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Posts from the 'All About Content' Category
March 31st, 2008 by Allen Voivod
 I’ve had this blog post on my mind to write for a while, and in the intervening time, I’ve lost the reference source I had for this, so I’m going to tell you this factoid…
Pastor Joel Osteen of Lakewood Church based part of his latest book, Become a Better You, on material he developed in his weekly sermons.
…and ask you to take that on faith. 
Now, you may be thinking something along the lines of, “He used the same material over again?! How unoriginal and lazy!” That’s the Deadly Sin thing - sloth, namely.
Years ago, I used to think that re-using material was lazy myself. But over time, I’ve come to realize that it’s not lazy at all. In fact, it’s darned smart for three very good reasons:
1. Your Ideal Audience doesn’t want to absorb your message, mission, and vision in just one way. In Osteen’s case, one person might only watch his sermons live, and another might only read his book. It’d be foolish - even pride-filled, if we continue the Deadly Sins analogy - if Osteen thought everyone in his following read every single word, watched every single broadcast, and listened to every single radio message or podcast.
2. Having multiple “Content Catapults” reinforces your expert status. Undoubtedly, some people do take in Osteen’s content in multiple ways. Do they resent the fact that he re-purposes content from one venue into another? Of course not! Quite the contrary, they appreciate each in their own way, and they respect him more for it. Additionally, reading a lesson versus hearing it on a TV show exposes us to different communication cues and nuances. The brilliant insight you didn’t have the first time may come leaping out to you when you experience it differently.
3. For the time-crunched lifestyle entrepreneur or doing-it-all small business owner, efficiency is everything. One well-crafted piece of content can serve as the basis of:
- An article
- A blog post
- A news release
- A direct mail postcard campaign
- A newsletter
- An ezine
- Part of a media kit
- A display ad
- A piece of a larger ebook, book, white paper, or special report
- A podcast
- A video blog
You get the idea.
And for what it’s worth, Osteen isn’t the only one re-purposing content for different audiences (and revenue streams). Dilbert creator Scott Adams’ recent bestseller, Stick to Drawing Comics, Monkey Brain! and Seth Godin’s Small Is the New Big are two prominent examples of books where the content was culled almost entirely from Adams’ and Godin’s blog postings.
Other books, like David Meerman Scott’s The New Rules of Marketing and PR and Scoble/Israel’s Naked Conversations were developed on Scott’s and Israel’s blogs with the specific intent of turning them into books.
Lani and I aren’t the only people out there preaching the gospel of content as the key to getting your message, mission, and vision out to your Ideal Audience. We’re not the only ones preaching the re-purposing of content, either.
So if we aren’t causing that flash of insight for you, at one of our workshops, on this blog, or in article directories and archives across the web, then hopefully, someone out there - whether a pastor like Osteen, a satirist like Adams, or other thought leaders like Scott, Godin, Scoble, and Israel - will inspire you to create and re-purpose content for your own business and bottom line.
Posted in All About Content | 2 Comments »
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March 25th, 2008 by Allen Voivod
 Do you remember what you read in a magazine two weeks or two months ago? Have you read multiple issues of a magazine recently? And do you care about what anyone else thought about an article you read, way back when?
If so, then you must be a “Letters to the Editor” reader. Personally, I’ve never been that person. I read part or all of about a dozen different magazines in a given month, and until recently, I’ve never even bothered with the Letters section.
Unlike a blog, where the feedback is instantaneous and I can join in a conversation, it doesn’t serve me to see what Jim Smith from Des Moines thinks, because I can’t reply to him, and if I reply to the magazine, they won’t print it because they’re off printing letters about the next issue. So what’s the point of even giving the time of day to the Letters section?
Then Esquire magazine turned the Letters section upside down.
Crack open an issue (no link, because in actuality, the online version doesn’t replicate or do justice to the print version), and you’ll find in their recently re-named “The Sound and the Fury” things like:
- Graphs showing a breakdown of letter topics
- Highlights in, footnotes on, and annotations of letters
- Behind the scenes peeks at features in the current issue
- Funny quotes from unpublished letters, pulled completely out of context
- “Letter-Inspired Fiction,” where a highly-regarded writer improvises a micro-story using a reader letter as a jumping-off point
Just to name a few. I don’t know who’s responsible (and I’d like to) for the re-imagining of the Letters section at Esquire, but I gotta say, it’s one of the coolest changes in a magazine’s format I’ve seen in … gosh, I don’t know how many years. Maybe this decade?
I could also say in this century or millennium, considering it’s the same thing. Either way, kudos to Esquire for doing what I had once thought impossible - not only getting me to read a Letters section, not only getting me to enjoy it, and not only to get me to look forward to it.
