Want To Learn How To Boost Your Content? Sign-Up For A Preview Of My Upcoming “Content Boosters” Online Course

Posted by scottaught on Jan 18, 2012 in Business Tips | 0 comments

Want To Learn How To Create Better Content?

Welcome.  I have 21 years of experience in creating content on a regular basis, so I know it’s much easier for me to create content than it is for you.  I realize that I know methods that you don’t.  I know techniques for how to present my content that you don’t know.

Because of that fact, I want to teach you what I know.  That way you can have a head start on creating compelling, engaging content.

If you are interested in this, I’d like to send you some free lessons, which are excerpts from my upcoming e-course.

These free lessons will teach you:

CLICK HERE TO SIGN-UP FOR MY FREE “CONTENT BOOSTERS” PREVIEW LESSONS.

Read my most recent posts below...

The 4 Commandments of Socially-Created Content

Posted by scottaught on May 20, 2012 in Content Marketing | 0 comments

In 2006, Carlos Terron was a cook in General Electric’s cafeteria. His wife, Alex, put in long hours as an office manager for a pediatrician.

One night they were both recovering from a rough work day, when Carlos wondered out loud, “Wouldn’t it be great if we could work for ourselves?” His wife didn’t take this idea lightly. They talked about the reality of doing something like this, and decided to go for it.

With dreams of great success, they invested $48,000 in a truck and opened the El Charrito taco truck in Stamford, CT, selling delicious authentic Mexican food.

And the results? Unfortunately, it generated very little business.

Until one day a guy named Adam came to buy a taco. He loved it and wanted another, but he had one problem: He didn’t have the cash to buy another. Alex gave him another one for free and told him to just pay her back when he could. Later on, he paid her back, but he also did much more to repay the favor.

Alex didn’t know it at the time, but Adam was a well-known food blogger for Chowhound. He went back and blogged about El Charrito. The result? Lines of people began to show up. El Charrito is now a very popular destination in Stamford; it has been featured in local media and was evenprofiled on a ”Best Of” Foods show on the TLC cable channel (where I heard about them).

When we talk about content marketing, we usually think of content that is created by the business itself (the owner or someone on their team). But what we often overlook is some of the most potent content around: customer-created content, or what I would call “social content.”

In the awesome new book, “Grouped: How Small Groups of Friends are the Key to Influence on the Social Web,” author Paul Adams explains exactly why this type of content is so powerful.

He says:

“When people are unsure about how they should act or feel, they observe people around them. This is known as social proof. Research shows that when we observe others, our brains simulate what they are feeling.”  

Later, Adams explains that, “Social proof can be used to show people the preferred course of action or appropriate behavior.”

It reminds me of something Daniel Goleman said in his (also great) book, “Social Intelligence:”

Our brains contain recently discovered cells called “mirror neurons.” These cells act sort of like a neural-WiFi. They are what allow us to pick up on, feel, and mirror what others are feeling. When you observe one person telling an exciting story and see their friend’s face and body begin to respond with similar signs of excitement, that’s the mirror neurons in action!

The way Goleman describes this phenomenon is very powerful: “Emotions are contagious.” 

Really think about what these two authors are saying: The most powerful type of influence is when a person shares emotions, actions, and feelings with another. It influences us on a deep, even subconscious, level.

There’s only one problem, though. When you, as a business owner, share something about your business, people aren’t influenced by it like they normally would be in regular conversation. Why? Because they know you want to sell them something, and this puts their guard up. It blocks (or at the least somewhat dulls) the natural influence that goes on between two people.

But, when you add social content to your strategy, things change:

• When you share case studies, you are allowing prospects to vicariously go through the experience that someone else has had. They get to “feel” the same process and results.
• When you ask customers to submit testimonials and then share them with your prospects, it will have a much greater impact than your own words about your business ever will.

Would El Charrito ever have become as famous if they just kept telling people their food was awesome? Maybe. But it probably would have taken much longer. One post from food blogger Adam and everything changed. His excitement for their food was contagious and it spread to hiscommunity of followers.

