nick usborne's blog

If you want your web content shared through social media, keep it fresh.

Social media present a wonderful opportunity to extend the reach of your website and your message.

But if you want to tap into the power of social media – you have to make your site pages worth sharing.

What do I mean by that?  Well, not all pages or page types are born equal when it comes to their likelihood of being shared through Facebook, Twitter and elsewhere.

An occasional article, review or product or service description page is unlikely to get much traction through social media. People just don’t feel, ‘Wow, that’s interesting, I must share that with my followers and friends.”

And if the quality of the content you are creating is just ho-hum, and unremarkable, don’t expect it to “go viral”.

So what kind of web content is likely to get shared?

First, it has to be quality content.

Secondly, it helps if the content is timely and fresh. Social media is all about what’s happening now, and now...and now.

So try to say something new, or express yourself in a way that is new.

Another attribute of content that gets shared is that it is often visual in some way.

As an example, a web page with an infographic, interesting photo, diagram or chart is more likely to be shared than a page that is text-only. The same goes for pages which include video clips or slide shows.

In other words, while really high quality text-only content will always get shared, pages which combine text with some graphic or interactive element seem to have an advantage.

Finally, keep coming up with interesting new content ideas.

As I said, a lot of social media activity feeds on what’s new. So try to keep adding new content pages to your site or sites on a regular and frequent basis.

And that, of course, is what my Web Content Café site is all about – helping you generate fresh content daily, and optimizing it for social media.

Learn more about Web Content Café membership here...

 

You know you’re doing something right when you are targeted by spammers.

A little while ago I received a comment on one of my Web Content Cafe articles. The author warned me to remove the offending article...or else.

Naturally, I ignored the comment and binned it.

A day later I started to receive a flood of spam comments, all directed to that one article.

Sure, it’s a pain to have to send all those comments to the spam bin, but perhaps it’s also a badge of honor.

After all, anything that upsets spammers has to be a good thing.

The offending article?

Why adding a ton of new articles to your website is usually a bad idea.

 

 

What kinds of web content ideas do I share?

People sometimes ask me what kinds of content ideas I publish within the membership area at Web Content Café.

Good question, as you can't actually browse the archive and see the ideas until you take the plunge and sign up.

I try to mix it up a bit. Here are some examples of what you’ll find in the archive:

- How to create slideshows which engage readers and attract more traffic.

- Different ways to conduct and publish interviews with topic experts.

- Tools you can use to present information in the form of infographics, charts or mind maps.

- How to anticipate topic trends, and publish relevant content at the right time.

- Tips to make content pages more likely to be distributed through social media.

- Tracking tools to show you who is talking about your topic today, and what they are saying.

- How to add a comments function to a static web page.

- Headline ideas that attract more readers.

- Ways to create new pages fast by re-purposing existing information.

The list goes on and on. There are so many ways to create better content, more engaging content, and content that more readers want to share.

In short, there is no excuse for just writing more and more short articles, reviews or product and service descriptions.

There is a huge variety of content approaches you can take. And your readers will thank you for mixing it up and making your site more interesting.

As for signing up, there's no risk. if you don't find value in what you see, just cancel your membership.

Learn more about Web Content Café...

 

 

If you could find a book containing 81 quality web content ideas for just $14.95, would you buy it?

I know, it’s not a very impressive looking book cover.

But that’s because there is no such book.

I’m just playing, to get you thinking about the value of having your hands on 81 web content ideas you could start applying to your website today.

While not between book covers, these 81 ideas are available within the members’ area of the Web Content Café. And membership costs just $14.50 a month.

By tomorrow, there will be 82 content ideas.

And so on.

If you want your website to grow...and to attract more search engine traffic...and get shared more widely through social media...you’ll want to get your hands on these ideas right away.

Static websites tend not to grow.

Websites with an expanding body of fresh, quality content do.

Learn more about Web Content Café...and “buy the book” here...

 

 

Another really nice testimonial from one of my coaching clients.

I thoroughly enjoy the time I spend coaching freelancers. I have been freelancing for over 30 years now, and it feels good to share some of what I have learned along the way.

I do it for the pleasure it brings me, I do it for the income it provides, and I do it for the satisfaction that comes with knowing I have made a difference.

Here’s a testimonial from a recent coaching client. I know he is being generous in his praise, but it still feels good to know that our coaching work together helped him move forward.

"Without Nick’s expert coaching, I’d still be frantically attempting to write copy for anyone - in any format. Without Nick pushing me to maintain my focus, I’d lose it after a week and look for the next thing to focus on. Without Nick’s belief in me, I’d probably have taken one of the permanent marketing jobs offered to me. I’m now building my dream niche business, with the right mentality and approach – thanks to Nick. Thanks again Nick!"

