The Productivity-Optimized 5-Step Blog Writing Process

 Whether you've decided you'd like to have a crack at writing your own blog posts, or you want to optimize your current writing process, this is sure to give you a boost. I've spent a while now trying to find faster ways to do it without sacrificing quality.

One particular Bill Gates quote always stuck with me, even before I got into the business world. He said, "I choose a lazy person to do a hard job. Because a lazy person will find an easy way to do it.” At first I thought, surely a hard worker is better than a lazy worker! But it made sense. A smart but lazy person will instinctively optimize anything they have to do for maximum efficiency.

Now, I don't want to toot my own horn too much, but I think that my amount of laziness sometimes would do ol' Bill proud! I've worked at optimizing my blog writing process, and I've discovered some pretty darn helpful things. 

The idea of "optimization" through organization, can seem like more work than just sitting down and writing. I found, however, that with this process I am more relaxed than ever. It requires a lot less mental churning.

So if you want to learn how to write faster while taking some mental weight off your brain, try out this 5-step process...

1. Define Your Topic With a Title

Creating a title will naturally refine your topic and set the integral focus for your post.

This part is fairly straightforward. Often you'll already have an idea of what you're going to write about, but in case you don't, here are a couple of ideas to get you started:

• Browse through forums in your niche to see what people are looking to know.
• Browse other blogs in your niche to get an idea of hot topics. 
• Do some keyword research around the topics you've found, or any other topics that you think could be good.

Once you have a rough idea, think about the title of your post, because this will give you your angle. In this case, my main goal was to create an optimized blog writing process, so the title was clear and simple:

"The Productivity-Optimized 5-Step Blog Writing Process"

People also like to see a number in titles, just like they do in email subject lines, as I mentioned in my last post. It promises structured content and invokes curiosity. What are those points? What are those steps? You don't have to know the number of points you'll have before you start, in fact often you won't know till you've done your research and planning. I usually use an "X" as a place-holder until I know, i.e., "The Productivity-Optimized X-Step Blog Writing Process"

You can adjust your title later (it's not set in stone) but coming up with one right from the beginning and keeping it in mind as you go is a good way to get consistency throughout your research and planning.

2. Jot Down Your Initial "Sub-Concept" Ideas

Listing your initial ideas will help you to refine your topic and guide your research.

If you have any ideas at all about what you'd like to cover in your post already, jot them down. Make a little chart or outline if you like, but I usually just create a bullet point list in a Word document.

This will help with your research, and also help you to refine your concept. An efficient blog post has enough information to keep it interesting and informative, but doesn't cover everything under the sun in one place. 

It's kind of like choosing a sub-niche to focus on with an affiliate website, rather than targeting the broader niche as a whole. If you had a St. Bernard dog, you'd be more likely to go to a St. Bernard Training website than a generic dog training website. 

Just like that, if you hone in on something specific with your blog post, people looking for that information will be drawn to the direct approach of your post.

If you're planning to research a topic you know nothing about yet, then just jot down a couple of questions you already have, and ideas of what you think might go into such an article.

3. Find Relevant Resources and Record Notes the Smart Way

Separate your resource hunt and your mental-digestion of the information into two separate processes to minimize clutter and cognitive load.

This is a biggie, so I'm breaking it into two parts for you...

Part One: Find and Record Resource Links

Time to pay a visit to your best friend: Google. Start by typing in keyword related to your main point. For example, for a post like this one, I might search "blog post writing productivity tips" and see what comes up.

Skim the titles, and if anything looks good, open it in another tab. Take a quick glance at the page. If it looks promising, copy the link into your document, and then close it. You aren't reading through these sources yet, just making a list. Later you will go through them one by one, making quick notes. 

I found that this way of only having one or two tabs open at a time throughout my research makes everything seem so much less overwhelming. When I started out, I'd open masses of tabs, skim through them trying to figure out what information I needed, make mental notes and then struggle to find what was what later. 

I began to realize that it was like throwing things on the floor of your room and leaving them to clean up later. You end up with an overwhelming mess. Cleaning up as you go is much easier.

List a few relevant links this way, and then try Googling other points you jotted down in the previous point. For each, collect another couple of links to articles that look promising.

Part Two: Now Write Your Notes

Once you have a solid list of resource links — I'd say at least 10 but no more than 20 — you're ready to open them one at a time. Only having the one article to focus on at a time, without a bunch of tabs cluttering your browser, makes it feel easy.

Make notes from each article underneath the link to it in your word document, as this will make it easy to return to the source later to get a reference link or further information if you decide you need it.. Here's one I created for a previous blog post:

You can skim each article to begin with to see how much valuable information is there, and make more notes for some than others. One-by-one doesn't mean that you have to spend forever on each article, it just provides order in your filtering of information.

4. Structure Your Points, Organize Your Research

Copy/pasting your research links and notes into a spreadsheet is quick and easy, and it will make writing straightforward and simple.

