All Posts By

Scott McKelvey

Aug 21
More Content Or Less Content? Wrong Question.

More Content Or Less Content? Wrong Question.

By Marketing Insights & Strategy 6 Comments

This is a question I get asked and see debated all of the time. I’ve worked with a few clients who were just starting a blog and they all asked how often they should post. What’s too much, and what’s not enough? Turns out that’s not the right question to ask. Here’s what you should be thinking about instead.

I’ve read quite a few articles with various experts claiming that you must create and share a certain amount of content per week or month or year. They try to back up their position with hard data, but more often than not, it comes down to personal opinion.

Here’s my take…

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Aug 05
How To Self-Promote Without Shamelessly Self-Promoting

How To Self-Promote Without Shamelessly Self-Promoting

By Writing & Content Marketing 19 Comments

Shameless self-promotion involves constantly mentioning your business, your services, your qualifications and your accomplishments without any real regard for the people your business is supposed to be helping. The good news is that there are better ways to promote yourself that will gain the trust and win the loyalty of your customers. Find out what not to do… and then practice the good stuff.

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Jul 15
Why You Need To Write For Your Audience, Not The Grammar Police

Why You Need To Write For Your Audience, Not The Grammar Police

By Writing & Content Marketing 15 Comments

The great David Ogilvy once said: “I don’t know the rules of grammar… If you’re trying to persuade people to do something, or buy something, it seems to me you should use their language, the language they use every day, the language in which they think. We try to write in the vernacular.” Here’s why it’s important to write *for* your audience and *to* your audience. You can maintain good grammar and break the rules at the same time.

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Jun 19
3 Things Your Competitors Love To Hear You Say

3 Things Your Competitors Love To Hear You Say

By True Stories 12 Comments

I was talking with a prospect about ghostwriting blogs for her clients. When we finally got to the topic of price, she told me her main resource for content had been charging her $15 per post. After I threw up a little in my mouth, I asked what kind of quality she got for that price, and she said, “Well, it’s just for SEO.” Translation: The quality of the content really doesn’t matter as long as the keywords are in there, and it’s okay that people find crap when they get to my website. Here are the three most common things I hear people say that make their competition ecstatic.

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Jun 05
The Most Important Characteristic Of Great Marketing Content Is…

The Most Important Characteristic Of Great Marketing Content Is…

By Writing & Content Marketing 12 Comments

Quick, before you read more, what do YOU think is the single most important characteristic of effective marketing content? You need to have a voice that other people don’t have. Creativity helps, especially in your headlines if you want to grab attention. Originality is important, because people won’t read something they’ve already read a hundred times. If you’re not bringing something new to the conversation, what’s the point? Yes, those things help but they are not the key to effective content. Read more to find out the answer! Then let me know what you think.

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May 15
Questions That Readers Want Answered In Your Marketing Content

Questions That Readers Want Answered In Your Marketing Content

By Writing & Content Marketing 8 Comments

You know how many business owners wanted to punch me in the face because I told them nobody cares about their business? Fortunately, none have followed through on that impulse. But a few made me flinch. Whether it’s your website, blog, brochure, newsletter, Facebook page, press release or newspaper ad, nobody reads your content because they’re simply enamored with your business. These are the questions your content should be answering instead.

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May 01
3 Tips For Writing A Better Press Release

3 Tips For Writing A Better Press Release

By Writing & Content Marketing 14 Comments

Sending out a press release is cheap and relatively easy. That’s one reason why everyone does it. Professionals who are more serious about distributing press releases know that a good one will be picked up by media outlets, shared via social media and boost your search ranking. But the ultimate goal is to generate actual coverage of the news you’re sharing. That’s the “press” in “press release.” Here’s how to make your press releases newsworthy.

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Apr 03
Sidebar Content: What’s Helpful And What’s Not

Sidebar Content: What’s Helpful And What’s Not

By Writing & Content Marketing 7 Comments

I sometimes refer to the sidebar as the sausage of a website or blog because that’s where people feel the need to stuff every widget and plugin on the face of the earth. But it’s the sidebar content that’s helpful to visitors that will be helpful to you in the long run in the form of trust and loyalty. Here are some ideas for using a sidebar effectively – and some things you should consider getting rid of.

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