WRITE COMPELLING ARTICLES TO ENHANCE WEB SITE MARKETING AND PROMOTION STRATEGIES

Author: Marcus Pore
Promoting articles that relate to the content of your website can be a terrific way to heighten your search engine rankings and expand traffic. Unfortunately, poorly written articles end up buried in the article directory junkyards getting little visibility. On the other hand, compelling articles have a much longer life, lengthen your online visibility and extensively strengthen your back link popularity. Read on to learn how you can write more persuasive articles.

There is a huge demand for keyword relevant and rich content by other webmasters that creates a tremendous opportunity for you to advance your web site. You can capitalize on this demand, by writing short articles that relate to your web site content and promoting those articles on article repositories. As your articles proliferate, article promotion establishes you as an specialist in the field. More importantly, it places your one-way link into the article directory site and every other site that publishes your content. This proliferation will elevate your search engine ranking and also generate organic traffic that is not dependant on the search engines.

No matter what your article is about, as a writer you must captivate the reader. Remember, you are promoting articles to advance your website and get one-way back links. With a poorly written article you’ll get back links from the article repositories you submit to, but you’ll miss out on the key reason to write articles. The key goal is to get publishers and webmasters to use your content; not just to get your article home's list in the directories. You want your articles to proliferate. Only then, will your embedded links get extreme exposure.

The Style - How do you encourage others to use your articles? First and foremost, the article has to be well written. If you think diagramming a sentence is simply drawing a box around it, you may want to spend some time researching creative writing techniques. Nothing turns off a reader more than poor grammar or sentence structure. On the other hand, good copy writers take advantage of short or incomplete sentences to create emphasis and vary rhythm. Optimize your rhythm. Irregular rhythm encourages your reader to pause and reflect. Be conversational. It makes the article personal. To enhance your writing technique, read more. As you do, pay close attention to writing style. Learn from good authors and adapt.

The Hook - Your title will determine if your article is successful or not. Think about it. For a book, the first thing a possible purchaser sees is the title. People typically judge the whole book from its title. The same is true for online articles. To turn a casual search engine browser into an engaged article reader, you must first entice them with your title. Otherwise, they will never get to the first paragraph. To write better titles, spend some time reading. Browse your favorite article directory site and look at titles used by others. Learn and adapt. Be creative and use something catchy. Always include targeted keywords that relate to your website.

The Angle - Start with a topic you are passionate about that relates to your website. Your eagerness for the topic will show through in the content. Develop an idea around the topic, but with a different spin. Lead off with this angle. Attract the reader. Once you have his/her attention, expand on your angle. Explain how your angle benefits the reader or solves a problem they face. Loosely speaking, this is your value proposition. Underscore how your article is different than other articles on the topic. This entices people to read the second paragraph. Use the remainder of the article to expand your key points.

The Close - Your closing paragraph should spotlight what the reader should do after reading your article. This is your call to action. Remember the importance of the resource box at the end of your article. This is usually the only place you can place a link to your website. Show your special knowledge on the article topic. Include your name, web address and any actions you want the reader to take related to the article.

Articles that stress the benefits of promotion articles are a dime a dozen. The angle in this article is to encourage you to focus on writing truly compelling content. Webmasters and online publishers frequently seek out good content. The better your content, the more it will get published. Your links will appear in more places than just the article repositories. Readers will also be more apt to add your article to their favorite social bookmarking service. The call to action in this article is to encourage you to spend the extra time it takes to write truly compelling articles. Think about it. It will maximize your efforts and keep your articles from getting buried in the article directory junkyard.


Marcus Pore is a search engine optimization expert and article directory webmaster at www.articlecache.com

Webmasters and publishers, please feel free to use this article provided this reference is included and all links remain active.

POETRY WRITING

Author: Nahom Kidanemariam
Step 1: Brainstorm a few subjects or ideas your poem could to rotate around.

Step 2: Once you’ve come up with your idea, choose a writing style you would like to use. Possible styles include limerick, quatrain, and acrostic poems.

Step 3: When you start writing your poem, don’t worry too much about punctuation at first. When you are done writing the poem you can then go over the spelling and punctuation. Poems are more powerful if they can convey a message or mood. You can use dark imagery to convey a sad feeling or light imagery to convey a happy feeling. Dark imagery includes dark colours like black and navy blue. Light imagery includes bright colours like white and yellow.

Here's a few poem writing styles of the many that exist:

A quatrain is a four line stanza that can have different rhyming schemes like aabb, abab, or aaba (although it doesn't have to rhyme).

An acrostic poem is a poem where the first letter of every line put together makes a word (it can also be the last letter or a different sequence).

