Business Blog Post Idea Well Run Dry? Fill Her Up!
When the business blog post idea well runs dry,
fill 'er up with blog types to keep things flowing.
Bloggers' Block
I know, I know. You need to start blogging on a regular basis and some days the ideas come to you and others days that great big bloggers' block gets in the way of your writing muse. You're dried up.Link Post
George Carlin and Authentic Business Blog Writing
Be authentic with your business blog writing
and take a tip from George Carlin.
Self Expressed
George Carlin the Muse
Build Your E-mail Subscriber List – 5 Proven Opt-in Strategies for Your Blog and Website
How to Entice Your Readers to Sign Up for Your E-mail List
Today, if you have a website, you must have an email newsletter list! All the online marketing experts agree that a large email list is exponentially important to the success of your blog and website.Let's look at not just one secret but five proven ways to entice your readers to sign up for your email list. Let's face it, there are lots of great articles out there about amassing huge email lists. I am going to list the ideas that I have personally used or that are on my to do list.
1. Offer an Opt-in for a Complimentary Newsletter
It’s NOT a “Report.” It’s Just A Blog Post!
Purrfecting the art of the short, quick post
By K. Scott Teeters
You have to be at least 40-ish to get my analogy here. Remember when we were in school and the teacher said, “Now class, your assignment is a REPORT”? For most of us, the word, “REPORT” struck terror into our hearts. “Oh NO! Not a REPORT!” Of course this was in the pre-PC, desktop publishing days when your finished report was either carefully hand written or typed. If your report was going to be hand written, you just knew you’d probably have to write the whole darn thing AT LEAST five times because there’ll always a spelling error and the teacher told you, “SPELLING ERRORS WILL COUNT OFF YOUR FINAL SCORE!”
At least in the modern computer age we have word processors with spell check, plus you can jockey your words around, etc. You still have to do the research, but at least you won’t feel like your hand has become crippled from rewriting a STUPID REPORT over and over. Even if you liked English and History classes where reports were common, it was still quite a task for a teenager. Unfortunately for many of us, the unpleasant experience of “writing a report” got burned into our brain synapses. So along comes someone like me that says, “Lots of blog posts (aka “reports) is the key to blogging success.” If report writing was drudgery for you as a young person, the feeling of angst probably bubbles in your gut like bad leftovers.
So, here’s the catch.
Most people today suffer from what I call, ‘The Busyness Epidemic.” Ask someone, “How’s it going?” and you’re likely to hear, “Oh man, it’s crazy!” Or, “I’m on OVERWHELM!” Continue reading
Working a Large Business Mixer
3 Networking Experts Share Tips
to Work a Large Business Mixer
Networking with the Sharks
Networking with Animals Walking on Two Legs
5 Reasons Do It Yourself Websites Fail Small Businesses
or Customized WordPress Websites Save You Money and You Can Still Self Edit!
As a website designer and online marketing consultant for small business, I find that many of my clients hire me because they are extremely disappointed with the search engine rankings and number of visitors to their websites. The majority of these websites were built by amateur friends or by the owner on do it yourself (DIY) template sites. The site might look good but my clients eventually realize after a few months or even a few years that they need professional help to improve their local search optimization and to create social media ready websites.Why Do It Yourself Websites Fail Small Businesses:
1. Keywords and SEO:
Passionate About Business Blogging Yet?
Passion, Your Plan and Your Writing Habit Get You Results!
Business Blog Data
Recent marketing data shows that business blogging works. The data shows nearly 40% of US companies use blogs for marketing purposes and that companies that blog have 55% more website visitors. That is pretty good incentive for a small business owner to write blog posts, wouldn't you think? But there is more. Business to Consumer companies that blog get 88% more leads a month than those that don't. And Business to Business companies that blog get 67% more leads a month than those that don't. Here is the kicker. Companies that blog 20 or more times a month are seeing the biggest return in traffic and leads. I want to be in that bracket, don't you?
Small Business Passion for Blogging
Read Problogger the Book for Great Tips for the Business Blogger!