Dan Elman, Copywriter

Read more testimonials from past coaching clients.

Learn about the different coaching options I offer.

Jump in and book a 40-minute coaching discovery call.

 

 

Get immediate access to 79 social media friendly content ideas for your websites.

Just another information page, product page or service page isn’t likely to do you much good when it comes to getting shared through social media sites.

To get exposure through social media, you need to write and do something different.

You need to write or create something sharable.

That’s what these 79 web content ideas are far.

When you sign up for Web Content Café membership, you get immediate access to the 79 web content ideas already in the archive.

Then you can log in to view a new idea every day, five days a week.

This is what drives any social media strategy – something new, something different, something worth sharing.

Who subscribes to Web Content Café?

- Website managers working to inspire in-house writers, add value to their websites and engage more prospects and customers.

- Freelancers wanting to add value to their relationships with their clients, and build their expertise as web content writers.

- Writers of their own money-making websites, looking for content ideas that will attract more search engines traffic, get more social media exposure, engage more readers, and generate more income.

Learn more about the benefits of Web Content Café membership...

Interested in coaching, but not sure? Book a 30-minute coaching discovery call.

Coaching can be the most powerful way to advance your freelance career.

For myself, a series of coaching sessions resulted in a doubling of my income, and a significant shift in how I was working, and what I was doing.

Sometimes it just takes a qualified outsider to help you see opportunities that are in plain view.

However...

One-on-one coaching isn’t inexpensive, and taking the leap isn’t always easy.

Here’s how I can make it a little easier for you...

Book a 30-minute discovery call with me. Use the time to get as much help from me as you can, and to find out more about my full coaching service and what it can do for you.

This first call will cost you just $29.95.

If you then decide to move ahead and book a one-month or three-month engagement, I’ll deduct the $29.95 from the cost.

If you don’t continue, you’ll have still received great value for you money during those 30 minutes.

Chances are, you could be earning a lot more than you are right now. That is true for almost all of us.

But it usually takes an outside perspective to help you see new opportunities.

Email me book your coaching discover call now, at nickusborne@gmail.com

More about my coaching service for freelancers...

 

 

Make more money as a freelancer, without working any harder.

A while back I wrote to you about my program, Profitable Freelancing.

I announced a special launch price...which was planned to expire last week.

Well, those plans changed. The low price is still good, until this Friday August 6th.

What is Profitable Freelancing?

In a nutshell, it’s a program I wrote to help freelancers earn a lot more money, without having to work any harder.

The default setting for most freelancers is to prospect for work, do the work, bill for the work...and then repeat.

It’s hard work. It’s like piece work, even if the pay per job is pretty good.

The moment you stop prospecting, your income dries up.

It’s like being on a never-ending treadmill.

Over the last 15 years I have been taking some serious steps to transform my freelance job in to something quite different – a freelance BUSINESS.

The outcome?

- I am earning more, but not working harder.

- When I’m on vacation, the money keeps coming in.

- When I accept work, I earn more per engagement than I used to.

What I have developed is a much better way of freelancing.

And don’t worry – this system isn’t just for “gurus”. The system works for any freelancer, whether you are just starting out or have been doing this for decades.

If you find the life of a freelancer stressful sometimes, or feel disappointed by the income you are making so far...please follow my lead and build a better freelance business for yourself.

It’s not hard to do. And I would be happy to show you how.

The regular price for the program?  $297.

Get it before the end of day on Friday August 6th, and it’s yours for just $197.

Learn more about Profitable Freelancing.

After all, who wouldn’t want to earn a lot more...without having to work any harder?

 

 

Inspire your web writers to write content that engages your readers more deeply.

Web content is becoming depressingly grey.

How come? It’s about money.

Everyone and their aunt has discovered that if you create short, optimized pages in bulk, you can make out like a bandit with advertising revenues.

Weekend entrepreneurs do it. Even Yahoo! does it.

The outcome is that tens of thousands of short, highly-optimized and low-quality pages are uploaded to the web each day.

Low quality? Absolutely. When you buy in bulk, you buy cheap. When you buy cheap, you get low quality.

However...

If your business is not based on making a killing in advertising revenue, you need to get out of the grey content game.

You need high-quality content that engages your readers and makes them want to come back for more.

You need to create content worth sharing, so it is spread far and wide through social media.

You need to create content that generates leads, subscriptions or sales.

How can you inspire your content writers to create more compelling content?

Get them an annual subscription to Web Content Café.

In addition to dozens of articles on web content best practices, they will also get immediate access to a library of 75 web content ideas.

And from today forward, they can log in to read a new web content idea every day, five days a week.

Learn more about the benefits of Web Content Café membership...