YOUR T N E T CON

K C O R

L L A SH

r u o y s e o d nt

e t n o c a e k i r t s

? D R O H C

HOW TO STRIKE A CHORD WITH CONTENT

WEVE PICKED A HANDFUL OF OUR HITS TO SHOW YOU

CONTENTS

A REAL LIFE LESSON... 5 A MIGHTY METAPHOR... 7 NEGATIVE POINT OF VIEW... 9 CHALLENGE CONVENTION... 11 HUMAN NATURE... 13 DROP A BIG BOMB... 15 DELIVER SERIOUS VALUE... 17 SIMPLIFY STUFF... 19 EXPLAIN WHAT WORKS... 21

SERIOUS FUN... 23 UNLOCK A SECRET... 25 SMART STRATEGIES... 27 EXPRESS APPRECIATION... 29 HOLIDAY WISHES... 31 HAND OVER THE MICROPHONE... 33 PLAY A GAME... 35 LEAD THE WAY... 37 CONTACT... 39

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lesson one

N O S LES
5

E F I L L A A RE

TEACH SOMETHING SOMEONE TAUGHT YOU

A REAL LIFE LESSON

Tell a good story.
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.
Guest blog post Read The Most Valuable How to Lesson of My Copywriting Career on Business2Community.

lesson two
INTRODUCE AN IDEA TOO STRANGE TO BE IGNORED

R O H P A T ME

Y T H G I AM

A MIGHTY METAPHOR
Kill it with curiosity.
Metaphors are fascinating. Especially when theyre 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.

Guest blog post Read Your Website is a Mousetrap and Your Content is the Cheese on Social Media Today.

lesson three

YOURE DOING IT

POINT OF VIEW
9

WRONG

NEGATIVE

NEGATIVE POINT OF VIEW

Have no fear.
You might have been told its best to stay positive. Wrong. Its 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.
Guest blog post Read 11 Reasons Why Prospects Dont Convert into Customers on Convince and Convert.

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lesson four

CONVENTION
11

CHALLENGE

YOURE ENTITLED TO YOUR OPINION

CHALLENGE CONVENTION
Speak your mind.
Your unpopular opinion might make your content popular. When I told thought leaders what I thought of their ridiculous selfappointed title, I ruffled some feathers. But I dont apologize for having an opinion. I strongly suggest you have a strong point of view and put it out there.
Guest blog post Read Dont Tell Me Youre a Thought Leader: Just Be One on Social Media Today.

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lesson five

E R U NAT
13

HUMAN

WE ARE WHAT

WE ARE

HUMAN NATURE
Basic 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 doesnt hurt to get a little frisky now and then either.
Guest blog post Read If You Dont Treat Social Media Like Sex, Youre Doing It Wrong on Social Media Explorer.

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lesson six

ISSUE

FORCE THE

15

BOMB

DROP A BIG

DROP A BIG BOMB

You cant 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 cant cash. But if you can make a big promise and deliver, do it.
Guest blog post Read The Most Effective SEO Strategy of All Time on Social Media Today.

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lesson seven

S U O I R E S R E DELIV

E U L VA

TO GET THE JOB DONE

HERES HOW

17

DELIVER SERIOUS VALUE

Show 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.
Guest blog post Read How to Generate Leads with SlideShare on Social Media Examiner.

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lesson eight

BACK TO BASICS

ITS ALWAYS SMART TO GET

19

STUFF

SIMPLIFY

SIMPLIFY STUFF
Be 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.
Guest blog post Read Making Your Online Marketing Work: Sharpen Your Focus on This One Thing on Copyblogger.

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lesson nine

21

WORKS

EXPLAIN WHAT

SUCCESS STORY

TELL A

EXPLAIN WHAT WORKS

Success is seductive.
Tales of triumph are compelling. You can focus on your customers 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.
Guest blog post Read Inbound Marketing Works: A Copywriters Success Story on Social Media Today.

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lesson ten

23

FUN

RIDICULOUS

THIS ONES A LAUGHER

RIDICULOUS FUN
Get theatrical.
Why not take chances with some unconventional storytelling styles? This ones a comedy sketch. Its 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.
Blog post Read Is Social Media as Worthless as the Telephone on The Point, the Feldman Creative blog.

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lesson eleven

YOU NEED TO KNOW

THERES SOMETHING

25

SECRET

UNLOCK A

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.

lesson twelve

S E I G E T A R T S
27

YOU GOT EM

SHARE EM IF

SMART

SMART STRATEGIES

Be a teacher.
Conducting webinars is a wonderful way to present a detailed lesson. Resist the temptation to pitch products. Teach, dont preach. Youll come across as an authority.

Webinar Watch Magnetic Content: Strategies to Transform Your Website Into a Customer Attraction Force Fieldon YouTube.

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lesson thirteeen

APPRECIATION
29

EXPRESS

THANK YOU

SAY

EXPRESS APPRECIATION

Give thanks.
A mentor of mine wrote about how meaningful it is to recognize others. Hes 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 gestureand shared the content.
Infographic Check out Feeling the Vibe of the Tribe a ThankYouGraphic on Social Media Today

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lesson fourteen

31

WISHES

HALLMARK?

WHO NEEDS

HOLIDAY

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 Valentines Day treatment. Do you love it?
Infographic Check out Engagement: The DNA of Relationships an infographic on SlideShare.

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lesson fifteen

A CHANCE TO TALK

GIVE SOMEONE ELSE

E N O H P O R C I M

E H T R E V O HAND

33

HAND OVER THE MICROPHONE

Now hear this.

With the mass adoption of smart phones, podcasts have only grown in popularity. Youll 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.
Podcasts Listen to Content Marketing Minds and The Point - In Your Ear by searching iTunes for Barry Feldman.

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lesson sixteen

GET THE AUDIENCE

35

A GAME

INVOLVED

PLAY

PLAY A GAME

Gamification?
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 unforgettable. WTF was a game show created to kick off a marketing conference.
Event keynote Play the game, WTF: Words, Things, Faces (New medias favorite game show on SlideShare.

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lesson seventeen

THE WAY
37

LEAD

GUIDANCE

GIVE SOME

LEAD THE WAY

Lay out a plan.

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.
eBook Read The Plan to Grow Your Business with Effective Online Marketing available on the Feldman Creative website.

38

STRIKE
A

Visit www.feldmancreative.com Call 916.984.9988

CHORD

Photo by Martin Fisch/Flickr

39

Written and designed by Barry Feldman of

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