By the time you've finished writing notes, you'll have an idea of the common themes around your topic. Look over your notes and original points to build the final list of points to cover in your post. The more evidence from your research to back those ideas up, the better.

If you're a total spreadsheet geek like I am, it only takes a couple of minutes to do one final bit of organization for your research, once you have your list of points and the links to all the research.

I put my final list of points down the left hand side of my spreadsheet, and my research links along the top, although depending on your number of points vs. your number of links, this is easily reversible. Here's an example of a quick one for a blog post about writing newsletters. 

This will only be a quick case of copy/paste if you've done the previous step, and it means that when you go to write each point, you can easily see which notes you have to support it, and where they came from. Everything is set up so that you can refer to your research without having to do a single bit of hunting or sorting through notes and links. 

I'm a particularly visual person, so if you are too, you might find this of particular use for organizing your points, research, thoughts and relieving some of that cognitive load. If you find as you write that you need more to back up any given point, you can add it easily!

5. Now Write! It's as Simple as That 

Writing your blog post is now straightforward. You'll have time and energy leftover to add personality, making your post a winning combination of information and enjoyability.

With all of your research done and organized, writing becomes a breeze. Go through the spreadsheet one point at a time, and start writing out the facts and evidence. Then, when all are done, comb back over and add some personality.

People are looking to find answers to their questions or information that can help them advance, and if you can provide that they'll appreciate it. But they'll just as easily forget you when they're gone. You make it informative and interesting? They'll remember you, and come back for more. Keep it up, and you're on the road to a healthy following.

Add in some examples or analogies, or some quirky statements that tie in with your points. You already know you've provided the valuable information, so making it fun to read will only add to that. 

As this "add personality" or "make it fun" part can be less straightforward than simply presenting facts, I've got some articles you might find useful. I urge you, however, to remember above all to keep your audience's tastes in mind, especially when using humor. "Bad taste" humor can produce laughter from some, and a blank stare of utter distaste from others, so tread carefully!

• Guides to writing with humor:
  • Four Commandments to Writing Funny
  • How to Write Funny
  • How to Write Better Using Humour
  • The Secret of Writing Funny
• Guides to forming analogies: 
  • How to Use the Analogy Technique
  • Analogy Examples
  • How to Use Analogies to Introduce New Ideas
• Funny analogy examples from high school kids (just a bit of fun...):
  • The 25 Funniest Analogies (Collected by High School English Teachers) 

So there you have it: a process refined by a laziness-fueled but quality-valuing blogger. Now be brave, go forth, and conquer... efficiently!

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Action Content: Turn Fans into Customers [Plus a Free Bonus for You]

This article is part of our series on the 4 Essential Types of Content Every Marketing Strategy Needs. Make sure to get your special free bonus at the end of the article.

So far, we’ve covered Attraction, Authority, and Affinity content. Now it’s time to turn your fans into customers with Action content.
And this is where all the work you’ve done as a content marketer starts translating into revenue for yourself, your clients, or your organization.
The good news is that Action content is probably the easiest type of content to understand. But the bad news is that it can also be some of the most difficult to produce.
We’ll dig into the reasons why shortly, but since we are in the habit of defining each term before we get started, let’s do that here for Action content:

Action content is content designed to get somebody to take an action.

How about that for easy?

The marriage of copywriting and content marketing

Content marketing is a new kid on the block in some ways, surging in popularity in the last five years.
In other ways, content marketing has been paired with advertising for quite some time. Take John Deere’s 118-year-old magazine, The Furrow, as an example.
The Michelin Guide, first published in 1900, is another great example of classic content marketing.
However, what I’m talking about here is the marriage between copywriting and content marketing.

A marriage between copywriting and content marketing helps you attract attention, increase engagement, and then ultimately, persuade someone to take action.

Types of actions

When you create content, you should have an action in mind that you’d like the reader to take. Actions could include, but aren’t limited to:

• Asking your readers to comment on a blog post
• Asking your readers to share an article or podcast
• Asking people to participate in a poll or survey
• Encouraging people to download a free video training course
• Persuading people to subscribe to your email newsletter
• Convincing people to follow you on social media
• Enticing people to hire you
• Getting people to buy your product

Naturally, you’ll want to start off with small requests. Get people used to taking your advice and following your instructions.
You first want people to say, “Hey, I want to pay attention to this person (or this company, or this brand) because it’s really relevant to my current challenge and the journey I’m on.”
You get people to warm up to you and trust you — step by step — until the sale, and then the repeat sale or the recurring sale.
Let’s look at some successful pieces of Action content.

Examples of Action content

The most obvious piece of Action content you will create is promotional — sales copy that you publish and run for the duration of the offer. After the sale is over, we recommend you remove the post from your site.
Action content also includes landing pages, like this one on content marketing that encourages visitors to register for Copyblogger’s content library.
In addition to those two cases, your best content will combine all four types of “A” content. Here’s a stellar example: What’s the Difference Between Content Marketing and Copywriting?
What makes it so great?