Esquire actually changed the way I read their magazine, by making their Letters section so cool that it’s the first thing I read.
Posted in All About Content | 2 Comments »
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March 17th, 2008 by Allen Voivod
 We just got notices over the weekend that Alexandria Brown, aka “The Ezine Queen,” is about to throw a free, two-part teleclass on ezines, which she says will be her last one EVER. (Wonder what she’ll call herself from now on, if she’s not going to do ezine-related calls anymore?)
That said, the calls are happening March 25th and 27th at 8pm Eastern, and if you can’t make it live, by signing up here with your first name and email address, you’ll get access to the recordings of the calls, where Ali says:
During these two 75-minute calls, you’ll discover:
- the 3 BIG problems with email right now that you MUST be aware of
(and how to do a complete and easy workaround)
- my top 5 personal recommendations to help you continue to MAKE MONEY from your ezine (and in fact, you can make a higher income than ever!)
- my 3 best NEW strategies that will help you get MORE EZINE SIGNUPS online than ever before (Need to grow your list fast? Then don’t miss this.)
- the new BEST DAY of the week to publish your ezine
(simply changing your schedule alone can increase your response… and sales!)
- the 2 things you MUST start doing NOW — whether you are a beginner or advanced — that will SAVE your online business future. (I’m not being dramatic or “doom and gloom” here… this is serious, folks.)
- 5 real-life lessons learned from ezine publishers just like you, and how they are using their ezines to continue to dramatically increase sales and publicity — despite
all the email naysayers. (You’ll want to hear what these solo-preneurs are doing so you can model what works.)
As we retool how we do our ezine this year, and considering the issues we’ve been hearing over the years about email deliver-ability and what can be done about it, we’re definitely going to be tuning in to find out the latest from the greatest in the ezine field, so to speak.
Mark your calendar, and join the fun next week!
Posted in All About Content, Dances With Gurus | No Comments »
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March 12th, 2008 by Lani and Allen
Or, as we’re calling it for the 2008 MicroCredit-NH Entrepreneurial Exchange - the theme for which is “Connecting Tools, Talents, and Techniques” - where we’re presenting this workshop:
The #1, Easiest, Cost-Effective, and Most FUN
Relationship-Building Business Booster You’re
Totally Overlooking and/or Underusing…and
How to STOP THAT, Right NOW!
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Learn to Leverage Your Content (i.e. Your Existing Assets)
to Be More Effective, Relevant, Authentic, and Profitable
Than You Ever Thought Possible for Your Business (and Life!)
in This New World of Possibility
Where the Old Rules of Marketing and Success No Longer Apply
to Either Lifestyle Entrepreneurs or Fortune 500 Companies Alike.
Believe It!*
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Lani & Allen Voivod
aka “The Content Lovers”
of Epiphanies, Inc.
MicroCredit-NH Entrepreneurial Exchange
March 12th, 2008
The Common Man Inn, Plymouth, NH
* The utter ridiculousness of this title and subtitle will be addressed in the workshop.
Our goals for the segment are:
1. First, we’ll help business owners identify the content-related “talents” (i.e., writing, speaking, networking, etc.) that come most easily to them and their team or employees.
2. Then, we’ll guide them through the tools and techniques they can use to easily and affordably create content around those talents.
3. Finally, we’ll see to it that participants leave with concrete actions steps to help them move forward with consistent, fun, and powerful content creation.
Below, you’ll find the Idea Path of our workshop, and links to take you further down the rabbit hole of content creation!
What Steve Martin can teach you about your own marketing and branding
What you’ll learn
 Who are we? (That’s us at the midnight hour, the night before the big gig, dotting “i”s and crossing “t”s.)
- We’re parents, Content Lovers, and spousal-preneurs
- We left Corporate America to live, work, and love on our own terms
- We’re reluctant imperfectionists who do our best to play to our strengths - aka, our Talents
- We didn’t like the idea that our annual income was capped by things like percentage increases, promotions, or bonuses
What is “content”?
3 Most Common Objections to Creating & Using Content in Your Biz Strategy
Why bother with content?
- So your prospects, clients, and customers can find you!
- Build your reputation and relationships
- It’s not for the sake of taking up space, but to differentiate yourself
- To showcase your strengths
The 100 Talents!
- When we incorporated in 2004, Lani’s talents were “writing, being creative/creativity, thinking bigger, improvising, and inciting,” and Allen’s were “writing, distilling info, listening, showing up, and expecting miracles.”
