In the last post I talked about the importance of Content, creating a Community and Building a Directory to get your blog noticed, read and followed. Here are 3 more tips to Get Your Blog On:
#4 ~ Add photos. Photos add “life” to a blog, personalize it and make it more interesting. That does not mean EVERY post should have a photo it just means that readers will appreciate if you “mix it up a bit.” Share bits of you.
Let readers into your life by showing your personal side. On my blog Success and then Some, I often post pictures of me networking. Not only does it get people to “see you” in person it also makes you more real. More human. And if they see you as a real person, they are more likely to follow you.
Some great place for Royalty FREE photos include: Fotolia, Fotosearch and Dreamstime. There are also a whole host of free sites from which you can grab photos. A great list of free sites such as Flickr can be found at http://pstutorialsblog.com/44/free-stock-photos/. You can also “google” the photos you are looking for to get some great photos. Be sure you check the licensing from any of these FREE sites before using the photos.
Tip #5 ~ Add Videos to your blog posts. Some of the most popular posts on blogs are the ones that include a video. But don’t just post a video, be sure you also post a commentary about the video. And the video doesn’t even have to be one you created. It can be one you found on YouTube or other video-sharing site. The people who post videos to these sites appreciate the added “publicity” when bloggers refer to their videos and share them with their readers. You can also create your own videos to post to sites such as YouTube, Google Video and Blip.
I created a video about flowers, using Powerpoint, music and Camtasia Studios. You can see it at my blog Tulips Talk.
My good friend and mentor Terry Brock regularly posts videos to YouTube and in fact has one called Marketing with YouTube ~ How to do it.
Robin Goode has a great list of tools you can use to automatically post your videos at the top video sites athttp://tinyurl.com/6bhlre.
Tip #6 ~ Promote your blog on social networking sites such as Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook. And niche social networking sites that cater to your target audience. I belong to several other social networking groups such asBoomer Diva Nationwe help one another promote our “stuff” all the time. For instance we have our own Twitter Tuesdays and every Tuesday we help one another spread the word about our blog posts, events, products and services and more. There are tools and plug ins for most social networking sites that allow you to automatically post your blog articles as they happen. For instance, use Tweetfeed to post to your twitter account. And you can update your profile with videos from YouTube on Facebook, LinkedIn and more.
These tips and others will help you draw more attention to your site and increase the chances of others becoming loyal followers. Stay tuned for my next post when I talk about blog design, connecting with other users and checking stats to increase blog followers.
Starting a blog may be the craze these days, but is it for you? Do you have what it takes to not just start a blog, but stick to it? Do you know what you want to accomplish with your blog? Do you know how you want to position your blog, what you want to write about and more importantly who you want to write for? A blog without an audience is still a blog, but it may not be effective in achieving your overall goals.
If you want to have an audience, you have to market your blog. You have to let people know it exists. Most people don’t write for themselves, they write for a consumer, a fan or someone(s) who has similar interests. Having others read what you write affirms that you have information worth reading. And if you have ever received comments on your blog you know that feeling that someone does take what you have to say seriously. Even when they don’t agree with your stand, they took the time to respond.
If you want to increase your readers and get more feedback from them (comments) you need to create a plan. And there are “little” things you can do every day to make that happen. In fact, I created a list of 15 tips to get your blog on the radar of your target audience and am sharing 3 tips today. That means I have content to span 5 blog posts. Maybe more if I decide to add to it. Here are those 3 tips:
Tip #1 ~ Create good content. Many blog consultants will tell you that content is king and that you need lots of it. I believe what you really need is strategically created informative or entertaining (and best if it’s both) content that interests readers and gets visitors to become followers. Writing posts strictly for the search engines may get you better rankings in the short term, but in the long term could hurt your credibility.
If you are having trouble coming up with content, start with a list of something in your genre or niche. Lists are very popular with readers and often lists get picked up and referred to on other blogs. On my blog WE Magazine for Women, I compile a quarterly list of Women Bloggers to watch. It is by far the highest visited (and commented on) post of all the blog posts we write.