• It’s useful. The headline suggests you are about to learn something important. The question-style headline also helps attract attention. People wonder whether or not they do indeed know the answer. They think, “This might be too important to miss.”
• It’s authoritative. Sonia Simone’s years of working in the copywriting and content marketing world turned what could have been a shallow answer into an extended clinic in effective writing.
• It takes a stand. The content exposes people to one of our core philosophies at Copyblogger: Really good content is unsurpassed at building rapport, delivering a sales message without feeling “salesy,” and getting potential customers to stick around.
• It’s laced with action. You might not see it at first blush, but this piece of content motivates readers to check out the educational resources Copyblogger has to offer — from the My.Copyblogger free membership site to the paid offers like Authority and Content Marketing Certification.

The success of this content wasn’t accidental. There was a plan: the content primes people for when we actually do make an offer.

How to write Action content

Writing something interesting to fill space and keep people reading won’t cut it here.

You need to pair your content with a business goal.

That’s not as complicated as it might seem, because all you have to do is ask yourself this simple question before you write each piece of content:

What is the action I want my audience to take?

Now, getting people to actually take that action requires some skill. Like I said above, this is the hardest type of content to master. It takes time to learn copywriting skills, and it also takes time to master them.
The following resources can help you:

• Copywriting 101: How to Craft Compelling Copy
• The Copyblogger Conversion Series
• How to Be a Copywriting Genius: The Brilliantly Sneaky Trick You Must Learn
• 9 Classic Must-Read Direct Response Copywriting Books
• The Ultimate Guide to No-Pain Copywriting (or, Every Copywriting Formula Ever)
• The Ultimate Copy Checklist: 51 Questions to Optimize Every Element of Your Online Copy [Free Poster]

Once you’ve worked through that list, the next best thing you can do is to practice. Write. Then write some more.
And on that note, let me close with a little encouragement.

Keep your chin up

When I first got into copywriting, I threw myself into it whole hog.
I devoured every book I could get my hands on. Tore through successful promotional pieces. Listened to a legion of cassette tapes on the art of direct response copywriting, human psychology, and negotiations — yeah, this was way before podcasts. Wrote a mountain of sales letters, emails, and text ads (and then watched mentors tear them apart).
This went on for years. I thought I knew my stuff. However, it wasn’t until about Year Five when things clicked … when I turned the corner and all that head knowledge became heart knowledge.
The moral of this short story is that if I can learn how to write Action content, so can you. But it’s going to take time. Don’t expect too much of yourself too soon. Just start learning, publishing content, measuring results, adjusting, asking for feedback, and so on.
You can do it.

Get your free ebook: 4 Essential Types of Content Every Marketing Strategy Needs

Build a content strategy based on the four content types in this series! Get your free ebook, 4 Essential Types of Content Every Marketing Strategy Needs.

Click to get the free ebook

Over to you …

What’s your favorite example of Action content?
Drop us a note in the comments section below to share your thoughts.


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50 unique ideas for your next email

As a business owner, you’re juggling a lot of day-to-day to tasks and may not have time come up with ideas for your next email or promotion.

We’ve put our creative noggins together to create a full year’s worth of quirky and engaging email ideas. Each month centers on a specific theme. Within that month, you’ll find four out-of-the-box email ideas for your small business. Each month also contains a marketing tip to get your creative mojo flowing.

January

This month, celebrate all things quirky by sending out emails around nontraditional holidays.

Peculiar People Day

Celebrating all the unusual, out-of-the-box thinkers that make the world so colorful, Peculiar People Day is the perfect time to get creative. Use this unique day to highlight an unusual or eccentric product that your company makes. It falls on January 10 each year.

Dress Up Your Pet Day

People love their pets. They love dressing them up even more. Encourage your customers to dress up their pets and enter your photo contest. It works especially well for pet stores, but any business should feel free to join in on the fun. The holiday is January 14.

Compliment Day

On January 24, compliment your customers on Compliment Day like Kara’s Cupcakes does:



Or, take a minute to compliment your staff by sending an email invitation to a team-building event like this marketing agency did.

Celebrate Opposite Day

Convince your customers to try something new on Opposite Day. Ask customers to give a product that they wouldn’t normally use a chance. The holiday falls on January 25.

A small business can stand out by sending emails for nontraditional holidays. You don’t have to be literal with all holidays—no need to install a bar to celebrate Margarita Day but you can get creative. For instance, a plumbing business could send an email about Peanut Butter Day and drains moving as slow as peanut butter. It will stand out in your readers’ minds. Check out this site for a full list of bizarre holidays.

February

With Valentine’s Day smack-dab in the middle of the month, focus your efforts on lovey-dovey notions in February. Any business can send emails for Valentine’s Day, not just restaurants and florists. Think creatively for Valentine’s Day content; here we’ve assembled some great examples and ideas.

Generate more email interest

Borrow an idea from zulilly, the mom-centered discount shop. The company sent an email asking customers to “Tell us which brands make your heart flutter, and we’ll tell you when they’re on zulilly.” It capitalizes on the holiday and asks customers to sign up for more emails.