If you are looking to encourage this type of social interaction to generate excitement and enthusiasm for your business, here are four ways to prime the pump:

Ask, and you shall receive

Whenever I get an email from someone complimenting one of my products, I ask them if they would mind if I share it with my prospects. Surprisingly, most are glad to do it (in fact, I can’t think of anyone who has ever said, “No”). Social content works the same way:

• If someone contacts you to compliment your product or service, respond by asking them if they would mind tweeting it out to their followers.
• Likewise, if someone tweets a compliment to you, then reply or DM them and ask them if they would share the same thing with their friends on Facebook.
• If they share with you how your product or service has helped them, get their permission to put together a case study about them, which you can post on your website, or submit as a guest post on other sites. As long as you explain how it helps others to see reviews and testimonials from your customers, most will be glad to help you out.

Do unto others

If you want people to tweet about your products or services, then you should make it a point to tweet about others’ products or services that you like. If you want testimonials, then give testimonials — it’s the “Golden Rule” in action.

It’s what Robert Cialdini calls the “rule of reciprocation” in his book, “Influence: The Psychology Of Persuasion.”  When people see you do something like this, many people will respond and do the same for you.

Give thanks

When people actually make an effort to socially share their love of your product or service with others, then you better make sure to thank them, sincerely and appreciatively. When you do, it may just encourage them to “pay it forward” for you and others.

• You can thank them privately (good), or you can thank them publicly (even better).
• Thank them through your social media channels, or acknowledge them in your email newsletter. They’ll appreciate the acknowledgment, and others will be indirectly encouraged to do them same.

Do amazing things

The last thing I need to add is that if you don’t do something worth sharing, then don’t expect any of the above suggestions to produce any results. If all you do is the same as every other business in your category, then why would anyone want to share about that? You must find ways to impress and amaze people for the above three ways to work. (Remember why Adam blogged about El Charrito in the first place? It was the amazing food and the amazing act of kindness that inspired him.)

Your customers might not be famous bloggers, but they each have a social network they are connected to. When you ask and encourage your fans to share their love of your product or service with others, you’ll never know who or how many they can reach.

And when you get their permission to share their stories as case studies with your prospects, you get to share their excitement about your business with others.

Social content is a powerful tool that must be included in every content marketers toolbox. Make sure it’s in yours.

(NOTE: This post of mine originally appeared on ContentMarketingInstitute.com)

Disney’s New Secret Hideaway: A Business & Content Marketing Lesson

Posted by scottaught on May 10, 2012 in Business Tips, Content Creation Tips, Content Marketing | 0 comments

I came across an article in the LATimes.com titled, “Disney Opens Membership To Exclusive Club 33 And 1901″.

The article reveals that, “Officials say invitations are being offered to 100 people on a waiting list for the secret Disneyland hideaway, and a new California Adventure facility. Price tag: $25,000 plus annual dues of $10,000.”

This is a perfect example of what I wrote about in my last post “Shhh… One Of The Most Powerful Forms Of Content Marketing.”

• Would there be ANY way they could charge this much if it was accessible to everyone?  No.
• Would there be this much of a demand? No.
• Would there be as much of a buzz?  No.

Exclusivity and secrecy create value  and enhance your actual product or service  and they also boost your content marketing.

Disney is smart enough to harness this power.  We need to be just as wise.

Photo by Taylor.McBride™

Shhh… One Of The Most Powerful Forms Of Content Marketing

Posted by scottaught on Apr 24, 2012 in Content Creation Tips, Content Marketing | 0 comments

One of the things I love about Netflix is that I end up trying out shows I never would have if I had to pay to watch each one separately.

And because of that I end up watching and liking shows I never would have.

One of the ones I just started watching a few days ago is called “Decoded.”

It’s a show from author Brad Meltzer.

The whole premise of the show is to reveal secrets about signs, symbols and codes that are hidden in plain sight.  

They focus each episode on an object or organization that is purported to have some secret influence.  These are things that most people don’t even know exist.

They discuss organizations like the Masons, the Illuminati and others.  They look at conspiracy theories from the past and present.
I’ve only watched the first two episodes, but it has already taught me two things that are important lessons for content marketers.

Two things that both tie into one of the most powerful forms of content marketing ever used.

Are you ready to hear what these lessons are and to learn this powerful form of content marketing?

Ok then, lean in close and I’ll tell you…  :)

1.  The first lesson I’ve learned is that private or exclusive organizations/clubs are more in demand than public ones.

Each of the first two episodes of this show has focused on these types of clubs.   The second episode was about a “Bohemian Club.”