A haiku poem is a Japanese three line poem that refers to a season and does not rhyme. It has 5 syllables on the first line, 7 on the second, and 5 on the last.

A limerick is a nonsense verse that has five lines with a rhyming scheme that goes aabba. It has three feet on the first, second, and fifth lines and two feet on the third and fourth lines.

Prose and free verse poems both don't have regular meters. Both have a heightening of language but free verse tends to have rhythm and poetical effect.

Here is an example of a quatrain (which consists of 4 lines) removed from a three quatrain poem. As you can see, the rhyming pattern is

a

b

a

b



Amidst the sound of children’s laughter;

The blue birds sing a lullaby.

The things we do hereafter,

With playful joy will make you cry.

Poetry Contests

www.poetry.com/

www.poetryamerica.com/

www.winningwriters.com

www.teenink.com

www.utmostchristianwriters.com

WRITING CONVINCING CUSTOMER-FACING MARKETING COLLATERAL

Author: Anuja
Write for the reader

Keep your readers in mind. They might not be aware of your product/service, so you need to educate them and give clear and high-impact information that is laid out well and is easy to read. If you write pages and pages of text, your readers will soon lose interest. Give them the info they would like to know and can relate to, rather than talking about yourself.

Forget about the greatness of your company for a while

Yes, we know your company is among the leaders in one thing or the other. But, please give it a break. Giving a short description about your company, which includes key facts and achievements, at the end of your marketing collateral is a good idea. Starting your document with boastful information about your company is a bad idea.

Create different collateral for different sets of audiences

You may create separate documents for different industries, company types, products, services, users, etc. You can also create short, detailed, online and offline versions of the same document. You should also keep a plain-text version of each document.

Give the vital information and chop the rest

If there are even minor chances of cutting some portion of text - cut it. Don't let it be there out of utter laziness. This gives a crisp and to-the-point air to your document. Most professional documents come straight to the point, proceed logically and end with an impact. If you talk more, chances are people will get confused.

Quality is crucial

The way you write on blogs is not the way you would write for your marketing collateral. Marketing collateral has to be persuasive and should contain the right triggers at the right places. Get communication professionals for doing this task, because your marketing collateral makes the first impression on your prospects.

Make attractive collateral in harmony with your brand imagery

Employ an advertising agency or an experienced designer to give a design twist to your collateral and maintain the continuity across all types of collateral. Design should not thwart the content; rather it should accentuate the impact of your content. Make sure that your brand imagery or identity is maintained across different types of collateral.


Author's Resource Box:

Do Right Marketing offers freelance content writing services. These include writing for the web, intranet, marketing and sales collateral such as case studies, newsletters, whitepapers, articles, blog posts, website navigation, editing, and proofreading, etc. Visit: http://www.dorightmarketing.com to know more.

NEW TECHNICAL WRITER: USE THE PERSONA TO CREATE THE MOST USEFUL SECTION OF YOUR USER DOCUMENT

Author: Barry Millman
OVERVIEW

A good User Document includes sections on how to set up, use, and care for the product. However, to create a great User Document , the technical writer should use the Persona, generated in the analysis of the User/Reader, to create the topics for the most useful section of the User Document. This article describes this procedure.

THE MOST USEFUL SECTION OF A USER DOCUMENT

The most useful section of a User Document is the one that helps the User get what he/she wants/needs done right now!

Writing such a section might seem to be an impossibility. How do you know what the User needs to do now?

The only thing that you, as a writer, can do is to play the odds. That is, determine the topics that have the highest probability of being of interest to your User. And "of interest" means "getting what the User wants done, right now."

We created Persona (an almost-real representation of your product's User) in another article in the "New Technical Writer" series (see the links in the "Resources" or "Author Information" section of this article). We can use the Persona to create a topic list for this section.

USING YOUR PERSONA

This step in using your Persona is missed by almost all User Documents that I have seen. Yet this step will result in a User Document that is most satisfying to your Reader. Here it is:

Imagine your Persona using your product. Now, what are the main things that your Persona will want to do with your product.

As an example we will use a photo editing program (Acme FotoPhixer, a hypothetical product from a hypothetical company) that comes bundled with a point and shoot digital camera. Our Persona is a typical user of such a camera.

Ask: What does that Persona want to do with Acme FotoPhixer?

The short answer is that they want to improve their photos. HOW can they improve their photos with Acme FotoPhixer? In OUR words (not the words of the User) we could tell them how to:

* Rotate
* Crop
* Red-eye removal
* Adjust brightness & contrast
* Removing unwanted items from the photo
* Focus/Blur
* Save
* Print
* Share

These names are what we, the photography experts might use. However, "crop" may be meaningless to our Persona. In fact, we could move crop into "Removing unwanted items from the photo."