- Now, in our fifth year in business, our joint talents are:
- Thinking Bigger
- Expecting Miracles
- Repurposing
- Strategizing
- A-Ha-ing Ourselves
Getting to know each other - and make someone’s day
The Content Catapult Checklist
7 bits ‘o advice
Ranking the Catapults!
Back to your basics
Tying in the talents: Hot seats (time allowing)
Action Steps!
Your biggest “Aha!” moments/Q&A
Judson Laipply and the Evolution of Dance
And we’re out!
******
Okay, you’re here reading this. That means you either attended the workshop and wanted to go deeper with one or a bunch of the things we talked about, or you’ve found us “magically” online, by way of our content bread crumbs. Either way, thanks for being here!
If you were a workshop attendee, we’d like to ask you a favor. Would you mind sharing your highlights with us? What was your biggest “Aha!” moment of the session? What tip or technique struck you as most valuable for your biz? What was your favorite part, or the most fun thingie?
Please consider sharing a comment on this blog post to let us know you came for a visit. Or, leave a comment on our “A-Ha!” Hotline 214-615-6505 X9488. Or shoot us an email via our contact form. Your input means a lot to us!
Oh, and one more thing - there’s another way to go further on some of these topics, with our programs on websites, information products, and more. Check ‘em out…
Posted in All About Content | 5 Comments »
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March 11th, 2008 by Allen Voivod
At least, these are the ones our five-month-old overhears us talking about.
And in case you can’t read them, they are:
1. “I’m NOT a writer.”
2. “I don’t know what to do.”
3. “I don’t know how to do it.”
As “The Content Lovers,” we do everything we can to help you overcome these objections. In fact, if you want to dive deeper into the most popular and powerful Content Catapults, check out The “A-Ha Yourself!” Action Guide.
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March 11th, 2008 by Allen Voivod
In working with Kevin Skarritt of Acorn Creative on the “Go Nuts!” special report a while back, he came up with an incredible list of marketing tools and tactics - Content Catapults, if you will - which has expanded over time to be a 3-page, single-spaced list of ways a business could get their message, mission, and vision OUT there to their Ideal Audience.
And amazing as it may sound, “cartooning” isn’t even on the list.
It isn’t on our own shortlist of Content Catapults, either (which we chose on the basis of being the easiest, most cost-effective, and having the biggest bang for the smallest buck). But we DID include the “Create Your Own Content Catapult” catch-all, and here’s one example of someone who used cartooning as a Content Catapult - despite being very bad at it.
 Scott Adams’ latest book, Stick to Drawing Comics, Monkey Brain!: Cartoonist Ignores Helpful Advice, reveals some of the details of his early experience trying to get Dilbert off the ground:
I remember telling my friends and family that I was going to submit some comics to become a syndicated cartoonist. I don’t remember even one person predicting I would succeed. Thousands of wannabes submit comics for syndication every year and only a few get contracts. And most of those comics fizzle after a few years. My entire art experience included frequent doodling plus getting the well-deserved lowest grade in art class in college. That was my total preparation for my new career.
I sent my samples to several comic syndication companies. One syndicate helpfully suggested that I find an actual artist to do the drawings for me. United Media had lower standards and offered me a contract for Dilbert. That turned out to be a good move on their part.
The related thing, which he mentions in one of his other books, is that it took something like nine years of doing Dilbert before he finally quit his “day job” at SBC Communications and became a “full-time” cartoonist, so to speak. Nine years!
He may not have been a great (or even good) cartoonist, but what he did have going for him was fabulous content. So when it came to his drawing skills, “good enough” really was “good enough.”
And if you have great content, don’t hold yourself back with perfectionist thoughts, like “I need good recording equipment to do a podcast” or “I’ll start blogging after I get my website’s look and feel updated.” Just go for it!
Posted in All About Content, How do you "A-Ha Yourself"? | 1 Comment »
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March 11th, 2008 by Lani and Allen
Because the question’s been asked of us time and time again, here’s our official definition:
Posted in All About Content | 2 Comments »
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January 23rd, 2008 by Allen Voivod
Talk about getting in under the wire! Joe Pulizzi and Junta42 just announced their inaugural list of the Top 42 Content Marketing Blogs - and wonder of wonders, The “A-Ha!” Blog came in at #42!
(Pulizzi must be a Douglas Adams fan - he picked the number 42 because of its significance in Adams’ Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy series - more on that from Wikipedia).
 I want to say a special thank you to Patsi Krakoff, one half of the dynamic Blog Squad, who nominated us for the award. Her Writing on the Web blog ranked in at #25, so she’s no slouch herself!
