ROCK

YOUR CONTENT

SHALL

does your

content

strike a

CHORD?

WE’VE PICKED A HANDFUL OF OUR HITS TO SHOW YOU

HOW TO STRIKE A CHORD WITH CONTENT

3

44

A REAL LIFE LESSON... 5A MIGHTY METAPHOR... 7

NEGATIVE POINT OF VIEW... 9CHALLENGE CONVENTION... 11

HUMAN NATURE... 13DROP A BIG BOMB... 15

DELIVER SERIOUS VALUE... 17SIMPLIFY STUFF... 19

EXPLAIN WHAT WORKS... 21

SERIOUS FUN... 23UNLOCK A SECRET... 25

SMART STRATEGIES... 27EXPRESS APPRECIATION... 29

HOLIDAY WISHES... 31HAND OVER THE MICROPHONE... 33

PLAY A GAME... 35LEAD THE WAY... 37

CONTACT... 39

CONTENTS

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A REAL LIFE

LESSON TEACH SOMETHINGSOMEONE

TAUGHT YOU

lesson one

5

A REAL LIFE LESSON

Take the reader on a journey

with you. Use basic storytelling

elements: a place, a time,

characters, conflict and

resolution. The main character

overcomes an obstacle.

A lesson is learned.

Read “The Most Valuable ‘How to’ Lesson of My Copywriting Career” on Business2Community.

Guest blog post

Tell a good story.

6

A MIGHTY

METAPHORINTRODUCE AN IDEA

TOO STRANGETO BE IGNORED

lesson two

7

A MIGHTY METAPHOR

Metaphors are fascinating.

Especially when they’re a bit

unusual. Metaphors make it easy

to understand a concept. Set it

up and drive it home. Have fun

with it and your readers will too.

Read “Your Website is a Mousetrap and Your Content is the Cheese” on Social Media Today.

Kill it with curiosity.

8

Guest blog post

NEGATIVE POINT OF VIEW

YOU’RE DOING IT WRONG

lesson three

9

You might have been told it’s best

to stay positive. Wrong. It’s

positively boring, actually. Break

free from the predictable “how to”

now and then. Be a contrarian.

Amplify a painful problem. Use

the magnetic pull of the no-no and

the power of the unknown.

NEGATIVE POINT OF VIEW

Read “11 Reasons Why Prospects Don’t Convert into Customers” on Convince and Convert.

Have no fear.

10

Guest blog post

CHALLENGE CONVENTION

YOU’RE ENTITLEDTO YOUR OPINION

lesson four

11

CHALLENGE CONVENTIONSpeak your mind.Your unpopular opinion might

make your content popular.

When I told thought leaders what

I thought of their ridiculous self-

appointed title, I ruffled some

feathers. But I don’t apologize for

having an opinion. I strongly

suggest you have a strong

point of view and put it out there.

Read “Don’t Tell Me You’re a Thought Leader: Just Be One” on Social Media Today.

12

Guest blog post

HUMAN

NATUREWE ARE WHAT

WE ARE

lesson five

13

HUMAN NATUREBasic needs.Take a cue from the covers of Cosmopolitan and the other popular magazines that fly off displays at the checkout counter. Headlines that speak to our basic desires such as sex, love, comfort, and happiness will generate supreme curiosity. Of course, it doesn’t hurt to get a little frisky now and then either.

Read “If You Don’t Treat Social Media Like Sex, You’re Doing It Wrong” on Social Media Explorer.

14

Guest blog post

DROP A BIG

BOMBFORCETHE

ISSUE

lesson six

15

DROP A BIG BOMBYou can’t top this.In this, my most read article to

date, I held nothing back. When

you use superlatives like “the

most” or “the ultimate,” be

careful not to write checks you

can’t cash. But if you can make

a big promise and deliver,

do it.

Read “The Most Effective SEO Strategy of All Time” on Social Media Today.

16

Guest blog post

DELIVER SERIOUS VALUE HERE’S HOW

TO GET THEJOB DONE

lesson seven

17

DELIVER SERIOUS VALUEShow and tell.Social Media Examiner has established a large and loyal audience by delivering a steady stream of detailed “how to” tutorials. Choose a topic you know inside and out and teach a lesson your audience will value. This is your ticket to building authority and establishing trust.

Read “How to Generate Leads with SlideShare” on Social Media Examiner.

18

Guest blog post

SIMPLIFY

STUFFIT’S ALWAYS SMART TO GET BACK TO BASICS

lesson eight

19

SIMPLIFY STUFFBe the lens.New information, ideas and challenges are coming at your prospects and customers relentlessly. They crave clarity.Find an area of confusion. Zoom in on the issues, help readers understand them and focus on what matters most.