“Fall in Love” partnership

Team up with other vendors in your area and create a shopping event around Valentine’s Day. Ten shops in Brooklyn joined forces and launched the “Fall in Love with Brooklyn” event. Customers were invited via email and given a map to hit all of the participating shops.

Create a shopping guide

Send your customers a list of romantic gifts they can pick up at your business. Apparel and lifestyle retail brand Free People created a “Valentine’s Gift Shop” — a curated collection of items that would be great for best friends or better halves.

Introduce a QR code

Valentine’s Day marketing doesn’t have to focus on flowers and champagne; the holiday comes with anxiety too. Capitalizing on the uneasy feelings of the holiday, Isobar, a UK cell phone company, sent an email to customers asking, “Does he love you?” The campaign contained a QR code that took customers to a promotional website. Try something similar that combines Valentine’s Day with a QR code. They work for some businesses and not for others, so only use if appropriate.

March

Emails around sporting events always draw a crowd. This month’s ideas prove that you don’t need a sports-themed product to capitalize on the craziness that is March Madness. Before using March Madness in any marketing or advertising, make sure you check the legal guidelines to avoid any trouble. Many sporting and other events have very specific usage guidelines.

Run a March Madness promotion

Offer a special March Madness deal. When you think basketball, you probably don’t think office supply store, but online office supply store Shoplet sent customers a list of ten customizable office supplies that connect with the tourney.

“This month, leverage the excitement behind March Madness,” Nicholas Womack, a business developer at Shoplet, says. He encourages other businesses to make a creative connection between their business and the big event.

Start a bracket

Bracketology is all the rage during March. So create a bracket for your brand like we did here at VerticalResponse with our Subject Line Slam Dunk contest. You can ask customers to vote for their favorite products and then pit the winners against each other in a knockout tournament-style battle. Announce the winner with a discount on that product.

Run a photo contest

Send an email to your customers asking them to participate in a March Madness photo contest. Or, try a “Young Basketball Star” competition and ask parents to send in pictures of their kids playing ball.

Video contest inspired by a world record

Did you know there’s a Guinness World Record for the longest time to spin a basketball with one hand? There is. The record is 10 minutes and 33 seconds. Use this awesome record to inspire a video contest. Email your customers and ask them to shoot a video of this rare talent.

April

This month get in touch with your inner videographer and add videos to your email marketing. Need a reason to make a video? Here are a few to get you inspired:

Celebrate YouTube

In April of 2005, the cofounder of YouTube recorded himself at the zoo and uploaded the site’s first video. Tell your customers that you’re honoring this digital anniversary by creating your first video. Pick a topic like thanking your customers, sharing your first product, profiling your first employee or remembering your first office location.

How-to videos

Give your customers simple tips or a few creative suggestions on how to use your products. A boutique could create a video with styling recommendations, while an auto shop offers up simple car care advice.

A video about your services

Bring your products or services to life with a video and email the link to your customers. Shorts company Chubbies is know for their inventive and humorous videos. To showcase a pair of American flag shorts, they sent a pair into space and recorded the momentous event.

Behind the scenes

Give your customers a glimpse at what it takes to create your products or introduce your staff. A behind-the-scenes video is an excellent way to connect with your subscribers on a personal level and nurture your relationship.

May

Celebrate your unique company this month by creating emails about all of the great things your business does.

Start a company newsletter

If your company doesn’t send out a newsletter, start one this month. It’s a fantastic way to keep your customers in the know. You can include a variety of topics in your newsletter. Brag a little when your company wins an award, offer a behind-the-scenes tour or introduce new managers.

Sending a company newsletter is a fantastic way to keep readers up to date on everything happening in your company. Be sure to send it on a regular basis so your readers come to expect it. And we like to keep them fairly short so that our audience can get what they need without having to commit too much time.

Celebrate milestones

If your company hits an anniversary or lands a big client, tell your customers about it. You could include the info in a company newsletter or send your customers a coupon in celebration. Either way, your customers will appreciate the update.

Offer a history lesson

Email your customers a piece of your company’s timeline. Include a call to action button that takes them to your site to learn more. Of course, you’ll have to have a complete timeline created on your site before sending the email. Here’s a good example.

Celebrate mom

Everyone knows a mom who deserves some recognition. And no matter what kind of business you have, you can pay tribute to, or celebrate moms everywhere. You can do a “Bring Your Mom In” special or a “Moms get a special percent off” deal. Arts and crafts retailer Michaels held a Mother’s Day crafting event.

A recap of the year

May might seem like an unexpected time to send a “Year in Review” email, but this kind of promotion can get lost in the holiday hubbub. Instead, send one out in May and invite customers to a friends-and-family sale in honor of all your company has accomplished this year. Big box retailers use this kind of promotion a lot, but it can be effective for a small business too.

June

Ah, warm weather is arriving (unless you’re in the Southern Hemisphere of course). Use this seasonal change to propel your email marketing this month.

