kO′ch VA adj. 1. a highly specialized and niched virtual
assistant who is in tune with their coaching clients and customizes solutions based upon their individual needs and goals 2. differs from a general virtual assistant as they only partner with members of the coaching industry [syn: 
Archive for Blogs
What the BLOG?
Posted by: | CommentsBlogs Are the NEW Secret Weapon for Reaching Your Tarket. Just like you, I hate being marketed to. Every day we’re bombarded with over 3,500 marketing messages. And frankly I’m sick of it! But blogs are different. Blogs are a two-way conversation between blogger and bloggee (plus all the readers in between). Through commenting and cross-linking, you can share feedback. You can build your network. You can become, dare I say it, an Internet celebrity!
See blogs add humanity and instantaneous expression to the web. Like ezines, blogs are a way for your customer to get to know you.
However, unlike ezines, blogs help you with search engine rankings. Did you hear me? I said, unlike ezines, blogs help you with search engine rankings. That’s a big one.
Entrepreneur Magazine, Business Week, even the FCC (Federal Trade Commission) all believe blogs are here to stay. Recently Michael Powell, chairman of the FCC, started one. His initial post drew over 30,000 readers. A Microsoft spokesperson says Bill Gates is considering starting a blog. And filmmaker Michael Moore built a blog to promote his controversial new movie, Fahrenheit 9/11.
But who has time to read a blog anyway? Exactly! The job of a blog is to cut through the information overload and deliver searchable, relevant and current content. BlogAds.com recently conducted a survey of over 17,000 blog readers. Here’s what they report:
* Blog readers are older and more affluent. 61% of blog readers are over 30, and 75% make more than $45,000 a year.
* Blog readers are more cyber-active. 54% of their news consumption is online. 21% are themselves bloggers and 46% describe themselves as opinion makers.
* Blog readers are media-mavens. 21% subscribe to the New Yorker magazine, 15% to the Economist, 15% to Newsweek and 14% to the Atlantic Monthly.
* Whether on the left or right, blog readers have traits in common that often are absent in today’s public spaces: passion and initiative.
* Blog readers have apathy towards traditional news sources. 82% say that television is worthless. 55% percent say the same about print newspapers. 54% say the same about print magazines.
* Meanwhile, 86% say that blogs are either useful or extremely useful as sources of news or opinion. 80% say they read blogs for news they can’t find elsewhere. 78% read because the perspective is better. 66% value the faster news. 61% say that blogs are more honest.
* Blog readers appear united in their dissatisfaction with conventional media and their rabid love of blogs.
Don’t you want to be a blogger too? How about looking at some samples of the good, the bad and the bizarre?
Model citizen blogs: http://www.marketingsecrets.com/blog/ – John Reese’s blog. Hey, the guy just made $1,080,496.37 online in a single day. Here’s a good rule of thumb. If Reese is doing it, you should be too.
http://www.talkbiz.net/ramblings/weblog.php – Copywriter Paul Myers keeps us up-to-date on SPAM and other Internet marketing nightmares.
http://www.thinkbigrevolution.com/ – Michael Port’s weekly calls to inspire those who aspire now have an online connecting point. Designed by Andy Wibbels.
My Blog: http://www.red-hot-copy.com/blog.htm – my blog today (see end of article).
Bizarro Blog: Jeff Bridges’ site is considered a “blog.” It’s hand-written! (Yes, really). http://www.jeffbridges.com
I’ve been dipping my toe into the blogging pool since earlier this year. Now I’ve decided it’s time to really learn how to do this stuff with an expert who will take me by the hand through the scary forest of the blog-world. I’m going back to school! Through another client, I met blogging guru, Andy Wibbels. Sure, he has a funny name, but he is adorable! And his writing style has me rolling on the floor. Well Andy is a self-professed geek. And Andy knows blogs. He says it’s easy and I trust him. Read more about it here. www.easybakeweblogs.com
About the Author
International copywriting trainer, author and speaker, Lorrie Morgan-Ferrero has been a freelance writer and journalist for over 25 years. Her words have made her clients hundreds of thousands of dollars. Now she focuses her vast experience on teaching others the skill of copywriting. Lorrie is the author of a highly acclaimed copywriting course, creator of the Red Hot Copywriting Bootcamp and founder of Copy Campus, a unique membership resource site designed to support copywriters and entrepreneurs on all levels. Visit her site to learn more at http://www.red-hot-copy.com.