The "Focus/Blur" topic is interesting. If a photo is out of focus or blurred, there is really nothing that our software can do to improve it. However our Reader does not know this, but still wants to do it. We should include topic with this text: "It is impossible to fix the focus or remove blurring in a photograph. You might be able to improve this using the [Sharpen Effect] tool in FotoPhixer." (The [] specifies a reference to the topic in the User Document.)

DON'T HIDE THIS SECTION

If your Reader cannot quickly find what he/she wants to do in your User Document, then the document has failed. Since we created this section to answer the User's pressing needs for the product, then we must make this section very accessible to the User -- they have to be able to find it easily.

"Fixing (Improving) Your Picture" is a PERFECT, User-oriented title. That is the correct title for this section. Don't bury this gold under titles such as: "Tutorial" or "Use FotoPhixer's Tools." These titles do not suggest answers to the User's questions.

You should make this section very easy to find in the User Document. It's the key section of the User Document. It has the information that most Readers want, most of the time (by your analysis). Place it prominently in the User Document.

SATISFYING THE READER IS EASIER THAN YOU THINK

Producing this section is easier than you think.

First, imagine that you were NOT going to include this section. Your User Document would still have to cover all of the features, tools, and user interactions for the product. You need to do that to satisfy your boss. It's also logical. If a feature is not described, then why is it in the product?

Thus you have created a topic list for a "classical" User Document.

Now we create our User-oriented section, "Fixing Your Picture." Here are the steps:

1. List each of the topics for fixing a picture, using titles that the Reader will understand.
2. Provide a brief overview, perhaps with a picture showing before and after the use of this fixing method.
3. Then list the steps for that topic, and provide links to the documentation for the relevant tools for each step

Done!

Actually, I would recommend using what I call a "Visual Index," which is described in the links in the "Resources" or "Author Information" section of this article.
Within Document Re-usability

We could call this organization method "within document re-usability." Here the writing for a topic exists as an item in the "reference" section of the User Document. By referring to that item when it is needed for performing a User-oriented task, we make the text do double duty. This results in reusability within the document.

HOW TO GET THE TIME TO WRITE THIS SECTION

Put less detailed effort into the documentation for the product's features that will be rarely used. For example, FotoPhixer includes tools to make the image look like it's made of stone, or produce 3D effects, etc. These are rarely used, and have a similar set of controls. Instead of detailing the use of each of these rarely used features, write a global usage, describe the controls, encourage the User to experiment, and remind them of the un-do and cancel capabilities.

You can create the "most useful" section with the time you save by not thoroughly documenting these rarely-used items.

THE BOTTOM LINE

You can make your User Document much more effective if you think about your User/Reader and what he/she wants to do with the product. Use this information to create an easy to find section in your User Document that meets your Reader's needs.

RESOURCES

Barry Millman, Ph.D., has a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering (1966, Carnegie Institute of Technology) and an M.Sc. and Ph.D. in Psychology (Human Information Processing, University of Calgary). He has been a consultant for over 25 years, an instructor, course developer, and award-winning speaker. For the past seven years he has been researching and creating resources to help organizations create great User Documents.

Visit: http://www.greatuserdocs.com/ for resources to help you create the User Documents that your Product needs and your Users deserve.

Visit http://www.greatuserdocs.com/ReadingRoom.htm for more articles like this one.

ARE YOU MORE THAN A WRITER? THE SECRET TO SUCCESS NO WRITING WORKSHOP WILL EVER TELL YOU!

Author: sense
It's amazing being a writer. You have the power to express yourself, to shape the way others see the world and to make things happen. Long after your footprints vanish from the sands of time, the words you write will be read, shared and remembered. But are you more than a writer? Because you see, the industry certainly expects you to be. This article shares with you, 3 reasons why versatility is a writer's greatest asset.

1. It makes you more convincing- Don't we all love writing that reaches out and pulls us right into the page? Masterful writers are intelligent, passionate and detailed in their craft but most of all they are convincing. When Michael Crichton wrote the sci-fi classic, Jurassic Park, he tapped into another part of himself- used his extensive medical experience to advantage. The result is a fictional work that reeks with authenticity and of course one that earned Crichton millions of dollars from movie deals. These days, readers demand that writers 'show and not tell'. But how can you show what you do not know? When you discover, develop and harness a wider range of life experiences and talents, your writing will sparkle and your readers will be hooked for life. Versatile people can bring their wealth of experience, the richness of their lives, into their work. Take your writing to the next level by discovering your multitalented self.

