Do This One Thing to Improve Your Blog Post Content

by Karen Marley on June 1, 2011

Have you ever watched a sports team dominate a game? Star players are important but it’s the collective effort of the individuals working fluidly together towards a common goal that delivers the win. Content operates the same way. Strong writing is the star player but the win won’t happen without the contributions of good design. And both writing and design must work together to achieve readability.

Today I’m going to focus on the readability of a specific type of content; blog posts. Blog posts get the spotlight because of the  explosion of their popularity in the past few years. Moreover, with an increasing number of businesses and individuals realizing the power of content through blogging for professional and personal gain the ability to create winning posts is more important and competitive than ever.  

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3 Things that Irritate Readers

by Karen Marley on March 30, 2011

Can we agree that there is no shortage of material explaining the wisdom of why you should include a healthy amount of content into your marketing strategy? There is also an equal amount of how-to information. I know I’ve handed these strategies out to my readers numerous times.

What seems to have slipped through the cracks are the nuts and bolts of fundamental content construction. Emails, the do-it-yourself blog posts, the occasional sales letter, fliers, press releases, announcements–these are basic communication materials required of all of us. Yet it amazes me how often good information is buried under simple errors.

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Playing Keywords on the Internet Orchestra

February 2, 2011

Have you ever listened to a live orchestra when someone hits the wrong note? Five minutes of elegance and bliss overshadowed by one awkward moment of discord. Or what about hearing a song that you just don’t like? If you’re like me I can’t get the cacophony turned off fast enough.  Your content marketing strategy [...]

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Checklist For A Winning Home Page

December 15, 2010

More people than ever are online for the holiday season. So what is it about certain home pages that they find inviting, reassuring and memorable? Why do these pages motivate them to take action? In other words, what makes a winning home page? Clear communication, that’s what. A winning home page successfully filters out great [...]

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How to Revive Your Creativity

November 11, 2010

Ugh. I hope you can relate. Just when the Halloween candy was finally starting to go away, a wave of Girl Scout cookies hit our pantry. And of course I ordered plenty of boxes telling myself that it’s supporting a good cause. We finished the last of the thin mints…just in time for…the abundance of [...]

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Content Is Online Currency: How Much Should You Pay?

November 4, 2010

  When you’re online, well before money enters the scene, there is another kind of exchange rate: time and attention for content. Recent surveys reveal that 90 percent of B2B buyers prefer to do their research online. There is certainly no shortage of material for them to peruse. Businesses provide content in exchange for a [...]

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Respectful Selling

October 19, 2010

  Aretha Franklin demanded it. Rodney Dangerfield got none of it. Your clients want it. And, if your business communication materials don’t have it, you are sunk. The magic word here is respect. Respect has a significant and (all too often) underappreciated role in business and marketing communications. What is it, exactly and you can [...]

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4 Common Subject Line Mistakes

October 12, 2010

Email. It has become as familiar to us as brushing our teeth. Many businesses use its easy, affordable, and instant communication abilities for their marketing campaigns. But don’t let email’s ease-of-use and large numbers lull you into thinking all your letters are reaching your prospects. What do I mean? Well, an email really consists of [...]

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10 Places to Put Stories in Your Marketing

September 30, 2010

Narrative. –noun 1. a story or account of events, experiences, or the like, whether true or fictitious. People like good content. This is probably why over the past couple years there has been a lot of focus on the power of narrative in marketing. Understanding why stories are so popular will give you your prospects’ [...]

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Blogs: Opportunity or Waste of Time?

September 22, 2010

Telephones. Automobiles. Television. Personal computers. Cell phones. At one point each one of these inventions was seen as an excessive luxury embraced only by a fringe population. Today it’s difficult to imagine our lives without them. It’s time to add blogs to that list. Blogs have redefined the way we gather information and share opinions. [...]

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