Celebrate National Trails Day

Include a list of local trails in the June edition of your company’s newsletter to celebrate National Trails Day, which is June 7. Remember, customers appreciate helpful, usable content, and a newsletter is a good place for it.

Send a summer discount code

Summer is a terrific time to give your customers a little incentive to buy. Menswear company Bonobos encouraged its customers to stock up on summer essentials and offered a discount. Don’t forget to create a clear call to action in your email.

Welcome summer and new guests

Send an email that not only welcomes the warm weather but also welcomes new customers, too. If a customer has bought a new product or signed up for a new service in the past six months, applaud their actions with a well-crafted welcome email.

Summer giving

Team up with your local food bank this summer and get your customers involved. Send an email asking them to bring in canned goods like KinderCare Learning Centers did.

Remember dads and grads

Dads and grads rule in June. Offer special deals for dads and grads and get more customers in your doors in this traditionally slower summer month. Give grads something to spend all their graduation money on or their new found job earnings toward!

July

If you’re in the U.S., get a little patriotic. Use the Fourth as a catalyst for a series of emails.

The perfect Fourth of July party

This holiday is all about getting the crew together for a backyard barbecue. To help your customers host a rockin’ independence party, offer some tips to create the best gathering possible. You can also offer a Fourth of July discount.

Recognize a vet

You don’t have to wait for Veterans Day to honor a vet. Devote a section of your newsletter to your employees who are also vets. Offer a “Vets in the Spotlight” section that talks about their service and their role in your company.

Remember the first walk on the moon

Neil Armstrong walked on the moon in July 1969. In honor of this patriotic event, host a “Biggest Accomplishment Competition.” Invite your customers to add their biggest accomplishment to a growing list on Facebook. Give the biggest accomplisher a company-specific prize.

Made in America email

Take pride in your American-made products by offering a discount. Along with a coupon code, use this opportunity to tell your company’s story and praise the employees who help create your products.

August

It’s all about creating useful content this month. Here are a few ideas you can use to create “tips and tricks” emails.

A watermelon-centered email

August 2 is Watermelon Day. Yes, Watermelon Day. Think up a way to connect your product to this fruit-loving celebration.

Ring in “Work Like a Dog Day”

Celebrate this funny holiday, which falls on August 5, with an email about how productive your product or service can be. Try something like, “Today is Work Like a Dog Day, but you shouldn’t have to work that hard. Here are three tips to be more productive using our products.”

Tips to use your product better

Create a useful email that will help your customers get more out of your product or service. Try sending a how-to email once a month with a useful tip that helps your customers and your business. Serving your customers instead of always selling to them creates loyalty that lasts.

Celebrate Relaxation Day with a reorder email

August 15 is Relaxation Day. It’s a great day to send a reorder email out. Encourage your customers to relax by stocking up on your products. Send something similar to this reorder email from 1-800-CONTACTS.

September

It’s back-to-school time. Use this month to market to both parents and students.

Offer a back-to-school discount

Recognize this is an expensive time for parent shoppers by offering a discount. Corel, a software company, offered a 40 percent discount to customers on its email list. If you offer a service such as a salon, spa or car mechanic, tailor your message for stressed parents or college-bound students

A favorite teacher contest

Everyone has a favorite teacher, so invite your customers to participate in a favorite teacher contest via email. Put a call for nominations on Facebook, and then have your customers vote on their favorite entrants. Award the winners with a prize package from your company.

Last chance sale

If a deal has a deadline, customers are more likely to act fast. While you can use the last chance sale throughout the year, it makes sense to try and cash in on this busy time of year with a last chance sale.

Dorm decorating tips

Don’t forget, college students are returning to dorms, too. Offer helpful tips for the college-bound group. For example, offer tips to create dorm decor that suggests a few products from your shop. Or offer ideas on how to cook ramen in a dorm room, pizza or restaurant deals, or a back-to-school oil change before they set off.

October

From smartphones to social media updates, use this month to spin a few digital inventions into marketing emails.

An email celebrating email

In October of 1971, the first email was sent. Honor this big event by sending an email recognizing this milestone, and ask customers to refer a friend via email. Groupon, the discount site, offers an incentive with its refer a friend program.

Send out a survey

Email an online survey like Prynt, a photo-printing company, did. Tell the recipient how long it will take to complete the survey, too. You can also offer an incentive to participate.

Retro social media posts

When did your company first start using social media? Create an email that showcases your first posts and ask customers to join a conversation about how social media has grown through the years.

It’s important to balance creativity with communicating your core message. Use creativity in certain places such as in subject lines, images or a fun theme, but keep the important information in the email easy to see and read.

November

Let your email marketing reflect the season by creating emails that focus on being thankful.

Create a testimonial email

Incorporating testimonials into your emails, as clothing brand Athleta does, shows your customers that you value their opinions. Also, having a customer attest to the quality of your products often has a major influence on the buying decisions of other customers.

Generate an email stuffed with facts

Thanksgiving is all about the food, particularly turkey. Create an infographic that offers some interesting turkey facts. Think of a way to create an infographic that connects to your business and the holiday.