2. It makes you more productive- Do you ever struggle with writer's block? Often the best solution is to take a short break from the project and return to it with renewed zest. If you have been working hard at your writing for weeks, now is the perfect time to find a new challenge, to try something different. Rediscover your passion for song writing or dance, learn to knit a sweater, style hair or paint a water colour portrait. Make time to see life with new eyes and allow your fingers to show you what they can do. There's more to life than paper and pen. Take a break. Decorate or cook, reclaim your love for fashion or art, find another side to you. You are a multi-dimensional being: daughter and mother, father and son, friend and sibling, spirit and soul. To excel as a writer, you must be willing to become everything else you were born to be. Oprah Winfrey is an award winning talk show hostess, actress, producer, publisher, entrepreneur and philanthropist. Don't underestimate yourself. It is possible to become versatile without compromising your high standards.

3. It opens the door to financial success- In today's publishing world; a writer must wear many hats. In addition to endless proofreading for instance, he or she must be willing to craft proposals, negotiate an advance, organise robust marketing campaigns, budget, administrate, network at functions, speak in public and flesh out ideas for yet many more books. Have you got what it takes? You better do. Financial gurus have taught for years that the key to wealth and uncommon success is having multiple income streams. But how can one have multiple income streams without multiple talents and interests? Before best selling author, Amy Tan, became a novelist she worked as a commercial copywriter. Since the Joy Luck Club, she has added screenwriter, essayist, public speaker, journal editor and amateur musician to her resume. After all creativity is not all about producing; it is also about leveraging what you know. Many writers today are also athletes, politicians, photographers, entrepreneurs and scientists. With the invasion of mass media technology, the younger generation is reading less and so the onus lies on the modern scribe to communicate beyond the book. If you aspire to make a living doing what you love, don't get ahead of yourself, just plan ahead. Craft your novel so that it appeals to movie producers. Learn to write songs or screenplays, publish your own blog or newsletter� step outside the box. Dr Stephen Covey, author of The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, makes much of his income not from book sales but from high profile speaking engagements.

I will never forget the fictional character, Oliver Twist. He was young, scrawny, homeless, unschooled and yet he wasn't afraid to ask for what he wanted. Even after he got a beating for his trouble, Oliver continued to yearn for a better life. Likewise in all of us there is a desire to become more. If you want to grow as a person you must sustain a healthy sense of curiosity. And if you are still willing to succeed as a writer, then take time to discover, develop and harness your hidden talents.

5 ESSENTIAL STEPS BEFORE MAKING A PRESENTATION

Author: Stephen Thomson
The main objective of any presentation is to communicate effectively and efficiently the information, the ideas or plans with the audience. Speaking before an audience and making an effective presentation is an art, which has to be learnt with serious effort.

While working in an organization or in business, there may be many occasions for public speaking, where you have to make a presentation such as launching of a new product or service, presenting new business plans or making a marketing or sales proposal. Whatever be the purpose of your presentation, it always requires careful preparation to make it a successful presentation.

Following 5 steps can help you to make your presentation an effective presentation.

Be clear about the occasion and the subject:
Speaker should be aware of the purpose he wants to fulfill through his presentation. Whether it is a seminar or launching of a new product or conference or annual meeting. Whether there is sufficient time for presentation and discussion thereafter. You can put your best foot forward for presentation for inaugural occasion or launching of a new service. However, if organization is facing financial problems then presentation should focus on vital statistics and inferences from data available and positive suggestion.

Make audience analysis and know your audience:
Whatever be the topic of your presentation, you should understand your audience for whom it is meant. Their age, sex, experience, education background have great relevance to the presentation and it can influence the choice of words, tone, need for explanation in depth and details etc. Analysis of audience should be continued even during the presentation. Their body language and reaction on their faces can give you immediate feedback about your presentation.

Get the idea about the location or visit the location:
You should visit the location before making your presentation to get an idea about the size of the room, seating arrangement, lighting controls and audiovisual equipments.

Plan your presentation:
Plan out your presentation in writing with outline showing what you will say in the beginning, the middle and at the end. Also decide upon the method you will use for your presentation such as reading or extemporaneous. Visual aids with illustration and graphs can be used to make your presentation more interesting and interactive.

Rehearse your presentation:
Rehearsal is very important to gain the confidence before your presentation. Rehearse as a part of team to get the suggestions for improvement.

For writing the topic or content of your presentation or visual aid, business writing software can be used to make it more effective. Text enrichment feature of business writing software can enrich your text with adjectives & adverbs, which enhances the simple sentence into more professional and sophisticated sentence and also suggest context related synonym for repeated words. It also helps for proofreading and to check and correct grammar errors and spellings in your visual aid.
For more information on business writing software, please visit http://www.truevalue4money.com/businesswriting.html

Author is a freelance writer.
For details on softwares to enrich your business writing or creative writing, please visit
Business writing software or English writing software website.