About This Blog
Sara Lancaster here. Thanks for visiting the No. 2 Pen blog where I share examples of sharp website content and other online marketing information.Follow No. 2 Pen
Free eBook
Project Hound
Learn more about Project Hound. Discounted marketing services for animal rescue organizations.
Archive for the ‘No. 2 Pen Blog’ Category
10 Web Content Mistakes You Might Be Making
Friday, May 11th, 2012
No one is perfect, and no one set of web content is perfect either. But we can all strive for web content perfection…right? Start by avoiding these 10 common website content mistakes.
Mistake 1: You write for your peers and not for your customers.
Forget about industry jargon and proving to your competitors that you are knowledgeable. Write for your customer. What do they want to know?
Mistake 2: Your website content is not easy to scan.
Most website visitors do not read web content word for word. That means you need to write short paragraphs, include bullet lists, use bold and italics to emphasize key phrases, incorporate plenty of subheadings, and add images to make your web pages easy to scan. (more…)
How Do You Come Up With Blog Post Ideas?
Thursday, May 10th, 2012
No, really. How do you come up with blog post ideas? I want to know!
You know how I come up with blog post ideas, so I turned the table and asked some of my fellow Blogathon bloggers how they find inspiration. I got some gems. Pure gems.
“Over the past year, I’ve found that I (being a homeschool mom of 8 children) need STRUCTURE for my blogging. I generally blog Monday through Friday so I have a theme [for each] day.”
–Kate Megill of Teaching What Is Good
“Walking around a city or neighborhood helps me think of ideas. In Philadelphia, I stumbled on America’s oldest residential street and, because a biscuit maker used to live there, I turned that into a post.”
–Jennifer Walker of My Morning Chocolate
Wordless Wednesday: A Blue-Eyed Girl
Wednesday, May 9th, 2012
Maggie. My daughter.
The 3 Best Blogging Tips in the World…
Tuesday, May 8th, 2012
…well, the three best blogging tips in my world anyway.
Earlier this spring, I published an ebook about how to come up with blog post ideas. The book is written for businesses that already blog, but could use a source of inspiration from time to time. The book makes blogging easier. Plain and simple. (more…)
5 Movie Quotes to Inspire Your Blogging
Monday, May 7th, 2012
A few of my favorite movies with quotes that apply to the blogging life…
“You give your children enough money to do something, but not enough to do nothing.” – Matt King (George Clooney) in The Descendants
First of all, read this book. The written story is richer than the movie. You’ll enjoy the flashbacks and insight into Elizabeth (the dead wife).
In terms of this quote, I think of my blogs like my kids. It’s painful to blog. It’s a ton of work. Still, blogging is worth it. You get to exercise your writing muscle and talk about the things you want to talk about.
The trick is to not focus on perfection. A blog that is too polished will be impersonal and it won’t succeed. Give your blog love, but don’t spoil it. (more…)
Content Marketing Explosion. Are You in the Game? (Infographic)
Sunday, May 6th, 2012
BlueGlass Interactive made this incredible infographic earlier in the year. The information presented is outstanding and proves that anyone with a business is (or should be) a content marketer. (more…)