Words on a page captivate us. Words have the power to transform, instruct, and shape our thinking like nothing else. Yet, with all of their power, we often forget to use them to our advantage. When it comes to social media, the written word is the very foundation that we are building on. Our audience relies upon the things we write. They use our words to know what we are all about and if we are worth paying attention to. The web is, essentially, a castle made of content. We must embrace and master our ability to write like kings. [...]
For the most part, marketing is a relatively simple idea. We develop a product, identify the audience, and then sell it to them based on the benefits it provides. The way we usually do this is through advertising methods like radio, newspaper, and television. But, I challenge you to think about this scenario for just a minute. Your customers are sitting in their living room enjoying a show, when your ad suddenly interrupts them right in the middle of doing something that they enjoy. Not cool, right? We all know from experience that this type of advertising is annoying, and [...]
[This post is part of the ongoing Better Websites Series.] The term Search Engine Optimization is not a new. However, most of us don’t understand how it works, or how to do it. The truth is that it isn’t something you need to hire a fancy firm to figure out. It is something that you can do yourself, with a little determination and some elbow grease. There are two primary strategies for SEO greatness. Before we dive in, though, you need to understand the science, and the history, of how search engines work. The History of Search For the most [...]
Blogs 101 – Part 2 – The Social Media Huddle If you missed blog part one, “Why a Blog Might Be the Next Step for Your Business”, you can view that post here. Sometimes when we look to promote our blog or website we get distracted by shiny things. We tweet more links, or share more on Facebook, but we oftentimes miss some of the crucial steps required for success. In this show (that I forgot to post last week) we cover some of the things that you should be doing to promote your blog and how you can better [...]
If you blog, then you know the feeling of dead or dropping visitor statistics. Bloggers want traffic, and even some great blogs struggle at acquiring it. According to CNET, there is a new blog born every 30 seconds. Some of these blogs will get traffic and attention, and some won’t. So, how do you ensure that you are one of the blogs with traffic? Easy, you need to socialize. Honestly, this is one of the big keys to blog traffic. Sure, you can broadcast your blog links to Twitter and Facebook. This will help, but engaging in meaningful conversation and [...]
Perhaps, I may disappoint you when I say that the number one best ways to get more readers to your blog is to simply write better content. Yep, that’s it. Better content brings more readers, simple as that. [Don't Forget! We will be talking about blog content and traffic on today's Social Media Huddle. Tune in LIVE!] A World of Options There are at least a million and one blogs out there that are tackling the very same subject you are. The internet is a big place, and the competition for our attention is huge. It takes something special to [...]
Blogging is a double-edge sword. On one side, it is unbelievably powerful in its ability to grow your business, and on the other it can be painfully difficult to maintain and keep fresh. I have testified before, and will say again – blogging is the best thing that I have ever done for my business. Don’t you wish you could say the same thing? Why Blog? Why blog is a simple question with a surprisingly complex answer. The answer is different for everyone, but they all come back to one main point – businesses blog because it helps their business [...]
I have probably mentioned before that blogging is simply the best thing that I have done for my business. There are many reasons for this, such as inbound lead generation, content development, and personal accomplishment. When I really started to blog, my goal was to publish a new post five days per week, and so far, that is exactly what I have done. I admit, it hasn’t always been easy, but there have been a few practices that have helped along on the way. What Might be Stopping You? Before we dive in too far, I want to take a [...]
I have been sick all week, and so have my kids, which meansI have been sick with no sleep. The bad news about working for yourself is that you can rarely take sick days. The work still needs to get done, right? So, that said, I have kept up with all of my usual activity, including blogging. Along the way, there have been several things that have helped me stay focused. These simple tools and habits have been my savior this week, and when I really think about it, they have been my savior time and time again. Sometimes I [...]
Yesterday we published an important post about content marketing. This type of marketing is crucial, because it is at the center of what this Internet marketing is all about. That said, if you are seriously looking to start using content as a major part of your marketing puzzle you will need to have a decent writing foundation beneath you. Now, don’t worry, I am no poet either. I learn to write better each day, and there is a long road ahead of me. Here are a few resources that I like that have helped me along the way. Copyblogger copyblogger.com [...]