Read “Making Your Online Marketing Work: Sharpen Your Focus on This One Thing” on Copyblogger.

20

Guest blog post

EXPLAIN WHAT

WORKS TELL ASUCCESSSTORY

lesson nine

21

EXPLAIN WHAT WORKSSuccess is seductive.Tales of triumph are compelling. You can focus on your customer’s accomplishment, your own (as I did here) or anyone you know readers can relate to. Give it a story treatment. Color it with details about the challenge and dig into exactly what works.

Read “Inbound Marketing Works: A Copywriter’s Success Story” on Social Media Today.

22

Guest blog post

RIDICULOUS FUN

THIS ONE’SA LAUGHER

lesson ten

23

RIDICULOUS FUNGet theatrical.Why not take chances with some

unconventional storytelling styles?

This one’s a comedy sketch. It’s a

parody actually. I had a blast writing

it and the readers got a kick out of

it too. Keep your eyes open for

some day-to-day drama, give it a

twist and surprise your audience

now and then.

Read “Is Social Media as Worthless as the Telephone” on The Point, theFeldman Creative blog.

24

Blog post

UNLOCK A

SECRETTHERE’S SOMETHING

YOU NEED TO KNOW

lesson eleven

25

SLIDE PRESENTATION

Tricks of the trade.You should share your secrets, your shortcuts, and the tricks you know will benefit potential customers. This presentation delivers a lesson on repurposing content to extract more value out of it. The reaction was overwhelming. Try it.

See “The eBook is the Stud in Your Content Marketing Stable” on SlideShare.

SMART STRATEGIES

SHARE ‘EM IFYOU GOT ‘EM

lesson twelve

27

SMART STRATEGIES

Be a teacher.Conducting webinars is a

wonderful way to present a

detailed lesson. Resist the

temptation to pitch products.

Teach, don’t preach. You’ll

come across as an authority.

Watch “Magnetic Content: Strategies to Transform Your Website Into a Customer Attraction Force Field”on YouTube.

28

Webinar

EXPRESS APPRECIATION

SAY THANK YOU

lesson thirteeen

29

EXPRESS APPRECIATION Give thanks.A mentor of mine wrote about how

meaningful it is to recognize others.

He’s one of the many people who

influenced my approach to marketing

and is thanked in this infographic.

Not surprisingly, the people and

organizations recognized here

appreciated my gesture—and

shared the content.

Check out “Feeling the Vibe of the Tribe” a “ThankYouGraphic on Social Media Today

30

Infographic

HOLIDAY

WISHESWHO NEEDS

HALLMARK?

lesson fourteen

31

HOLIDAY WISHES

From the heart.Holidays present special occasions

for doing something thematic.

Strong marketers seldom miss the

opportunity to take advantage of

timely and topical content. In this

infographic, I cited a great report I

came upon and gave it a Valentine’s

Day treatment. Do you love it?

Check out “Engagement: The DNA of Relationships” an infographic on SlideShare.

32

Infographic

HAND OVER THE MICROPHONE

GIVE SOMEONE ELSE

A CHANCE TO TALK

lesson fifteen

33

HAND OVER THE MICROPHONE

Now hear this.With the mass adoption of smart phones, podcasts have only grown in popularity. You’ll strike a chord with those that like to listen by producing podcasts. Hosting a show not only extends your reach, it gives you a great opportunity to invite influential guests to join the program.

Listen to “Content Marketing Minds” and “The Point - In Your Ear” by searching iTunes for “Barry Feldman.”

34

Podcasts

PLAY

A GAMEGET THE AUDIENCE

INVOLVED

lesson sixteen

35

PLAY A GAMEGamification?You might have come across

this funny word. People love

to play games and learn by

doing so. Make what might

have been a mundane

experience fun and unforget-

table. “WTF” was a game

show created to kick off a

marketing conference.

Play the game, “WTF: Words, Things, Faces” (New media’s favorite game show” on SlideShare.

36

Event keynote

LEAD THE WAY

GIVE SOME GUIDANCE

lesson seventeen

37

LEAD THE WAY

The name of the game is

publishing. Consider how

you can collect your best

advice and create a helpful

guide. “The Plan” is an

example, as is this eBook.

I hope you learned a lot.

Read “The Plan to Grow Your Business with Effective Online Marketing” availableon the Feldman Creative website.

eBook

Lay out a plan.

38

Photo by Martin Fisch/Flickr

STRIKE

CHORD

A

Visit www.feldmancreative.comCall 916.984.9988

39

Written and designed by Barry Feldman of

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