Supposedly powerful men from around the world gather at a secret location in Northern California to set the agenda for our country.  This club is an all male,  invitation-only club.   Membership costs $25,000.

2. The second lesson I’ve learned is that when you don’t reveal everything  about an exclusive club or item, then it fuels speculation and increases people’s interest.

The reason people are interested in the Masons is because they don’t tell you everything about what they teach or do.

The reason people care about “Area 51″ is for this reason.  The less  the government revealed about it the more  the legend spread.  And the more people wanted to know about it.

Both of these lessons tie in to one of the most powerful forms of content marketing.  What is it?

It’s the power of secrets.

Apple seems to know this power.  They’ve learned to limit the amount of information they reveal whenever they release a new version of a product or a new product.

 Mac owners don’t just own computers, but they feel a part of an exclusive club.  They have a way of talking and a common understanding that those without Macs don’t.

It’s almost like they know a secret that PC users don’t.

That is how you harness the power of secrets.  Create content that is intriguing.  Content that teases.  Content that describes something, but doesn’t show you it all.

By the way, did you notice that I wrote this post in a way that indirectly implied you were going to get privileged information?  That is one way to create content that harnesses this power.

Can you think of other companies who have harnessed this power?  Comment or contact me and share examples.  I’ll share the best ones.

Photo by olga.palma

P.S.  Do you want to learn more about how to harness this powerful form of content marketing?  I’ve left you clues in the italicized words in this post.  Write them down as a list and you’ll have some hints and types of language that will give you clues on how to use this power yourself.

P.P.S. Notice that blue, “My Page” FB button at the top of this post?  Have you ever clicked on it?  If you did, then you know the secret about how well I’ve promoted my Facebook page.  Well just so you know… if you go there and “like” my page, you’ll be able to see something that others who don’t won’t.  You’ll see when I reveal (only on my FB page) some more of the ways to implement the “secret of secrets.”

Content Marketing Makes You And Your Business “Shareable” & “Sticky”

Posted by scottaught on Apr 20, 2012 in Content Marketing | 0 comments

I want to give you two simple reasons you should be using content marketing.  Ready?

1. It gives people a reason (and an easy way) to “share” you with others.

2. It gives people a reason to keep coming back to your site.

Let me explain…

• We all want our business to experience the power of “word-of-mouth.”
• We all want our website to be linked to, and tweeted, and posted on Facebook.
• We want people to “like” or “+1″ us and our business.

But what current reason  do people have to do these things in regards to your business or website?

One of the things people love to do online is to share great information (content) with others.  When you create content you give people a reason to share you and your business with others.

What?  You don’t have time to create content?  You’re not good at writing?

That still shouldn’t stop you.

You can still curate content.  You can begin to post excerpts of interesting news, articles and blog posts (with links to the referenced source) on your site.

Creating or curating information will make you more “shareable.”
But that’s not all.

It will keep you on people’s radar.  They’ll remember you when they need/want what you sell.  Why?  Because the great content you post will cause them to keep coming back to you to see what’s new.

It will make you and your business “sticky.”

And those two things are some of the most important keys to success today.

Photo by Lovin Scoopful

The Great Value Of Disaster?

Posted by scottaught on Apr 9, 2012 in Business Tips | 0 comments

How you view the good and bad that happens in your life will affect your response to the events of life.

And that ultimately changes your long-term results.

Let me show you what I mean by sharing with you a story that I came across…

We all know that Thomas Edison was a pretty amazing inventor.

He invented the phonograph, the microphone, the storage battery, the incandescent light, talking movies, and over 1000 other things.

But don’t be fooled.  That doesn’t mean that all his inventions came to him easily.

By December 1914, he had worked for 10 years on a storage battery.  And because of this fact, his finances were severely strained.

One evening the worst thing imaginable happened.

Spontaneous combustion broke out in the film room.  In just minutes, all the packing compounds, celluloid for records and film, and all the other flammable goods were up in flames.

Fire companies who came from eight surrounding towns showed up to try to save his possessions.  But they were halted in doing so.  Why?  Because the heat was so intense and the water pressure so low.  It made all their attempts to put out the flames useless.

Everything was destroyed.

With all his assets up in smoke what would his response to this tragedy be?

The inventor’s son Charles, who was 24 years old at the time, searched frantically for his father.  He finally found him.  But he was surprised at what he saw.

