Do you remember when you first started your blog?  Remember how excited you were, and how easy it was to write posts?  Well, after a few dozen blog posts it seems like you have talked about everything sometimes, doesn't it?

A few weeks ago I picked up an idea from one of the Internet marketing "gurus" about how to quickly create content for your blog.  I really like it because it helps leverage technology, which I'm always a big fan of.  The technology is voice recognition software.

How This Works for You

Most people can talk more prolifically than they can write, and in fact I'm dictating this to my computer right now!

At first, I was a bit hesitant about trying out this technology.  My previous experience with voice recognition software had not been real positive.  But now, I have taken some time to learn how this works and have put it to great use.

If you're like many Internet Marketers and business owners you're working incredibly full days and you're even squeezing in work time on the weekends.  Is it working for you?  Why did you get into Internet Marketing or owning your own business?  The answer for many  is to be able to make money while still having time to do the things we love, whether it is fishing, volunteering at your children's school, or just having time to spend time with and take care of your family.  It's one of the reasons I started my own business. 

What I found is I now work 60+ hours a week taking care of the business of doing business.  Borrowing from Michael Gerber's great book, the E-Myth, as an Internet marketer you're an Entrepreneur, a Technician and a Manager.  You're doing it all.   You're probably throwing away money because you're too busy to focus on the key tasks that bring in more profits. 

When you're writing you have one goal - to write a polished piece of copy.

When you're training for a marathon you have one goal - to be able to run 26 miles. 

Both tasks are much easier to accomplish if you break them into manageable steps. 

Does it have something to do with how the company provides value to you?

There are a couple of companies that come to mind as my own favorites: Apple Computer & Subaru. Apple is legendary fro having a fanatical following. Why is that? Well you'll find a lot of places that will give you a detailed analysis, but it basically comes down to providing a great product and paying attention to the detail of aesthetics. And Steve Jobs is a marketing genius, but we can't all be Steve Jobs. ;)

Subaru is on my short list for similar reasons. I've driven one of their vehicles for over 10 years with hardly anything more than routine maintenance. Also, ten years ago, there was nothing on the road quite like the Outback, which again plays into aesthetics. That's a lesson that US car makers are only recently applying.

I'm using the term "aesthetic" pretty broadly, taking to mean not only style & appearance, but customer service, long term value and overall quality. Apple and Subaru have used these qualities to build their businesses by developing a dedicated following.

With this in mind, what can you think of that you're doing in your own business to build a following? What makes you stand out in your market?

What is your aesthetic?

When you communicate to your audience, whether that's through email, blog posts or article submissions, you are (or should be) communicating in a voice that conveys your own personality. Your personal experiences color and enhance what you have to share with people, even if it's only a variation on knowledge that is already "out there". The way you communicate it can really help someone understand a subject in a new light.

This is why being yourself in your business is so important: it will help you build a following that really wants to your perspective on a subject, even if they are hearing about it from other sources. So listen to your audience and help them understand. Your biggest fans will help you spread the word and bring even more business your way.

More on Happy Thanksgiving – Why gratitude is good business

The call arrived, right on time and I was ready.  As most interviews go there was a bit of friendly chit chat before the questions and after the interview questions were over, a little bit more of friendly chit chat and then we said goodbye.  The call went well.  I'm a friendly person by nature and I enjoy talking with and meeting new people. 

Then the email came.....]]> The other day I had the extreme pleasure of being interviewed by one of the country's top copywriters.  I was being interviewed for my experience with a particular copywriting process and program.  When I was asked to do the interview I felt extremely honored.  How exciting to be interviewed by one of the best copywriters in the world!  What a wonderful addition to my resume and how exciting if I am quoted in this particular piece of copy.  Great promotion for me too.

The call arrived, right on time and I was ready.  As most interviews go, there was a bit of friendly chit chat before the questions and after the interview questions were over there was a little bit more of friendly chit chat and then we said goodbye.  The call went well.  I'm a friendly person by nature and I enjoy talking with and meeting new people. 

Then the email came…..

I like to send people thank you notes or emails after they've taken valuable time out of their day to talk with me and help me out, so I was happy to be on the reciprocating end of a thank you note.  However, when I read the note, I was left scratching my head. 

This top notch, presumably professional, copywriter thanked me for my time and told me I was as sweet as I was pretty.  (presumably he found my picture online when he was doing some research)  Squish.  My elation was immediately deflated.  Sweet?  Pretty?  Was he asking me out on a date or thanking me for my time and insight?

In this day and age where we're all operating online, and rarely in person, it is important to make sure that we operate and communicate on a level that is acceptable and comfortable to others.  While building relationships is certainly possible online, and I feel like I have many online friends with whom I feel comfortable enough stepping outside of 'professional etiquette', there are other relationships that are just professional and only the test of time will tell if it's going to change. 

In short, always err on the side of caution and use only professional language in your communications.  Your message may not have any other intention than kindness and gratitude, but if you use language that can be misinterpreted…well your message can be misinterpreted.  I'm sure that this particular copywriter only meant to be complementary, however I felt condescended to and patronized rather than appreciated. 

Additionally, it gave me a poor impression of this man (which is the last thing any of us want to do).  Rather than think, "What a great person", I thought "How on earth can he write great copy if he can't word a simple thank you note in a professional manner?"

In the world of online marketing and ecommerce, where there are more than 100 million ecommerce sites and plenty of competition, every impression counts and wouldn't it be a shame if one simple email cost you a customer or a potential partnership – or worse, motivated someone to write a blog post about email etiquette

Have a great day and take a few minutes to read your emails before you send them!