OIVAC Blog Tour Stop #18
Posted by: | CommentsI am very excited to have Sharon Williams of The 24 Hour Secretary, The Alliance for Virtual Businesses and the OIVAC stop by on the blog tour to promote the upcoming OIVAC Convention. If you’re not already registered…hop to it!
Thank you so much for stopping by Sharon! I am looking forward to reading your answers to my questions!
Becki 
___________________________
I’m glad to be here Becki, and I apologize for being a little late. This week has been very hectic, but I was determined to not let anything interfere with my stopping by, and here I am! I hope your readers are still hanging around, because your questions are very interesting and I can’t wait to dive in and respond.
1. How can the Online International Virtual Assistants Convention be a catalyst for change in one’s VA Business?
The convention offers opportunities for VAs to assemble with VAs located around the globe, they would not normally engage in conversation. It also presents opportunities to create and nurture relationships that in the future may lead to the development of partnering relationships.
It also allows VAs to experience, first hand application of VoIP technology, inclusive of white boarding, video and PowerPoint presentations, file sharing, etc., all which can potentially be marketed as a value-add service to clients.
By attending seminars conducted by intra- and external VA-industry recognized experts, attendees gain access to a wealth of knowledge, experiences and information specifically crafted to benefit the virtual assistant audience. In other words, if you have questions, these presenters have answers!
2. How is the Alliance for Virtual Businesses and the OIVAC connected?
The Alliance for Virtual Businesses (A4VB) is a promotional arm of the international VA community and primary sponsor of OIVAC. OIVAC is the brainchild of the chairperson of the Alliance (me). I believed the industry had grown to where we could hold an annual event, where, regardless of geographic boundaries, VAs could come together in a relaxed setting, network, attend educational activities, and celebrate virtual assisting, as well as individual and collective contributions to the business community, virtually and inexpensively. Because of these beliefs, and my continuing efforts to promote the industry, it made sense for the Alliance to grab the mantle and make it happen.
3. How can the right VA be an asset to a client’s business?
There are many, many ways the “right” VA can be an asset to a client’s business. For instance, the VA can serve as the right-hand person, intermediary with clients and vendors, appointment scheduler and problem solver. When the right VA performs duties, she can allow the client to “relax” knowing a professional is handling the responsibility. She can assume many duties and actually “make the client look good”, at home and before clients and prospects. If the client and VA maintain open lines of communication and she understands the client’s mission, she often times brainstorms, conducts research, and has prepared answers “before being asked”, implements processes and lets the client know “after the fact”.
Value-add services are something clients always appreciate – and when the client thinks you are one thought ahead, literally reading their mind and having a solution in hand, you are, in reality, 2 or 3 ahead. Eventually, the client recognizes your true value to the business; appreciates your direct and indirect contributions and compensates accordingly.
4. Is the OIVAC geared more towards the emerging VA or towards the VA ready to take the next big leap?
In my opinion, it doesn’t matter if you are classified as “emerging” or “ready to take the next big leap”. Emerging VAs are “taking the next big leap” into entrepreneurship, and established VAs are really “leaping” all the time. Like the 2006 convention, we have something for everyone. For instance, Laurie Dart, a copywriting expert VA, is presenting Winning Sales Copy, which is a topic we all should be interested in; Cheryl Callighan’s seminar is on subcontracting, which covers the issue from the owner as well as subcontractor prospective. Janice Byer will discuss how to respond to requests for proposals, another topic of interest to newbie and experienced VAs, and the list goes on.
