If only my brain were pregnant.

You know how everyone makes all the usual jokes about pregnancy and food cravings? Pickles and ice cream will always be hilarious, but these cravings are a serious force to be reckoned with. If I could bottle them, I’d be rich.

I remember distinctly a feeling of almost possession when I was craving something. Like the baby was calling for protein and my stomach wanted carbs and my bones wanted calcium and my mouth wanted butter and salt – so I ended up eating dark sourdough toast with a 1/4 stick of butter, feta cheese and smoked salmon, sprinkled with jalapeno stuffed green olives. Ah, satisfaction.

And who was I but the vehicle, the deliverer of the goods? None of it was my doing – not the urges, not the recipe development, nuthin’. And it works, right? The body calls, we give it what it needs and wowza, we make a baby. Another human being. How magnificent!

Today, I was trying to write a piece for a client and I was thinking – I wish different parts of my brain would activate like my pregnant body. (FYI, this next part is actually biologically correct. Ha! You do have to be a brain surgeon to run a blog!!!)

• My hindbrain would call for the smooth flow of muscle function so that I could type and sit up straight,
• my limbic system would insist on emotion and sense memory,
• and my neocortex would demand exciting verbs and perfect wordage.

And I’d just sit there at my computer on autopilot spewing viciously remarkable prose until at last I had created a glorious final draft from what was once just a blank page. To the writer? Yes, it’s just as magnificent a feat as the production of a baby. Plus, good copy doesn’t whine or spill milk and it pays for itself. Now that’s a thing of beauty.

Image credit: Bob Fornal

Filed under Critical Copywriting, Writing | Tags: brain food, content creation, copywriting, craving, creation, permission marketing, pregnancy, Writing | Comments (9)

julie roads: total geek

This post is an open invitation for you to jeer, throw tomatoes, laugh, ridicule….or join me. This weekend I had three separate opportunities to tell people I was just meeting about my business and this industry of marketing, social media, copywriting and blogging.

I start by saying that I’m a writer. That I write for a diverse range of clients and that I specialize in blogging, blog marketing, social media participation – both production and consulting. And as I say the word marketing, I see the tangible attitude shift. The wonder inspired by of the word ‘writer’ fades, and the ‘ewww, a sleazy salesman’ judgement falls like a red velvet curtain – heavy and fast.

But, I don’t let it stop me, not even for a second. I start talking about permission and relationship marketing – and their power. About the fact that I’ve made a commitment to myself and my clients that I will never send spam, buy a list or force a product or service on the people. About the amazing things that happen because of my social media participation. About how my client’s have grown through their blogs. About the fact that I can’t wait to see what happens every day.

And here comes the geek part. Every time this happened, every single time, I got massive goose bumps. It’s like my whole self lights up like a Christmas tree. My work makes me so happy.

Go ahead, take your best shot…

Filed under The Business | Tags: blog, blog consulting, blog marketing, Blogging, copywriting, Julie Roads, marketing writer, permission marketing, relationship marketing, Web 2.0 participation, Web 2.0. consulting, Writing Roads | Comment (0)

Permission Marketing or Avoiding SPAM

Many of my clients don’t like marketing. They like increased sales and exposure, but they cringe at the thought of self-promotion, cold calls, selling - and the cheesey father of all of these – SPAM.

This is why I love permission marketing…and the internet…and blogging. Referrals from trusted sources are the most qualified prospects, and blogging and blog marketing allow you to circumnavigate the ‘cringe’ part of marketing and capitalize (literally) on the permissed, referral aspect.

It’s simple and based on the following concepts and action plan:

1. I sell my product/service online.

2. I have a list that I blog to regularly – they love me and trust me.

3. I am always looking for quality content to post on my blog for my list.

4. I find a ‘tangent’ site selling to my demographic, but selling a different product/service – we are not competitors.

5. We connect – I email or comment on their blog.

6. #1,2, & 3 are also true for this ‘tangent’ site.

7. We realize that we can help each other out.

8. I post something about this ‘tangent’ site on my blog, with a quality link, and a strong referral (that I wholeheartedly believe in). The ‘tangent’ site does the same for me.

9. We are both offering our lists something of value AND we have just received a quality referral from a trust source to a new group within our demographic.

10. Everyone wins…no SPAM, no cold calls, value to list, increased traffic, sales, happiness.

Filed under How To, Marketing | Tags: blog, blog marketing, permission marketing, referrals, spam | Comment (0)