Focus on cause marketing

Team up with a charity and create emails that center around your do-good spirit. Paper Culture, an eco-friendly stationary and invitations shop, has involved their customers in their efforts to support the environment. They plant trees for every order. And they even let their customers dedicate the trees if they want.

Ask for feedback

After a customer makes a purchase, send a thank you email and ask for feedback. Online comments can bolster the reputation of products. Asking for a product review through email is a good way to nab positive reviews. Here’s an example from Garrett Popcorn.

December

Embrace the gift-giving season with holiday-themed marketing.

Take advantage of National Cookie Day

Celebrate this holiday by offering some holiday cookie recipes in your company newsletter like this bakery did, or give away a free cookie when customers come into your business.

An email full of gift ideas

Coming up with gift ideas is hard. Take some of the pressure off your customers by offering a series of holiday gift ideas. Rather than send one long email with a dozen options, break your emails into smaller, more specific topics. This email from Nike focuses on gifts for runners.

Email a holiday greeting card

You can go as simple or as elaborate as you’d like with a holiday card. You can use free card-creating sites like Punchbowl.

Be a holiday time-saver

During the holiday season, everyone wants the gift-giving process to be easy. Remind your customers that your company has plenty of time-saving ways to purchase a gift. For example, Staples reminds customers that they can reserve an item online and pick it up in the store.

With this guide, you won’t be scratching your head for email topics this year. While we’ve listed over 50 email topics for you, there’s no limit on creativity. Have some fun and see what kind of quirky ideas you can come up with too. Always double check holiday dates to ensure you send your email for the right holiday at the right time. Otherwise, you might be creating your own funny holiday!


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What Is a Content Library? Plus Answers to 9 More Questions about This Innovative Lead Gen Approach

In May 2013, a small company with fewer than 40 unusual employees made a historic lead generation move that resulted in stunning lead generation results. (I stress “unusual” in a good way.)
The company with those odd employees, of course, was Copyblogger Media (now known as Rainmaker Digital). The story of what happened follows.

The historic move:
Up until that point, Copyblogger had been offering an email newsletter to attract and capture email subscribers. Pretty standard in the online business world.

We wanted to up the ante.

So we launched My.Copyblogger.com — a free membership site, where people sign up to access (at the time) 15 free ebooks and a 20-part email course.

Think of a content library as a password-protected source of premium content that you can access once you register with your email address.

That’s essentially what a “content library” looks like. But how did it perform? Let’s look at the results to see.

The historic results:
According to the case study by Marketing Sherpa,

• Through the first seven weeks, the free subscription page averaged a 67 percent conversion rate.
• The first week’s growth was 300 percent bigger than the best week of growth for Internet Marketing for Smart People (a previous Copyblogger 20-part email course) — closer to 400 percent, if you include new paid subscribers.
• The most visited page on Copyblogger at the time was behind the paywall — with almost a third of all traffic logging in after arrival.

Those are some substantial results, particularly in such a competitive space as content marketing.

Now, I can’t promise you the exact same outcome, but I can promise you that a content library will, at the very least, increase the number of subscribers you capture.

The key, as always, is to build trust first by providing a ton of value before asking for anything in return.

If that concept is new to you, then you can review how to build the know-like-trust factor.

In the meantime, let’s dig a little deeper into the common questions surrounding lead generating content libraries.

1. What’s a “content library?”

You’ll hear sales and marketing people refer to a content library as a bank of all the content assets owned by a company that is placed in a central, internal portal so other departments within that company can access that content.

That’s not what we are talking about here.

Yes, a content library is a bank of content, but in the way we will be using the phrase, it is full of resources that your audience can access once they register with an email address.

In other words, the public can access these resources, which makes this type of content library a lead generation tool.

2. What type of content goes into a content library?

You could include:

• Ebooks
• Videos
• Webinars
• Audio seminars
• Podcast episodes
• White papers
• Infographics
• Tutorials
• Data and analysis reports

And more.

The trick is to offer enough value that prospects view signing up for your content library as a no-brainer — an insane bargain.

See Question 5 for some examples of ways you could structure your content library.

3. What makes a content library better than a conventional email newsletter?

When you offer more resources for the same price (in this case, an email address), you are naturally going to get better results.

Our case study is one such example.

With a content library, you are likely to elevate more of your visitors into an ongoing relationship — in other words, a content library will help you convert more prospects into solid leads.

But not just any type of lead.

See, the main difference between a typical email newsletter and a content library offer is that with the content library, you can now identify your site visitors, which ultimately helps you convert more leads into sales.

Let me explain.

4. What’s the difference between an email sign up and website registration?

In both cases, it’s true that the prospect gives you an email address. With a sign-up, you have permission to send that person email — namely, your email newsletter or latest published blog posts.

With a content library registration, you give your prospect access to a site — access to exclusive resources like ebooks, videos, webinars, forums, and more.

In the first situation, the content marketer is throwing stuff at the prospect. In the second, the content marketer is inviting you to his place — which is loaded with useful resources.