In addition, the schedule also includes “specialty” or “niche” topics; again, which may be of interest to both categories. They include:
What is a Virtual Bankruptcy Assistant? presented by Victoria Ring; How to Use Search Engine Optimization to Get More Clients Online, with Biana Babinski; and Coke7 is More than Soda, It’s a Brand: Learn How to Identify Yours & Increase Profits, which is presented by yours truly.
General categories every VA should want to attend include: Business Ethics, given by Jeannine Clontz, The Most Important Plan of Your Business – The Disaster Recovery Plan, by Diana Ennen, and Documenting Critical Success Factors for Profitable Growth, with Roberta Eastman.
As you can see, we’ve a wide array of topics that, frankly, VAs, no matter how classified, could select. And, this list does not include our eight (8) feature presenters. So to answer your question, we didn’t plan this year’s convention around any industry group but instead based it on overall industry interest. We invite VAs, no matter the category, to attend.
5. How does the industry go from where it is today to something bigger and better than ever before?
I guess the question is what is bigger and better? Looking over the past 10 years, the industry has progressed and as the future faces us, my hope is that the disparate groups can come together and develop a cohesive bond around creating an industry plan of action. Now I know there are some who ask, who does she think she is to propose the industry leadership – and even if you deny it, there are industry leaders (self proclaimed or not and even if you, the reader, do not subscribe to the title “leader”) meet and define parameters where we can all work together. It may be to work on just one activity or component of a project – but something that everyone is willing to sit at the table for. If that ever occurs, I see it as the foundation for bigger and better and then the industry’s future will be limitless.
Well Becki, I hope I’ve provided enough insight into the how’s, why’s and who’s of the OIVAC and look forward to attending your presentation at the convention. That’s right, now I remember; your topic is Imagination, Inventiveness and the New Fangled Idea explains how to network to find the experts that you need. Kathie Thomas of VA Directory, whom we visited yesterday, is also a presenter. Tomorrow, we go back “down under” to visit Lorraine Pirihi of Office Organiser. I can’t wait to share her scrambled puzzle clue with our Australian VA readers. So stay tuned. I won’t leave here without giving today’s clue, so don’t worry! It’s aslse. Okay, time for a nap. See you in the Land of Oz, tomorrow.
About Sharon Williams
Sharon is the Chairperson of the Alliance for Virtual Businesses and OIVAC, and president of The 24 Hour Secretary an administrative, secretarial and internet-based marketing support services company. She is the 2006 recipient of the Thomas Leonard International Virtual Assistant of Distinction Award and co-founder of Virtual Business University an e-learning environment for entrepreneurs willing to step towards their greatness.
What the BLOG?
Posted by: | CommentsBlogs Are the NEW Secret Weapon for Reaching Your Tarket. Just like you, I hate being marketed to. Every day we’re bombarded with over 3,500 marketing messages. And frankly I’m sick of it! But blogs are different. Blogs are a two-way conversation between blogger and bloggee (plus all the readers in between). Through commenting and cross-linking, you can share feedback. You can build your network. You can become, dare I say it, an Internet celebrity!
See blogs add humanity and instantaneous expression to the web. Like ezines, blogs are a way for your customer to get to know you.
However, unlike ezines, blogs help you with search engine rankings. Did you hear me? I said, unlike ezines, blogs help you with search engine rankings. That’s a big one.
Entrepreneur Magazine, Business Week, even the FCC (Federal Trade Commission) all believe blogs are here to stay. Recently Michael Powell, chairman of the FCC, started one. His initial post drew over 30,000 readers. A Microsoft spokesperson says Bill Gates is considering starting a blog. And filmmaker Michael Moore built a blog to promote his controversial new movie, Fahrenheit 9/11.
But who has time to read a blog anyway? Exactly! The job of a blog is to cut through the information overload and deliver searchable, relevant and current content. BlogAds.com recently conducted a survey of over 17,000 blog readers. Here’s what they report:
* Blog readers are older and more affluent. 61% of blog readers are over 30, and 75% make more than $45,000 a year.
