9: How Much Is Too Much Promotion? Social Triggers has a great rule on how to build a blog audience: the 80/20 rule. Spend 80% of your time promoting OTHERS’ content; and 20% of the time promoting your own. This is exactly what we do at Express Writers (view our Twitter as proof); and we connect with new followers and great industry friends all the time. 80/20, folks. Those that flip this for 80% self-promotion will soon be labeled a spammer. Neil Patel mentions somewhere in his very useful post How To Inspire Your First Time Blog Visitors To Trust You that you absolutely have the right to share your own content on your profiles. I agree. Um, hello: you own the profile—and you should use it for your advantage! But, he also says this: Blogging is not a one-way street. It’s an exchange between you and your readers. I think this applies to all content you publish. He says you should listen more, and answer questions. (Brian Dean at Backlinko is a very successful example. He emails his new signups with this question: “Reply to this email and tell me one thing you’re struggling with. Even if it’s teeny tiny.”) Patel’s post here is golden. Buffer’s Guide on Content Promotion: How Content Promotion Works for Blogs Big and Small: Our 11 Favorite Content Distribution Strategies. This is an amazing piece, I highly recommend reading it through. The part where the author follows up and emails the person he mentions in his blog for a kudos, thank-you, and new loyal fan—GENIUS! Might I say. And I’m always saying you should mention your influencers. Also, #6 – the top content community is Inbound – I’m on Inbound and can attest to it as a wonderful community gaining us new fans, followers, and engagement overall. The only downside to all this is time. It’s going to take a LOT of time for one person or one marketer to follow all the steps. I recommend involving a team in this process.