-Annette

And then there's the real internet.

You know, the one where you spend lunch hour shopping for new running shoes, or watching a YouTube video, or even starting to work on your Christmas shopping. Somebody, somewhere, makes a little bit of money every time you do that, whether you whip out your credit card or not. The Internet is commerce driven and I would argue that's a good thing.

But back to the point of making money with your blog...

The guys over at Blue Sky Brothers are coming out with a process to help make it a bit easier to make some income from your blogging efforts. Now, to be completely frank, I haven't seen the product, don't know what it does, or if it's even any good.

But I like the concept, and I like the fact that they point out "having a niche blog is not the same as having a niche web site". I couldn't agree more. The real basis for a good blog is to build a relationship with your audience. Write stuff that you wouldn't mind your friends reading.

If you do it right, new people reading your blog will become your friends too, at least as how "friends" are defined these days on the online social networks. Since you're an online professional, you're more likely to come across things that these friends will find interesting. You might even be able to make a comission if someone buys the product you recommend.

Does that cross a line?

Why would it?

If you've used a product or service and found it valuable, why would you avoid getting some of the money from the company that makes that product if a friend buys it? Your friend will pay the same amount regardless, but you just get a bit of a "thank you" from the company for spreading the word. That's how affiliate marketing works.

And that's really key to your online business. Whether you are company that provides products or you make a living recommending other people's stuff, it's about getting the word out.

...which is exactly what blogs are great at doing. Go spread the word!

It happens to everyone from beginning writers to folks who have been writing for decades.  One cause of writer's block is procrastination.  Quite possibly you've put off writing until the very last possible minute and now that it's do or die time, you just can't figure out what to say. 

Another cause of writer's block is fear.  Fear that you're not going to be able to express yourself clearly and get your point across.

Here's the solution!]]> Ever find yourself just sitting at your desk staring at your computer not sure how to start your next article, report, or even email message? 

It happens to everyone from beginning writers to folks who have been writing for decades.  One cause of writer's block is procrastination.  Quite possibly you've put off writing until the very last possible minute and now that it's do or die time, you just can't figure out what to say. 

Another cause of writer's block is fear.  Fear that you're not going to be able to express yourself clearly and get your point across.

Here's the solution!

Turn your topic into a question.  For example, the topic for this blog is overcoming writer's block.  Changed into a question it would read "How do I overcome writer's block?"

Sit down and answer the question as if you were talking to a friend or family member.  You'll not only find that it is much easier to answer a question as if you were talking to someone but that the copy will actually read better than if you'd tried to approach it as a journalist or "copywriter." 

Why? 

Because you'll be writing in a more conversational tone and quite likely your copy will be more personable.

You'll also find that this strategy cuts your copywriting time in half. 

Try it next time you have a copywriting project to work on. 

Why am I telling you all of this? 

Because after only a few pages into the book, I was absolutely astounded.  This book is amazing!  I’m not talking about the training structure or the running tools and advice that they give – I’m only a few weeks into the program and the proof of their advice will be in my marathon results. 

The truly great part of this book are the testimonials contained inside.  They demonstrate how powerful the voice of experience can be. ]]> I recently decided that I wanted to run a marathon.  I’ve been running off and on for most of my life but I’ve never taken on anything quite like this so I purchased a book called The Non-Runner’s Marathon Trainer.  It is a book written by two professors at the University of Northern Iowa who have successfully taught a course called Marathon Running 101 for more than ten years.  The result has been more than 200 students successfully running a marathon at the end of the course. 

Why am I telling you all of this? 

Because after only a few pages into the book, I was absolutely astounded.  This book is amazing!  I’m not talking about the training structure or the running tools and advice that they give – I’m only a few weeks into the program and the proof of their advice will be in my marathon results. 

The truly great part of this book are the testimonials contained inside.  They demonstrate how powerful the voice of experience can be. 

When I read the stories and testimonials inside the book, meant to keep the reader encouraged and committed to the program, I was inspired to give it a try but more importantly I was amazed at the power, the affect, the words of these people had on me. 

More than 200 people have taken the course and all but one has successfully completed a marathon.  These students range in age from 20 years old to 55 years old.  They all have different backgrounds and running experience, many of whom had zero running experience before they took the course.  What struck me as I read the intermittent testimonials, case studies, and inspirational success, and failure, stories was that every book should be like this. 

Every book, every article, every blog, and every email message, could benefit from using testimonials and personal stories just like this book does.

 Testimonials aren’t just for sales pages! 

Testimonials not only give your copy immense credibility, testimonials enable your reader to relate to your material, it gives your reader the ability to put themselves in someone else’s shoes, to imagine themselves in the same position – it’s the best sales and marketing tool available.  Nothing is better than real word of mouth experience and advertising. 

To strenghthen your copy consider this:

You can include testimonials or personal stories in your articles, in your blogs, and even in your email marketing messages and e-zine copy.  If you cannot find a personal story or testimonial relating to your copy, pull one from your own life.  For example, if you’re writing an article about teaching your parrot to roll over, (yes I have really written articles about this exact subject) talk about a time when you were working on the trick and something funny, successful, or even unsuccessful happened and how you overcame it.  Whether the story comes from you, a customer, a friend, or a client, when you interject a bit of personal information into your copy your words become much more powerful. 

 I strongly recommend grabbing a copy of this book at your library or purchasing it at Amazon where it retails for $10.17 and I believe it is available for download there too.  The copywriting lessons you can learn from it are priceless.