* Blog readers are more cyber-active. 54% of their news consumption is online. 21% are themselves bloggers and 46% describe themselves as opinion makers.
* Blog readers are media-mavens. 21% subscribe to the New Yorker magazine, 15% to the Economist, 15% to Newsweek and 14% to the Atlantic Monthly.
* Whether on the left or right, blog readers have traits in common that often are absent in today’s public spaces: passion and initiative.
* Blog readers have apathy towards traditional news sources. 82% say that television is worthless. 55% percent say the same about print newspapers. 54% say the same about print magazines.
* Meanwhile, 86% say that blogs are either useful or extremely useful as sources of news or opinion. 80% say they read blogs for news they can’t find elsewhere. 78% read because the perspective is better. 66% value the faster news. 61% say that blogs are more honest.
* Blog readers appear united in their dissatisfaction with conventional media and their rabid love of blogs.
Don’t you want to be a blogger too? How about looking at some samples of the good, the bad and the bizarre?
Model citizen blogs: http://www.marketingsecrets.com/blog/ – John Reese’s blog. Hey, the guy just made $1,080,496.37 online in a single day. Here’s a good rule of thumb. If Reese is doing it, you should be too.
http://www.talkbiz.net/ramblings/weblog.php – Copywriter Paul Myers keeps us up-to-date on SPAM and other Internet marketing nightmares.
http://www.thinkbigrevolution.com/ – Michael Port’s weekly calls to inspire those who aspire now have an online connecting point. Designed by Andy Wibbels.
My Blog: http://www.red-hot-copy.com/blog.htm – my blog today (see end of article).
Bizarro Blog: Jeff Bridges’ site is considered a “blog.” It’s hand-written! (Yes, really). http://www.jeffbridges.com
I’ve been dipping my toe into the blogging pool since earlier this year. Now I’ve decided it’s time to really learn how to do this stuff with an expert who will take me by the hand through the scary forest of the blog-world. I’m going back to school! Through another client, I met blogging guru, Andy Wibbels. Sure, he has a funny name, but he is adorable! And his writing style has me rolling on the floor. Well Andy is a self-professed geek. And Andy knows blogs. He says it’s easy and I trust him. Read more about it here. www.easybakeweblogs.com
About the Author
International copywriting trainer, author and speaker, Lorrie Morgan-Ferrero has been a freelance writer and journalist for over 25 years. Her words have made her clients hundreds of thousands of dollars. Now she focuses her vast experience on teaching others the skill of copywriting. Lorrie is the author of a highly acclaimed copywriting course, creator of the Red Hot Copywriting Bootcamp and founder of Copy Campus, a unique membership resource site designed to support copywriters and entrepreneurs on all levels. Visit her site to learn more at http://www.red-hot-copy.com.
How To Drive Traffic With A Blog
Posted by: | CommentsBlogs are different than regular static sites. Although a blog is really just a fancy word for a content management system, therefore it is just a regular site with enhanced and easy editing, a blog has a sense of urgency and “newness.” People read blogs because there is a general feeling that the information posted is more current compared to static sites.
This is true when the blogger is very regular with new material and gives people a reason to tune in frequently.
Promoting a blog, I have found, is far easier than promoting a regular website for many reasons.
Because you can create “news” on your blog at the drop of a hat, you can create buzz. Buzz is infectious, produces links from “buzzed” website owners looking to present their visitors with a buzz, and gets you attention that is harder to acquire for regular sites.
You can promote a blog through RSS and get subscribers who would rather use a “podcatcher” (a newer phrase that simply means they subscribe to your RSS feed rather than your email list with a tool like FireAnt http://fireant.com).
People like being anonymous in this over-emailed world of ours. Getting subscribers to a blog via your RSS feed means you are offering a way for the justifiably paranoid to access your material without committing their personal information in the exchange.
So you have another way to promote here as well. Rather than sending people to your opt-in page only, you can grab RSS subscribers on every page of your blog, no matter which page they come through.
Now you can trade links, or trackbacks, with other bloggers in your niche which is a much more highly respected and valuable form of reciprocal linking that Google actually loves.
