Emerging writers often wonder what it takes to become successful or to get published.  In today’s online environment it is not necessary to wait for a publisher to accept your submitted work. Creating and writing a blog has become an easy option for anyone. Developing writing skill through practice will help a writer find their unique voice and audience.

In today’s program, Marnie speaks with Jeff Goins, a writer and successful blogger who’s first book is due out in the fall of 2012. Jeff believes that words matter and he offers personal insight on how writers can deliver value.

To learn more about Jeff and the craft of writing, visit his website at goinswriter.com

When developing copy for your website, the most important consideration is what keywords you will use. After you've gone through the process of figuring out what the keywords should be for each page you plan to optimize, then you have to decide where they will be placed within the text. Remember that your first priority is to your reader, not the search engines, so make sure what you're writing is interesting, compelling, and grammatically correct.

Where Do You Place Keywords?

Usually your web page or blog post should be long enough to impart useful information to the reader and therefore you want to make a few hundred words in length. Help your reader to navigate through the page by making it scannable, with sub-headings and white space. Huge blocks of text might put them off to the point where they'll 'come back to it' but often don't get the chance. Make it short enough that they'll consume it right away and hopefully share with their network.

If you're looking for other ideas on how to research keywords or where to best place them within the text of your website content or blog post, contact Marnie at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Once you've established your blog or newsletter, your readership will begin to grow.  What do you do with the leads that have trusted you with their contact information?  

Manage Leads in 4 Easy Steps

1) Capture - Initially someone will have downloaded your free report or signed up for your newsletter in exchange for providing their name and email address.  You will receive an email notification of this or your database will be automatically updated with the contact information.

Yes, you can add all the content you like to your profile – skills, experience, education, associations, networks, interests – but please do not use any old party shot for your profile picture. They weren’t kidding when they said that a picture is worth a thousand words and it would take about two seconds for someone to glance at the off-center, ultra casual image of you and think ‘Hmm. Not sure if I’d do business with him.’ 

As you may know, I'm passionate about Haiti and was fortunate enough to visit there in March 2011. I continue to work on the Healing Hands for Haiti website and love every minute of it.

I've started working with another organization called Haiti Village Health and they are also a medical NGO based near Cap Haitien, Haiti's second largest city. Dr. Tiffany Keenan is a tireless proponent for the rural Haitian population and she, along with countless volunteers and some staff, tend to the medical needs of the local children and families. Significant improvement in overall health has been measured in many of the area children and new mothers as a result.