His Dad was calmly watching the fire, with his face glowing in the reflection and his white hair blowing in the wind.

Charles said, “My heart ached for him.  He was 67–no longer a young man–and everything was going up in flames.”

When Edison saw his son he yelled, “Charles, where’s your mother?”
Charles told him he didn’t know where she was and Edison told him, “Go find her. Bring her here. She will never see anything like this as long as she lives.’”

If that wasn’t amazing enough, the next morning, Edison looked at the ruins and said, “There is great value in disaster. All our mistakes are burned up. Thank God we can start anew.”

And what affect did his view of this tragedy have on his life?  I can’t tell you all the ways it affected his life, but I can tell you this.

Three weeks after the fire, Edison managed to deliver the first phonograph.

What Would Happen If?
We can all guess the effect that viewing some positive thing in our lives as a negative thing would have on us.

But what would happened if we began to view some negative things in our lives as positive?

(Or if you can’t get up the strength/courage to do that, how about viewing them, at least, as things that aren’t permanently debilitating?)

In what areas of your life can you change your view of things?  What things would change in your life if you did?

The only way to really know is to try it out and see for yourself.

P.S.  And if you are saying to yourself, “Yeah, that’s easy for you to say.  You probably haven’t been through any bad things.”  

Have you read the story about the day I was kidnapped?

Related articles

• The Secret To Becoming A Person Of Influence (recessionsolution.com)
• VIDEO – Content Marketers: The Thing You Must “See” To Reach Your Goals (recessionsolution.com)
• The Legend Of Cliff Young And The Overlooked Ingredient For Success In 2012 recessionsolution.com)

DON’T FORGET TO CLICK HERE TO SIGN-UP FOR MY “RECESSION SOLUTION BLOG” UPDATE LIST.
You don’t want to miss updates or special content from me, right?  

Scott Aughtmon is a “business recession solution expert“, a “content creation expert” , and a speaker. He’s spent over 12 years studying effective marketing and business methods (both online and offline). You can read some of his content marketing articles for “Content Marketing Institute“ here. He’s the author of two e-books called “How Your Business Can Survive And Prosper In A Recession” in which he interviewed 38 top business, marketing and sales experts and got them toreveal their methods to help business owners survive and prosper in a recession. Scott has also been interviewed on radio shows and asked to share his wisdom to help business owners survive and prosper in a recession.  Read more of Scott’s insights on his blog. Follow Scott on Twitter @rampbusinesses or on Google Plus at +scott aughtmon, +content creation methods, or +recessionsolution.com 

Content Marketing Lessons From Snow White

Posted by scottaught on Mar 23, 2012 in Business Tips, Content Creation Tips, Content Marketing | 0 comments

Today I have a few quick lessons for you.

As content creators and content marketers we are on a constant search for new content and news ways to create fresh content.  

What if told you we could learn a lesson from Snow White about content marketing and content creation?  

What if it was a lesson that released you from the terror of always having something NEW to say?

You’d like that?  Ok good.  I think you’ll be happy!  :)

Let me explain what I mean…

We all know the story of Snow White, right?  There are the 7 dwarfs, the apple, the prince, the kiss, etc.  There doesn’t seem to be much else you could do with the story, does there?

Well 2 upcoming movies prove us wrong…

1.  ”Mirror Mirror”

From Wikipedia: “A wicked enchantress (Julia Roberts) schemes and scrambles for control of a spirited orphan’s (Lily Collins) throne and the attention of a charming prince (Armie Hammer). When Snow White’s beauty wins the heart of the prince that she desperately pursues, the Queen banishes her to the forest, where a ravenous man-eating beast hungrily awaits. Rescued by a band of diminutive highway robbers (the seven dwarves), Snow White grows into an indomitable young woman determined to take back her realm from the treacherous Queen.”

2. “Snow White And The Huntsman”

From Wikipedia: ”In a kingdom ruled by tyranny, the vain and selfish Queen Ravenna (Charlize Theron) learns her stepdaughter Snow White (Kristen Stewart) is destined to surpass her as not only the “Fairest One of All” but the kingdom’s future ruler. But the Queen then learns from her Magic Mirror (Christopher Obi) that the only way to remain in power is to consume Snow White’s heart and achieve immortality. Snow escapes into the Dark Forest and Ravenna recruits the Huntsman Eric (Chris Hemsworth) to kill Snow. Eric, however, takes pity on the young princess and teaches Snow White the art of war. Now, with the aid of eight dwarves and Prince William (Sam Claflin), Snow White begins a rebellion to bring down her stepmother once and for all.”