Having a blog means you can “podcast.” Podcasting is making audio and video files available in your posts that can be picked up in your RSS feed by people using places like iTunes.com to find multi-media content.
This is a MASSIVE new open market of people really getting into iPods, especially the new video iPods, and seeing what their new gadgets can really do.
By creating an informative how-to video and podcasting it from your blog, you can get listed in iTunes and other podcast directories that are practically empty on many niche topics right now!
These are things you can do with a blog that you cannot do very easily or at all with a static site.
Don’t forget that there are other directories only bloggers can promote in. Directories like Syndic8.com and Daypop.org are only open to bloggers with RSS feeds.
While everyone else is working down in the trenches on their one-dimensional static html site, bloggers can enjoy promoting their sites in far less competitive areas with extreme amounts of traffic flowing through them.
In short, a good blog with the right plug-ins will give you marketing power I wish I had when I was starting out. My blog would be 7 years old this year and would have an archive section a mile long with content syndicated all over the web established over those 7 years!
This time next year you are definitely going to wish you had started your blog today! Especially when you consider the vast potential of audio and video podcasting and syndicating your content easily through your feed to places that only accept bloggers. Static sites need not apply!
About the Author
Jack Humphrey blogs at http://www.jackhumphrey.com. His long running newsletter, now blog, The Friday Traffic Report, has been responsible for untold millions of visitors for his readers. Grab a free chapter of his book “Power Linking” just for stopping by!
Free Teleclass: How to Use Blogs for Public Relations
Posted by: | CommentsAs part of the outreach for Blogwild! A Guide for Small Business Blogging, I’m hosting a free series of expert calls with some of the top blogging brainiacs out there. Our third call is with Rick Bruner from DoubleClick.
Rick Bruner is research director of DoubleClick, a leading provider of digital advertising technology and services. Rick is widely regarded as an expert in the field of Internet marketing and advertising, a frequent speaker at industry conferences and the co-author of the book Net Results: Web Marketing That Works. He has been blogging since 2002 and is the founder of BusinessBlogConsulting.com, a group blog which focuses on using blogs for marketing.
Our call is going to focus on how to bloggers can use PR for marketing and how PR professionals can use bloggers for their marketing.
I hope you’ll join us for this free call:
Tuesday, January 24 @ 7:30 Eastern (New York)
Dial-in number is 1-712-432-2323 (long distance rates may apply)
Participant access code is 60657
Blogging Strategies for Search Engines
Posted by: | CommentsFrom AndyWibbels.com
The Go Blogwild Series continues! Don’t miss our call tonight with Dave Taylor author of The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Growing Your Business with Google. We’re going to talk about strategies for boosting visbility in the search engines with your blog. I hope you’ll join us for this free call:
Tonight, Tuesday January 17 @ 7:30 pm Eastern (New York), Dial-in number is 1-712-432-2323 (long distance rates may apply). Participant access code is 60657.
The call is being recorded and audio archive will be available as soon as possible. You can also subscribe to the podcast through iTunes (what is podcasting?).
Andy Wibbels
Blogs: A New Public Relations Tool
Posted by: | CommentsWe all know that blogs have taken the internet by storm (if you don’t know what a blog is, skip this article and move on to the one announcing the wheel). Millions of people are posting their thoughts, ideas, dreams, gossip, advertisements, and complaints on the web through personal weblogs. It seems that blogs are taking over. Well they’re not… yet.
Weblogs (blogs) are also changing the face of online business. Consumers now have the power to influence a much larger circle of peers. People share negative consumer experiences at least ten times as often as positive ones. Corporations beware! Hell hath no fury like a consumer scorned! And with the advent of blogging, dissatisfied consumers have more power and influence than ever before.
Many businesses now face the problem of negative press floating around inside search engine results – a trail complaints and accusations left by disgruntled bloggers. Such negative online publicity is very damaging in what I call “search culture.” Search culture refers to that portion of consumers who now do all of their product and company research on the web. Negative publicity affects them so much because they follow the top search results for every query.