Problogger the Book has Great Tips for the Business Blogger!
by Karen A. Teeters
A Business Blogger Must Read
Darren Rowse's and Chris Garret's now classic book, Problogger, Secrets for Blogging Your Way to a Six Figure Income main purpose is to provide expertise and advice to those blog writers who would like to make money from their special interest or niche blogs.Twitter Gets You More Visitors and Page Views
WordPress Statistics Prove
that Twitter Gets Results!
by Karen A. Teeters
If you have been following my blog posts for a while you may have read my observations that Twitter really works!Majority of Hits from Twitter
A few might be from our LinkedIn or Facebook page followers but hands down, every time, our Twitter followers REALLY do it because we see the little “owly” (Hootsuite's mascot) twitter short address on our WordPress statistics pages! The unique visitors and page views always go SUBSTANTIALLY up! Continue reading Hootsuite Hootlet Wings Your Social Media Campaign
Hootsuite Hootlet Browser App
Provides Wings for Social Media
Newsletters and Google Alerts
Serve up the Latest News
I subscribe to a boatload of fantastic newsletters and blogs on social media and blogging. I get them delivered to my email in box daily. And I get Google alerts on several social media topics which are also delivered to my in box So you know what that means? Everyday I am in the front of my computer working on projects and I check my email regularly for feedback and comments from my clients. So I am constantly seeing these juicy newsletters and alerts. First thing in the morning, at lunch and dinner time I am scanning my emails for the latest on small business online marketing and social media.Good Stuff gets Tweeted
Time to Make Your Business Blog, an Old Comfortable Friend?
Or answers to the question –
Having trouble staying committed to a long term relationship with your business blog and not sure what to do?
Business Blog is Powerful Marketing Tool
Love Lorn Advice for Bloggers?
Three Easy Ways to Feed Your Blog Monster-Tips for Short, Quick Blog Posts
Or BAM!, Now You Have a New Short Post in Minutes!
Consistent blog posting is hands-down the quickest way to get you to the top of the search engine listings. Back in the olden days, (way back in 2000) to get on the first page of the search engines, you had to do a lot of link swapping, meta tag, and keyword tricks. These things still work, but there’s a new guy in town called blogging. Because blog posts tend to be relatively easy to create, it seems that he who posts most wins the top spots in the search engines. Dude, Why Do I Need to Blog Everyday?
Or How Your Consistent Blogging Gets You Great Ranking
A System for Consistent Blogging
The short answer is this: “No… but, yes.” Okay, do you “need” to blog? Of course not, you don’t “need” to do any of this. If you’re a hobbyist or you just like to share your day-to-day activities with the world, the inhabitants of this planet can wait for your next insight. But, if your objective for your website is to be on the first or second page of the Google search engine rankings, then you might want to develop a system for blogging every day. Let me explain how I came to this conclusion.
Three Easy to Follow Tips for the Social Media Newbie
or If you think Social Media is Hard, (it ain't easy) Get Some Help!
by Karen A. Teeters
Recently I got a call from a relatively new business owner who was in the same social media conundrum I was in a few years ago.
Client Referral One of my website clients had referred her to me. I had coached my client on basic social media pointers for newbies and she realized I was the best candidate to do the same for her business friend. And so I made a training appointment with my new client to show her how she can use social media marketing to drive business the right way. We will use the free internet Skype program so that she can see my computer screen as we talk over the internet.
And I will start with three easy tips. In my online marketing coaching, I always emphasize the importance of first having an excellent website because that is the hub of all your social media efforts. If you do not have a nice home to invite all you social media friends to, then you have wasted your time.
But once you have a customer friendly, professional looking website in place, then what do you do? My new client explained to me that she had started her Facebook page and she filled in the profile for her LinkedIn account and she had posted a few things but she still was not sure what her goal was or what she should do next. She even bought a few books on the subject but was still confused. I explained to her that she was on the right track by contacting me because I was in her same situation myself when I first started. I got myself on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn and had read several best selling books. Continue reading
7 Reasons to Blog as Social Media Strategy
Or Consistent Thought Leader Blogging Enhances Your Social Media Efforts
by Karen A. Teeters
You may remember reading on my other posts that I always advise the practice of lurking or following businesses similar to yours on Facebook, Twitter, and Linkedin. If you took that advice, you may have noticed something most blog writers for small businesses do on a pretty regular basis.