Other types of content that are popular with readers is how-to advice. Teach what you know. On my Redhead Marketing blog I write about how to use weird, zany and unusual holidays to promote your business.
Write a 99 Ways to article. Or 33 steps, or 47 tips. Break those tips down into bite-sized pieces and do a series. For instance, the 99 ways could be broken down into a series of tips over a period of time such as a few days or weeks. Similar to what I am doing here with 15 tips shared over 5 posts.
Tip #2 ~ Many successful bloggers have increased their following and built a loyal base by creating an online community on their blog. You can create a forum, a social network or a simple chat room. In fact, most blog software these days allows or has plug ins that will help you establish your community. For an example of how one person did this, check out JamieOliver.com. Keith Ferazzi (author of Never Eat Alone) has a great mix of website, blog and community to take a look at as well.
If you are not sure if you should include a “community” for your readers, check out “Should Blogs Have a Forum?” at Blog Herald
Tip #3 ~ Create a Directory on Your blog. The Directory can include resources your readers would value and want to visit often. By including the directory link you increase the likelihood readers will return (provided the content is good). You can start compiling your directory content based upon your blog posts.
For instance, if you write a technology blog and offer the latest and greatest gadgets in every post. The gadgets could then be compileed and referred to in a directory of recommended sites that your visitor can refer to often. A directory could work with almost any type of blog. A parenting blog could list parenting resources, magazines, books, experts, educational sources, etc. A social media blogger could create a directory of social media sites, social media tools, resources, plug-ins, experts, etc. You get the idea. One of my favorite blogs BlogHer has a directory of other female bloggers on their blog. It is one of the most popular and respected blogs in the blogosphere.
The point is a directory can increase readers because if the content is good, your readers are likely to refer to the directory on their blogs and in their newsletters and emails. After all, if they find a great resource, they too will want to let their readers know about it. Why not be the “it” they refer their readers to?
“The garbage collector is driving down my street.”
So what do these three sentences have in common?
They are some of the comments you will find on Twitter.
Ho hum… it really wants to make you get involved with Twitter, doesn’t it?
But there’s more, much more, to Twitter than this. Read on…
Twitter is a social networking site, true, but it’s also an excellent vehicle for building your business. It’s not the only way mind you, but one of the ways for you to market yourself.
Build you brand.
Find clients.
Get outsourcing help.
Have joint venture opportunities fall into your lap.
Create joint ventures with others.
Build your list.
Bring in customers to your offline business.
Tiptoe past the gatekeepers.
Gather info for your next info product.
Sell your products.
Get asked to be a guest blogger, an interviewee, an interviewer, a speaker at a seminar, a participant in an ebook, and more.
I’m not making this stuff up… it happens on Twitter all the time!
Just ask these successful marketers – Willie Crawford, Jack Bastide, Bev Clement, Thom Scott, and Felicia Slattery. They, along with a few others (17 marketers in all) tell their stories in the Twitter Success Stories ebook. In fact, my story is in there! Whoohoo….
They tell you about their personal Twitter successes and what they’ve learned in using Twitter to grow their businesses. These marketers also give you TIPS to get you on the right track.
So if you’re interested in growing your business and using Twitter as another marketing avenue, pick up a copy of Twitter Success Stories. I’m guessing you will come away with some great ideas you can apply to your business.
Heidi Richards Mooney
P.S. I pulled out a quote from the book for you that I liked:
“If you own a business of any size and you’re still not Twittering, you’re missing out on what amounts to a global virtual chamber of commerce networking event you can access anytime, day or night.” Heidi Richards Mooney
Want to build your business by creating a stronger online presence this holiday season?