Searchers don’t even have to click on a negative article or blog to read that brief description below the link. That one piece of information alone can cast a negative light on any given product or business. I have personally searched for a particular business or inspirational author and found more than enough complaints on the first page of results to make me wary of that individual or company.
If I’m trying to learn new information about a product or person, I search Google or Teoma. If the top results are comprised of consumer complaints, I am less likely to look much further. The immediate sense of danger quells any curiosity or desire to take a risk on something new.
That is why search is so powerful, why search engine optimization is so important, why people should be more careful with what they write, and why companies need weapons like blogs and press releases to combat the evil hordes. The combat metaphor may seem a bit much, but some of you know what I’m talking about. It is a battle to reach the people. You must do whatever you can to reach them first. Someone will shape their opinions. It is only a question of “whom”.
How can a company blog to ethically combat negative press? Let’s lay out a scenario. XYZ Company discovers that within the top ten search results for their product names are customer complaints about usability. XYZ quickly researches the content of the complaint and responds with a blog post that solves the users’ problems or suggests alternatives.
Blogs are an effective way to manage public relations. Every company should have a blog on or connected to their company website. Consumers should have the opportunity to ask their questions and voice their complaints directly. Responding to these issues will both quell unnecessary bad press and win back some of your dissatisfied customers. Everyone wants to feel special and important. A company who responds to customer questions and complaints via weblogs communicates a commitment to customer satisfaction.
About the Author
Daniel Dessinger is a copywriter in the Dallas / Fort Worth area. He holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in English from Dallas Baptist University. In addition to compulsive blogging, he writes for various marketing firms, corporations, and small businesses around the country. His writing services include SEO friendly interactive press releases, search optimized website copy, industry-specific articles, creative ads, copy editing, and online public relations consulting. Visit him on the web at http://www.culturefeast.com.
Don’t Want Spam with Your Online News and Info
Posted by: | CommentsWhen it comes to cutting edge tech, I know some people feel that the drum beat to use what’s new and improved can get a little loud and too proud. I still have friends and acquaintances who have as yet bought a dvd or dvd player, of course video ditributors are still banking on them. And I have to confess that I still have in my possession some 8-track tapes, but then I’m dating myself as partially retro-age.
As a source for daily or recurring news and info that you want to read on a constant basis with all the sources out there comes the most dreaded side effect called spam. Most people would rather do without than to have to clean their in-box or use a browser with incessant popups getting in the way in order to find info or read the latest news.
Simple solution that is virtually spam-free – RSS or webfeeds, I can hear the cutting edge naysayers shanking their heads vigoroursly. But, let’s look at two sources for news and info to see if we can win the argument.
RSS and television are our two sources for this comparison. The two are used for receiving info that is new or updated regularly. Television news is broadcast wirelessly everywhere for you to change channels when it suits the remote control in your hand. RSS/webfeeds are broadcast using XML, Atom or RSS tech with the added feature of you setting the channel for what you want to read or receive. Television news is now broadcast 24/7. RSS is delivered instantly as changes are broadcast over the Internet.
Some don’t understand the tech behind RSS and avoid using it to recieve spam free news. Email news is 2-way as it is used to send and receive info, RSS is one way – you get what you ask for..and that’s all. With email you have to climb thru all the other clutter of wanted and unwanted emails until you find news/info you can use for the day. RSS readers or aggregators display what is subscribed to for the day and dependent on the source can sometimes be updated several times a day.
Is RSS something I need? Maybe.
If you are on vacation and the flight you had scheduled has been cancelled, when would you like to find that out? You are planning a vacation and want to rent a compact or possibly upgrade – think it would be a good idea to know how many compacts are available or if any upgrades are available with and added savings for being a subscriber to their RSS feed?
With RSS the info is sent when needed, is not buried under other messages and still won’t get blocked by a semi-concious spam filter.