Both of these films are based on the basic story but they each come at it from a whole different angle.

One comes at it from a comedic angle and one comes at it from a fantasy-drama angle.   One is more family oriented (PG ) and one is more grown-up oriented (R ).

And if these movies don’t prove that we were wrong thinking there was nothing else to be done with the Snow White story, you need to know there have been 19 Snow White movies made (including these 2) since 1902!

Here are the lessons we can learn:

• There is always something new that can be said about a topic/subject.
• The audience you choose effects (should effect) what  you say and how  you say it.
• Choosing a different angle (context and presentation) can make any topic seem new and interesting again.

Stay Tuned:

I have an upcoming post that will tackled this topic of “the terror of always having something NEW to say” from a different angle and with some different lessons.  It will be called, “The Content Creation Secrets Of Stand-up Comedians.”

I haven’t decided if it will be just a straight blog post or if I will do a video of it.  (**If you have a preference, let me know in the comments or email me: recessionsolution AT gmail.)

Related articles

• Christmas Songs And The Surprise Content Marketing Lessons (recessionsolution.com)
• The Benefits of Content Marketing [INFOGRAPHIC] (contently.com)
• VIDEO – Content Marketers: The Thing You Must “See” To Reach Your Goals (recessionsolution.com)
• Favorite Content Marketing Lessons from 2011 (contentmarketinginstitute.com)

DON’T FORGET TO CLICK HERE TO SIGN-UP FOR MY “RECESSION SOLUTION BLOG” UPDATE LIST.
You don’t want to miss updates or special content from me, right?  

Scott Aughtmon is a “business recession solution expert“, a “content creation expert” , and a speaker. He’s spent over 12 years studying effective marketing and business methods (both online and offline). You can read some of his content marketing articles for “Content Marketing Institute“ here. He’s the author of two e-books called “How Your Business Can Survive And Prosper In A Recession” in which he interviewed 38 top business, marketing and sales experts and got them toreveal their methods to help business owners survive and prosper in a recession. Scott has also been interviewed on radio shows and asked to share his wisdom to help business owners survive and prosper in a recession.  Read more of Scott’s insights on his blog. Follow Scott on Twitter @rampbusinesses or on Google Plus at +scott aughtmon, +content creation methods, or +recessionsolution.com 

Nestle Toll House Cookies: Old School Content Marketing In Action

Posted by scottaught on Mar 16, 2012 in Business Tips, Content Marketing | 0 comments

Just wanted to tell you a quick story that should inspire you to use content marketing to sell your product…

Do you know how Chocolate-Chip cookies were invented?

According to Nestle, Mrs. Wakefield (owner of the Toll House Inn) was making chocolate cookies one day, but ran out of regular baker’s chocolate.

She didn’t know what to do until she came up with the idea to substitute it with broken pieces of semi-sweet chocolate.

She thought it would melt and mix into the batter, but it didn’t, and that’s how the chocolate chip cookie was born.

What does that have to do with content marketing?  Nothing at least at this part of the story.

But what happened next matters to us as content marketers…

Wakefield sold the recipe to Nestle in exchange for a lifetime supply of chocolate chips (instead of patenting it and making billions!)  And what genius thing did Nestle choose to do with that recipe?

Simple.  On every bag of Nestle chocolate chips sold in North America ever since, they included a variation of her original recipe printed on the back.

They didn’t sell the recipe.  They didn’t lock it away in a safe for only a few to see it.  They gave it away…  on the back of  every bag of chocolate chips they sold.

• And what did those people with the chocolate chip cookie recipe need?  Chocolate chips.
• What happened when friends ate these cookies and asked where the recipe come from?  They were told to go buy a bag of Nestle’s chocolate chips.  (That made their chocolate chips unique and more desirable than other chocolate chips that would later be sold.)

Content marketing lesson:  What information (content) do your prospects or customers need to use your product most effectively  or in new and exciting ways?

Now that you know that, go create that content (or get someone else to create it) and give it away!  

This will do two important things:

1. Help your customers.

2. Make your product/service more valuable and desirable.