It has to do with their blog posts. Whenever a savvy social marketing business posts a brand new blog article, don't you see a microblog on Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn with an enticing tagline and link to the post? Something like: 5 Proven Ways to get Great Leads http://ow.ly/4qEDW.
How often have you clicked on a link like that, read the article, liked the article, perused the website, and decided to follow that writer or business on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn? Maybe you even signed up for a newsletter and received a free ebook of tips as a thank you?
Why You Need to Blog Your Heart Out!
Or SEO Back in the Olden Days Versus Blogging Today!
By K. Scott Teeters – Co SocialNetBlogger and Co-Owner and Web Designer of FiveStarSiteMakers.com
SEO in the Old Days
You’ve got your new site with all the SEO bells and whistles, now you just have to make sure you have the bandwidth capacity to handle the torrent of traffic that will be burning up your server. Right?
Ahh, not quite.
Back in the olden days, say, around the year 2000, to get good search engine rankings you needed to do the following…
Why Creating an Inviting Website is Social Media Strategy Number One!
Or What do I do first with Social Media for my Small Business?
by Karen A. Teeters
When I go to networking meetings and share with other small business owners my specialty of creating websites and online marketing consulting, I always get asked about the mystery of that latest buzz word, social media marketing. They are frustrated and say things like–I have a Facebook Account but I don't know what to say and what is Twitter for–?
Get Results
Social Media in Plain English Videos Explain it All
Social Media Videos for You, the Small Biz owner
by Karen A. Teeters
Blogging in Plain English
Maybe you have seen some of the Plain English Videos by an education company called Common Craft.
The company creates short 3 minute videos that explain complicated stuff with cut out outs and fun, simple explanations that even an elementary aged school kid could understand. These great, short videos have become quite popular on YouTube.
Social Media?
If you are a busy small business person trying to figure out the maze of websites, blogs, social media networking and even Twitter, then I can help. Continue reading
Social Media Revolution Video and WordPress Websites
Social Media and WordPress Websites get the Revolution Started For You!
By Karen A. Teeters
For me the revolution in internet marketing went to the next level when I learned about blogging and the power of WordPress websites. Going beyond the power of the blog by producing full, powerful websites with the WordPress platform in record time made a believer out of me.Throw in the interconnected communication of social media and the ability to get followers quickly and my personal revolution kicked in to the next phase.
Now I am at the point where I have not only created innumerable web2.0 websites for my own businesses, I am now doing the same for other small business entrepreneurs. This is the next phase. Years ago I sold print advertising and created ads to help businesses increase sales. That is the old technology. Continue reading
Customized WordPress Website is your Social Media Hub
Your website content and blog posts are key to your successful social media marketing campaign!
by Karen A. Teeters
Social Media and Websites create a "Two Way" communication.
When I discovered WordPress websites a few years ago, I felt like I had found online magic. About five years before, I had created my first website with Adobe's very old website software, Adobe GoLive. It was a little glitchy and not too intuitive to learn but the results were nice. With WordPress.org it was different. Once I got past the installation, the creation on the backend or dashboard of pages and posts was a dream.
After initially doing online research to find the best blog creator, all the advice I read pointed to WordPress. With my first WordPress blog creation, I was delighted to discover that WordPress is also a very powerful and popular website creator as well. After that discovery, you could not stop me from creating new websites. I loved it so much, I went back to college to become a graphic designer. I am in love with the ease of creating a beautiful and still marketing effective WordPress website! Now that is all I do!
Did I mention how powerful WordPress is to market your business with online and social media marketing? Any good website today needs to serve as the central hub of your social media and online marketing efforts. But WordPress was created to empower your social media strategies like nothing else.
Let's look at how this works.
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