My RSS reader is for numerous news subscriptions, notices from several websites that I visit regularly, blogs and press releases. The overly bloated email box is for clients, and family, especially for my college students who send me updates when their “investment” fund has run out of money.
About the Author
More Details about rss aggregator for news without spam here. Daviyd Peterson: 10-year consultant, instructor, trainer of digital divide solutions for home and business. Helps African American and minority SME bridge the digital divide by becoming wireless Small Business Enterprises.
Top 10 Things To Setting Up A Successful Blog
Posted by: | CommentsIf you’re serious about setting up a successful, small business weblog or blog that augments and enhances your business or service, here are 10 sure-fire tips to help you do it successfully.
1. Get Your Own Domain Name
This is so important. Piggy-backing off of another url (ie. widgets.blogspot.com) makes less of an impact than www.widgets.com. Having your own domain name separates you from the hobbyists and children blogging, and lets the world know, you are a serious blogger. It also allows you to change hosting companies, maximize the customization of your weblog and it’s still there even if the company that built the software goes out of business. Even if you decide to use Blogger.com and in the future it shuts down, you still have your own web pages on your own domain. You can start building with all your data intact.
2. Learn your blogging software
You need to be able to customize your blog to reflect your business. Whatever software you settle on, whether you start with blogger.com and move on to Typepad, Wordpress or Moveable Type, you need to learn to work with and change the templates, add your blogroll, set-up what your advertising, change or add pictures and more. In order to make your blog unique and different, you’ll need to have at least a minimum amount of knowledge of what you’re working with.
3. Learn from those who’ve already gone before.
Read and study other blogs. Don’t be afraid to contact and ask questions. When you want to learn to do something you need to study what is already successful. There are many ways to find blogs, but I’ve found that BlogExplosion is one of the easiest ways to get traffic to, and surf others blogs quickly and easily.
4. Post to your blog on a consistent basis.
Updating once a month won’t get you much readership. If you update your blog 3-5 times per week with interesting and informative articles and tips about your industry, people will look forward to what you’ve updated and return again and again.
5. Blogging is like networking and building a virtual family.
The readers don’t care what you are selling until they know you care about them and what’s going on in their world. Blogging sales messages is the quickest way to lose readership and destroy any relationships you might have. People go out on the Internet and into the blogosphere looking for information, help and fun topics of interest. If you provide information and benefits for them surfing to your blog on a consistent basis, they will return. If you come at them like a used car salesman, people will find other places to spend their time.
6. Allow comments and trackbacks.
Part of the magic of blogging is its interactivity with the virtual world through the comments people make to your blogging articles. Grow a thick skin, and put your opinion out there. Depending on what you’re blogging about, comments can range from “Nice Post” to things very much less complimentary. In either case, it’s a give and take, not a one-way news delivery or sales pitch.
7. They don’t read, leave or comment on other blogs.
Part of joining the blogosphere is getting into the thick of things. That means living outside of your blog.
8. Create a blogroll.
What’s a blogroll? It’s a list of links to other people’s blogs you like. Why would you want to create traffic to other people’s blogs, you ask. It is important that you give in order to get. Reciprocal linking in the industry you’re blogging about builds relationships and links back to your site. This, in turn, increases your search engine positioning. More people find you and your readership grows. It’s a give and take. If you read a blog and like it, find the news relevant and want to add it to your website, comment with a trackback, add the blog to your blogroll or links section, and the other website will most like reciprocate. Blogging is more about building a community than cut and dry business. Think warm and fuzzy, because most bloggers, whoever they are, respond much better to honey than vinegar.
9. Ping the news aggregators. Tag your posts.
It’s important to let people know when you update, and by pinging, you let the world know that something new has appeared on your blog. Learn about using tags on your posts so that when you update the news services will know how to classify your update. If it’s about “blue widgets” and you tag it as such, people searching for information on that topic will find you. Technorati covers tagging in an easy-to-read format that anybody can grasp quickly.