Wrap up your business networking plan with the 12 Days of Christmas Social Networking
On the first day of Christmas Social Networking create your social networking plan of action
On the second day of Christmas Networking join two or three social networking site (such as Facebook, Plaxo or LinkedIn)
On the third day of Christmas Networking find 10 friends who share the same interests or interest you are trying to promote and invite them to join your network
On the fourth day of Christmas Networking join a forum in your niche and introduce yourself
On the fifth day of Christmas Networking start a blog in your niche or topic expertise and start writing
On the sixth day of Christmas Social Networking create a twitter account for your business, find tweeters you admire and follow them
On the seventh day of Christmas Social Networking share your expertise on your new social networking sites and make sure you have links from your website to your new SN pages
On the eighth day of Christmas Social Networking Tweet your blog posts and retweet posts others have written
On the tenth day of Christmas Social Networking pinfm.com your postsOn the eleventh day of Christmas Social Networking find other bloggers you admire and start building relationships (by leaving comments)
On the twelfth day of Christmas Social Networking start all over again!
National Blog Posting Month – Have a blog? Thinking about starting one? If you answered yes to either of these questions then November is the perfect time for you. Blogs, once considered just for writers and politicians have gone mainstream over the past few years and corporate America and small businesses around the world have a blog. In fact, Millions of people around the blogosphere are gearing up for National Blog Post month. Some of them started back in 2007!
Check out what my good friend Dina Giolitto of Wordfeeder.com did last year during the holiday season. She wrote the 24 Days of Blogging Christmas and invited people to sign up for her blogroll and commit to blog every day leading up to Christmas. Check it out at: http://wordfeeder.com/24-blogging-days.htm
Be sure to promote your blogs by visiting other bloggers and commenting on their blogs during Blog Posting Month.
Excerpt from Promoting Your Business on the WEB Special Report.
Start a Business Blog. Blogs are search engine friendly,which simply means the search engines index them almost instantly (as opposed to websites which can take weeks to get indexed).Blogging platforms suchWordPress, Typepad and Blogger, allow you to build a complete website by adding pages that contain links to your products, as well as other resources you recommend. I started out using Blogger and now use WordPress (both the free and paid versions) for five of my seven blogs.
Blogs can be used to create multiple streams of passive income because they allow you to add all types of ads to your blog. You can use your blog posts to write product reviews such as the onesCafé Momdoes.You can review those affiliate products related to your services and products. You can also use your blog to disseminate information, such as articles, free reports, and other industry specific resources. With a blog you can establish your expertise in a particular genre, topic or industry.
Take Darran Rowse as an example.Darran started a blog called ProBlogger as a way to catalog all the information he learned about blogging (while doing so) and others found it interesting. Because of Darran’s expertise, he has established himself as the go-to person on the topic of blogging and currently has more than 100,000 subscribers to his blog.When you establish your expertise as Darran has done, you are solving problems for your followers which helps you build your brand and sell more products and services.
Make the most of Technorati.com–(Currently tracking 98.4 million blogs and over 250 million pieces of tagged social media) and Digg.com(a place for people to discover and share content from anywhere on the web). Build relationships with other bloggers by visiting and leaving comments. Try microblogging with Twitter.com and check out Entrecard (your business card 2.0). Entrecard is a 125×125 image which represents you and your blog. It’s part advertisement and part business card. It comes with a widget you place on your blog, so that others can leave their Entrecard for you. You can also use Entrecard to promote your blog and launch free advertising campaigns. Both FREE.
Want more ideas to promote your business on the WEB? Get a FREE copy of the 8-page Special Report Promoting Your Business on the WEB TODAY!
Instead of the usual tips and advice I thought it would be fun to post something different today. I was experimenting with a wordsearch program for the Grow a Million Dollar Business Summit and the results were great so I decided to also create a wordsearch for Social Networking.
You can test your detective skills and your patience with this all-new Social Networking Wordsearch puzzle. If you want to know the answers, please leave a comment on any one of the posts at Redhead Marketing then send me a message with “Social Networking Puzzle Answers” in the subject line. I will send you the link to the KEY.
If you are not participating in social networking either by blogging, being on forums, taking advantage of social networking sites and platforms, you may be missing out on an untapped audience of prospects and customers. Social networking is a great way to share your own resources, find resources and learn from others and oh yes, do some business.