Here’s the full press release with more information:
Junta42-The Social Bookmarking Site Dedicated to Content Marketers-Celebrates Its Launch by Announcing The Top 42 Content Marketing Blogs
-Honors go to Millward Brown’s ‘Straight Talk with Nigel Hollis,’ David Meerman Scott’s ‘Web Ink Now,” ‘Copyblogger’ and Others -
Cleveland, OH (PRWEB) January 23, 2008 - Junta42, a “digg-like” social bookmarking site focusing on content marketing, custom publishing and branded content, celebrated its launch by announcing the “Junta42 Top 42 Content Marketing Blogs“. The list, which was composed by comparing several blogs’ relation to content marketing, their post length/depth, regularity/frequency, overall content value and Google page rank, includes some of the best known marketing blogs, as well as up-and-comers on the verge of being discovered by the marketing community.
Junta42’s mission is to help businesses learn how to create better content, thus maximizing their overall communications initiatives. To do so, Junta42 has created a framework of content marketing articles, white papers, tutorials and case studies-all of which it makes available via various modes of content marketing (video, podcasts, social media applications, etc). Junta42’s Top Content Marketing Blogs list is a natural extension of its overarching goal of exposing great content.
“The Top 42 Content Marketing Blogs is an invaluable list for any marketing professional who needs to learn how their business can attract and retain customers by producing great content,” stated Joe Pulizzi, founder and chief content officer for Junta42. “While some of the Top 42 do not focus entirely on content marketing or custom publishing, all of them, in some way, help teach marketers how to create, distribute and market content through diverse forms of media.”
The top five blogs include:
- Straight Talk with Nigel Hollis, Millward Brown’s Chief Global Analyist
- Web Ink Now from Successful Author and Speaker David Meerman Scott
- Conversation Agent from Valeria Maltoni, a Leading Author and Marketing Thought Leader
- Marketing Interactions from Ardath Albee, Founder of the Marketing Consultancy of the Same Name
- Buzz Marketing for Technology from Paul Dunay, Director of Global Field and Interactive Marketing for BearingPoint
Other top blogs include Copyblogger by Brian Clark (#7), Seth Godin (#37) and Guy Kawasaki (#59).
The full list is available at: http://www.junta42.com/top_42_content_marketing_blogs.
For more information about Junta42 or The Junta42 Top Marketing Blogs, please contact Pam Kozelka at pam [at] zsquaredmedia.com or refer to the selection criteria and ranking system. To learn more about the custom content revolution, see Junta42’s video series on educating marketing professionals about the power of content, as well as its content marketing resource center.
About Junta42
Junta42 is the leading media site dedicated to everything content marketing and custom publishing. As of its official January 2008 launch, Junta42 boasts an archive of over 1,000 of the best content marketing articles on the Web from approximately 250 marketing-focused media sites, blogs, and businesses. Presented as a social bookmarking vehicle, the site is dedicated to marketing professionals who want to attract customers through valuable and relevant content creation and distribution. In Spring 2008, Junta42 is launching the “eHarmony of business content” called Junta42 Match–a service that will match businesses who need turnkey content with expert custom publishers and content providers.
Junta42 is a division of Z Squared Media, LLC.
And here’s the full list (with thanks to Michael Stelzner - #23 on the list - from whose blog I grabbed a nicely formatted and pre-linked version). Our recommendation - use your Google Homepage, or your RSS feed aggregator (Google Reader does it, and it’s built into Firefox) to keep track of these valuable blogs, and check ‘em out over the course of the next few weeks. Heck, that’s what I’ll be doing as soon as I finish this post!
1. Straight Talk with Nigel Hollis
2. Web Ink Now
3. Conversation Agent
4. Marketing Interactions
5. Buzz Marketing for Technology
6. ContentMarketingToday
7. Copyblogger
8. Web Strategy by Jeremiah
9. Daily Fix
10. Influential Marketing Blog
11. Logic+Emotion
12. CK’s Blog
13. Rexblog
14. BeTuitive
15. Consumer Generated Media
16. Diva Marketing Blog
17. The Origin of Brands
18. The Viral Garden
19. What’s Next
20. Bernaise Source
21. Drew’s Marketing Minute
22. Made to Stick
23. Writing White Papers
24. Greg Verdino’s Marketing Blog
25. Writing on the Web
26. Joe Wikert’s Publishing 2020
27. AttentionMax
28. Brand Autopsy
29. Branding & Marketing
30. Eat Media Blog
31. Passion2Publish
32. Think Tank - King Fish Media
33. The Lonely Marketer
34. Custom Publishing Council Blog
35. ExperienceCurve
36. Marketing Whims
37. Seth’s Blog
38. THINKing
39. Inspire Action
40. Pandemic Blog
41. Relevant and Valued
42. The A-Ha! Blog
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