You’ll find information about using Technorati tags here: http://www.technorati.com/help/tags.html
Ping using Pingoat: What to do: Go to Pingoat (http://www.pingoat.com) and submit your blog, selecting as many appropriate news aggregates you like. Then bookmark the next page that shows your ping “results.” Every time you post, visit this page and you will automatically ping the news aggregates.
or
Ping using Pingomatic: What to do: Go to Pingomatic (http://www.pingomatic.com) Do the same as above.
10. Download, use and master an RSS reader.
If you don’t know what I’m talking about, this is the first place to start. FeedDemon is a popular aggregator that resembles Microsoft Outlook and delivers both podcasts and feeds from other blogs.
There you have it. A quick and easy guide to setting up a successful blog. It will take you a bit of time, but it will be well worth it in the end with increased traffic, expert status in your industry and the ability to inform as well as interact with your readership.
About the Author
More Details about Top 10 Blogging Tips here. Judith Brandy is a writer, science fiction fan and cancer survivor who runs a combination science fiction and cancer information website. Her mission is to be an information source for both topics, presented in a fun and easy-going manner that helps people relax and self-educate. Visit this site for fun; visit it for education about breast cancer and what needs to be done to deal with it.
Blogging: How To Generate More Visitors To Your Blog
Posted by: | CommentsBlogging is all the rage in the media. Business magazines continually report that blogging can increase visitors to your website and increase sales for your business. So it is no wonder that there are now millions of blogs with millions of bloggers trying to jump on the bandwagon called blogging. Does this describe you? You’re probably wondering why you’ve been blogging for some time now without much success. Read on for the answer.
Think about this: there are millions of blogs but only a few hundred or so drive any significant amount of traffic. Those blogs are doing something right; you’re doing something wrong.
To understand why some blogs work while others don’t you should study the popular blogs to see what they do. Have a look at the following sample of blogs that are heavily read and reach a lot of readers. Try to spot common themes between them:
1. http://www.business-opportunities.biz
2. http://www.calacanis.com
3. http://microsoft.weblogsinc.com
4. http://www.ducttapemarketing.com/weblog.php
Here’s what these blogs do right and what you should do to emulate them:
1. They freely link to other websites and other blogs. So many people are afraid to link elsewhere from their blog because they don’t want to redirect their readers elsewhere; they want to keep their readers on their own blog. The big boys aren’t afraid and they have plenty of links. Here’s what happens; when you link to other blogs and websites those people will find out about it. When they find out about it, they will have a look at your blog. When they look at your blog they may decide to link to it. Slowly, you’ll get more links to your blog which will bring you more traffic. And, when you get more links you’ll also get more search engine traffic. Don’t ask for links; give and you shall receive.
2. They use descriptive words in the anchor text of their links. When you link to other blogs, use descriptive text in the link. This is called the “anchor text.” If you scroll down to the bottom of this article you will see that I use “sales leads” as descriptive text in the link to my website. This is because search engines will associate the descriptive text with what the website is about and will help in search engine results for that keyword. Search engines need to find your blog so help them find other blogs and other blogs will then help them find you. This is another example of “give and you shall receive.” You do it for others and they will do it for you.
3. They write about news, current events, other businesses, other people, other blogs, and other websites. The biggest mistake that new bloggers make is that they only write about themselves and their businesses. You may think that you are the most important person in the world (rightfully so) and that your business is the most important business in the world (and it should be to you), but others don’t see it that way. Stop writing so much about yourself. Nobody wants to hear it. Writing about yourself is the best way to bore people. You can write about yourself but keep it to less than a quarter of the time.
4. They write interesting topics with an interesting point of view. I think this is self explanatory. This is the best way to have loyal visitors.
5. They blog often. Most of the top bloggers post a blog once or twice a day. Their readers know that they can visit the blog each and every day and find something new. You have to condition yourself to do the same.
This is what the top bloggers do and this is what you, too, should do if you want your blog to generate traffic.
About the Author
My name is Tino Buntic, creator of TradePals, providing sales leads to business professionals across the country. I also have a business blog which I use to promote my website. Feel free to link to my website or blog and I will reciprocate.
