Anchovies?!?

Did that make your mouth water? Then you know what it feels like to want something that is a little outside the mainstream. People who like anchovies on their pizza crave the unusual flavor of those tiny, salty fish. Sure, they might order one without anchovies, but they're much more likely to enjoy their favorite pizza along with other people who enjoy anchovies.

And isn't that what we're after with a strong blog for your group coaching program - writing that makes people crave a focused, beneficial experience?

Any coach can offer a life purpose or a career improvement coaching group - but what about a life purpose group for atheists? Or a career development group for people who are retiring? These combinations might even sound a little contradictory, but I can guarantee you that there would be eager participants in both groups.

Your blog can reflect your "anchovy" by featuring articles that appeal to the special needs of your group. Do the atheists need resources for life purpose that don't have a religious tone? Perhaps, they need meditation techniques that are void of spiritual overtones. Do the soon-to-be-retired need information about careers that offer flexibility for travel during retirement? They may need ideas about how to combine caring for older parents with juggling work.

Here's the great news about appealing to a special group: the blog posts are MUCH easier to write! Your group's needs are obvious and specific when the anchovy is the priority. The first suggestion I give any blogger is to learn how to "write tight." That means you should make one strong point per post and make the intention of the post clear. It can be very difficult to do that when writing about broad topics. Writing about your anchovy helps you jump that first "write tight" hurdle with ease.

image credit: roland

What's your anchovy? What makes people crave your group coaching experience? How can you imagine "writing tight" about your anchovy?

Laurie Foley, Blogging Expert

Is your online presence energizing you or overwhelming you? Laurie Foley is an online presence coach who helps people and organizations thrive online. With more than 25 years of technology experience and 15 years as an entrepreneur, she is a resourceful and intuitive guide for creating a strong personal brand. Besides writing as Group Coaching Mastery's Blogging Expert, you can find Laurie at http://lauriefoley.com and on Twitter as @lauriefoley.

When writing marketing, advertising and promotional copy, there are specific formulas to increase response and effectiveness. Since your copy truly is the secret to sales success it’s important to familiarize yourself with the formula even if you aren’t writing long copy. Here’s why: There is a psychological process that readers go through regardless of copy length and regardless of reading preference ie: analytical reader who dives into all the copy or scanner who glances at the key points and quickly makes a buying decisions.

Knowing the formula for creating a sales letter will help you connect with your ideal learner. Regardless of the length of your copy you can incorporate the basic formula to ensure you’re providing all the information your customers need to make a sound decision about investing in your products and services.

The reason understanding sales letter copy is extremely important is not only because it follows a specific formula for success – it also allows you to infuse your own voice into a proven method for authentically connecting with consumers.

The formula gives you a solid roadmap to success once you dig in and pay attention.

The basic elements follow:

• Attention grabbing headline that is customer centered
• An opening that includes interesting facts and stories to further connect you with your ideal customers/learners
• Features to explain what your product is all about
• Benefits to demonstrate how life will be better with your product or service
• Testimonials to provide social proof of your claims
• An offer that showcases everything your customer receives for their investment.
• A call to action so your ideal customer takes the next step towards doing business with you or investing in your product or service.
• Add a P.S. to pull it all together and reiterate your offer
• Include captions under your pictures when applicable

It’s a little more complicated than it sounds, especially if you’re not wild about writing copy in the first place, but you get the idea. And, when you wrap your mind around this formula it’s much easier to create copy that works.

There are also specific sections of copy that are the most read. The first thing the majority of readers absorb is your headline. So, you’ll want to make that punchy and customer-centric. The second most read portion of copy is your P.S. So, make sure you include the details of your offer to capture the scanners. Finally, the third most read portion of copy is the captions under pictures.

Now that you have the formula, this information allows you to craft compelling copy to truly connect with your ideal market.

Take a moment to review your marketing materials today.

Does your copy incorporate the formula for sales success?

What can you do to make your message more authentic?

P.S. Still not interested in writing your own copy? Post your questions and let me know what you need.

Copywriting Expert

Lisa Manyon is the President of Write On ~ Creative Writing Services, LLC. and a Professional Copywriter and Marketing Strategist specializing in POWERFULLY communicating your marketing message to increase results. She’s a published author and is a featured in the International Association of Web Entrepreneurs Official AWE Guide to Emerging Trends Every Online Entrepreneur Must Know and has written promotional, advertising and marketing copy for internet gurus and a wide variety of brick and mortar businesses. She's completed Glazer Kennedy’s Creating Copy that Sells certification and is a Copy Coach for Lorrie Morgan Ferrero’s She Factor Copywriting Bootcamp. Manyon offers a free Copywriting Action Plan with 7 Power-packed Insider Tricks of the Copywriting Trade to Dramatically Increase Sales of your Products & Services on her website

If you want to build a powerful presence to increase your visibility and your credibility for your group coaching program, you need to look beyond traditional media and add blogs to the list.

There are thousands of bloggers out there who already have access to the target market you want to reach. So you really need to connect with them.

Yet, few group coaches know how to pitch a blogger in a way to help ensure a connection is made. Some consistently break the first rule, wasting their time, as well as the blogger they are targeting.

So what is the first rule you need to know?

TRADITIONAL PRESS RELEASES ARE A WASTE OF TIME; THEY HATE IT!

Even though a press release is out, there are some basics that both the traditional and online media want.  Here's a quick list:

• Is it newsworthy? Bloggers are just as picky as journalists. They're going to disregard your pitch if it isn't relevant, interesting or worth telling their readers about.
• Leave the jargon for your peers. Just like in traditional media, the blogger is speaking to the general public to some extent. Most will not understand jargon, and the blogger might not either. Keep it uncomplicated, as always.

But there are some differences you need to know when pitching bloggers. Here are some things that should be done differently for the blogosphere:

• Keep it personal. It is useful to follow and be actively participating by leaving comments on their blog. This way when you pitch to them, you already know them. Get to know the blogger. Dig a little deeper showing them you've done your homework.
• Don't be pushy. Bloggers can do what they want with their blog, so don't tell them what they should do (like talk about your story) or that you can't believe they didn't cover something you pitched to them. Sure, they may give you some publicity for this, but in a negative way.
• It's about having a conversation. Blogging is a mainly personal activity. Most bloggers write as they chat more or less. Do the same. Make it short, sweet, to the point and more casual than a traditional pitch. You will be rewarded.
• Stop asking for a link or a link trade. Instead, ask them to take a look at your material, blog or product. If they like it, you will know about it if you are actively following the blog anyway, so there is no need to chase them.

Shannon Cherry, Publicity Expert

Shannon Cherry is the publicity/media expert for Group Coaching Mastery, and the founder of Be Heard Solutions.  Known as The Power Publicist, she helps coaches, entrepreneurs, consultants and solo professionals attract more clients and customers through the power of publicity.  For a free publicity power pack, visit Be Heard Solutions.