And like I said before, when people visit your site as signed-in members, you can customize your promotional messages, which leads to higher conversions.

5. How many resources should you put into a content library?

There isn’t a hard-and-fast rule.

However, you need to include more than one piece of content. Don’t forget: you are trying to create a sense of great value.

For example, a content library with two, five-page ebooks is not going to suggest high value. But four 50-page ebooks and seven 30-minute training videos, however, will suggest high value.

Here’s another way you could structure your content library:

• 30 exclusive podcast episodes
• 10 articles
• 3 worksheets

As you can see, the numbers of ways you can structure your content library is limitless. Which leads us to our next question.

6. Do I give access to all the content at once?

The short answer is to start by giving away a large amount of content to create a sense of high value.
The ebooks in the original My.Copyblogger content library ranged between 31 and 142 pages — and there were 15 ebooks, plus a 20-part email course.

However, you can start small and build as time goes on.

For example, make the promise of adding more content once a month (or the frequency that works for you).

That strategy has a number of benefits.

It brings all those members back to your site every time you release a new piece of exclusive content.

In other words, you don’t need all the resources in place before you launch.

If you only have four ebooks and two podcast episodes, you can launch with that offer. But as you add more resources, don’t forget to update your content library’s promotional copy and alert your members.

7. How do I get people to my content library?

If you already have an email list in place, then promote your content library to that list.

With My.Copyblogger, an announcement was sent out to our general email list, and because there were 15 ebooks, there were 15 unique email promotions sent out, each one customized to that particular topic.

We sent out one of these emails a week, usually on a Friday.

Depending on the number of resources you have, your campaign might end up lasting two or three months.

Before sending each email, suppress the email addresses of people who have already registered, so those members of your community aren’t annoyed by seeing the same pitch multiple times.

If you don’t have a list (or want to continue promoting the content library after you’ve finished the campaign to your email list), the next step is to create high-quality, tutorial-type blog content that leads to a promotion of the content library.

Once people are on your site because of this high-quality, tutorial-type blog content, give them an opportunity to register.

Here are four useful ideas:

• Include a footer at the end of each blog post that encourages visitors to register for your content library.
• Add a sidebar that appears on every page of your website.
• Create feature boxes that appear in the header of your website.
• Use pop-overs and pop-ups (yes, there is a difference).

Learn more about these strategies in Beth Hayden’s article, 4 Quick Solutions that Spawn Radical Email List Growth.

8. Won’t content that requires a registration hurt SEO efforts?

No.

True, the content behind the registration wall won’t get crawled or indexed by Google (or any search engine for that matter).

However, search “copywriting” on Google and you’ll see that Copyblogger ranks at the top of the first page of search results. The rest of the topics in our content library are also on the first page of Google for terms like “content marketing,” “landing pages,” and “SEO copywriting.”

And every single one of those pages is what we call a cornerstone content page — which drives social and search traffic to register for the content library on My.Copyblogger. 

9. Do I have to call it a “content library?”

Nope.

You can call it whatever you want to call it.

Here are my ideas for different industries like health, fashion, and cooking:

• The Cross-Fit Foundation
• 8 Beautiful Wardrobe Basics
• Your Wok Recipe Essentials

It’s a good idea to mention in the description copy that this is a library of resources — and be very specific about what is in it.

You want to give your prospect the sense that there are some really juicy resources behind that registration wall.

10. Does this mean I’m starting a membership site?!?!

I added all those question marks and exclamation points because what most people say immediately after asking that question is … I’m not ready for that!

You get a real sense they are scared out of their wits.

If that’s you, relax, because registering people as members doesn’t mean you’re suddenly running a full-fledged membership site.

It just means people are joining your community.

However, if you achieve critical membership mass, a nice touch to your content library would be to offer a simple forum where your members could chat, share ideas, and ask you questions.

Our Rainmaker Platform enables someone who is dumber than a bag of bricks when it comes to coding (like me) to set up a password-protected content library — plus a forum — by simply grunting and pointing (like I do).

In the end, what really matters is that members of your community — even if what you offer them is free — benefit from content that’s tailored to their customer journeys.


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6 design tips to make your email newsletter visually appealing

Many businesses rely on email newsletters to build customer relationships and keep their companies top of mind with their audiences. A well-executed newsletter is a powerful email tool with multiple benefits, which is why it’s crucial to ensure your newsletter design is visually appealing. If it looks good, readers are more likely to click.

To help you start, we’ve created a list of six design tips to make your email newsletter visually appealing.

1. Create a header

No question, your newsletter needs a header. It’s the equivalent of a magazine, newspaper or website name. It sits at the very top of your newsletter and should include the newsletter title (if you have one), your company name and your logo.

Fortunately, there are online DIY tools to help you with your headers, such as Stencil or Pixlr. With these programs, you don’t need any graphic design experience to create and save graphics to your computer. Just create your header once, and use it again and again.

Here are a couple of examples:

2. Let your logo dictate color scheme

Your newsletter needs a color scheme. Because your logo is part of your header, consider using its colors throughout your email newsletter as font colors, borders or other elements. After all, your logo’s colors should already be the color palette for your entire branding.

3. Stick to standard fonts

When selecting fonts for your newsletter, the top priority is legibility. Stick with basic fonts like Times New Roman, Helvetica or Arial. Refrain from using several different fonts in one newsletter: Too many fonts together gives a cluttered, disorganized look that can easily distract the reader. Pick one or, at the most, two fonts for your entire newsletter — and consider sticking with them for each newsletter you create.

4. Use subheadings

Your newsletter should have several different pieces of content that are broken up by subheadings. It should look a lot like a newspaper. The subheadings should be in one of the clear fonts that you selected. The size of the subheadings should be smaller than what’s used in your header, but larger than the text you use for articles. Here’s an example from a real estate broker’s newsletter to her readership:

5. Stack content

If you’re using a newsletter template through an email service provider like VerticalResponse, you’ll be able to add content easily. For a layout that looks good to readers and scrolls smoothly on mobile devices, stack your content.

Here’s an example from the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco:

6. Use pictures

A well-designed email is a good balance of text and images. When a recipient opens your email, images instantly grab his or her attention. By adding a few pictures, you pull in your reader and enhance the effectiveness of your message at the same time.

When you create your next newsletter, add pictures that are easy to snap with your digital camera. For example, take a picture of an employee that you plan to highlight or grab a shot of your newest product to include in the next edition. Here’s an example from San Francisco Bay Area-based The Spanish Table:



Of course, some businesses don’t have a lot of photo-worthy opportunities. An online magazine that sells monthly subscriptions, for example, might not have a lot to take pictures of. If you’re in the same position, use simple graphics, or consider buying stock images from sites like iStock to incorporate into your newsletter.

When you’re creating your next email newsletter, remember that you want it to grab your readers’ attention. A clean, organized layout that makes it easy for the reader to digest your content is the best way to do that. Use these six tips to spruce up your design, increase readability and create an email newsletter that your audience looks forward to receiving.


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5 Gmail Tools For Engaging with Subscribers

 Engaging with subscribers can be daunting. Do you invite your email subscribers to reply to your email campaigns, blasts, and newsletters? If so, you can get the most out of those replies by routing them through Gmail. Then using the following four tools to create a great follow up experience.

1. Rapportive – Know Who You Are Talking To

It’s impossible to know every one of your subscribers personally. But thanks toRapportive, a free tool for Gmail, powered by LinkedIn, you can get to know some of them before you start a conversation. When an email subscriber replies to one of your emails. This tool will see if their email address matches a profile on LinkedIn. If it does, it will give you the following information.

You can use this to get to know your subscriber right from the start. It’s great for sales profiling, as you can pinpoint your email subscribers pain points and needs and include them in your first reply to them.

2. Yesware – Know When Subscribers Engage With You

When you reply to someone, do you wish you knew when they read your reply, when they clicked on your links? How about how often they opened your email, and so on? If so, Yesware is the solution. This tool, which works with Gmail and other email services, offers a host of features, including the ability to see how your email subscriber interacts with your reply to their email.

This means no more guessing. No more sending a “Did you get my last email?” email. No more sending a “Did you read that report I sent you?” email. You’ll know what they did, when they did it, and based on that information, what your next response should be.

3. Boomerang – So You Don’t Forget

Whether your inbox doubles as a to-do list or you simply don’t want to forget to follow up with a specific email subscriber. Boomerang is a great tool to use. It will allow you to send an email while simultaneously setting an option to send the email back to your inbox if you don’t receive a response, if the email is never opened, if the email is never clicked upon, or regardless of what happens.

It’s simple, yet effective when it comes to making sure that your most important email conversations don’t just fade into the nothing.

4. Canned Responses – So You Can Stop Rewriting the Same Thing

When email subscribers reply to your emails, do you find yourself responding with the same thing over and over again? If so, Gmail has a feature in their labs that will help you out. It’s called Canned Responses. You can activate it by going to your Gmail Settings, clicking on Labs, searching for Canned Responses, and then enabling them.

The next time you find yourself writing a common response to an email subscriber. (or anyone, for that matter) You can save it as a Canned Response using the options in the dropdown menu at the bottom right of your email composer.

Just be sure to change any personal items (like names, websites, phone numbers, etc.) as needed in subsequent emails.

5. Advanced Search – Just Like on Google, but in Your Inbox

The best reason to use Gmail is for its Advanced Search capabilities. You can refer to this full list of advanced search operators for Gmail for all of the search options you can use to find specific emails from specific subscribers for specific reasons.

This will allow you to do things like dive deep into conversations you had with an email subscriber. That eventually turned into a customer several years down the road. They will be extremely impressed that you remembered them from the first time they contacted you with a simple question that you just happened to find with an advanced search query.

What tools do you use to make responding to email subscribers more productive and beneficial? Please share in the comments!

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