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This morning after waking up to the blindingly bright sun, I got up, rolled over to my computer and sat down while I wondered why I hadn’t started the kettle before sitting down. Either way, my concerns melted away once I hit the web and started reading some of the new posts that my favourite blogs had to offer.
Darren Rowse is the guy behind ProBlogger.net - A great resource for internet marketers and bloggers alike. This morning a new article was published, “13 Quick tips to Make Your Blog STAND OUT from the Crowd.”
In my opinion these thirteen tips should be made into a common checklist that is somehow distributed to anyone who plans to “grace” the net with their blogs’ presence. For the top bloggers I would bet these are all second nature.
The 13 Quick tips to Make Your Blog STAND OUT from the Crowd
1. Pick a unique topic
2. Develop a Unique Voice
3. Design
4. Useful Content
5. Be Prolific
6. Love Your Readers to Death
7. Be Original
8. Express an Opinion
9. Get Visual
10. Use Titles with Bling
11. Longevity Counts
12. Build Momentum
13. Drive People to Your Archives
There it is, the straightforward list of quick tips for effective blogging. The original post has much more detail and describes each of the points in depth - click here to view the original article on ProBlogger.net.
Now to finish up the beautiful day with a bit more work, maybe even some blogging now that Darren has got me thinking. I had to share this article and blogger checklist with you, I hope you add it to your arsenal of resources as I add it to mine. Enjoy the day!
Yours for Big Business, Starting Small,
Kris Scheben-Edey
P.S. I Think Jarod is working on the second part to his “Bottom Line Series!” Maybe he’ll release it tonight.
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I remember the first time that I used the search engines to look for quality information on marketing blogs. It didn’t go well, and I found myself directing a lot of my marketing from a narrow and slightly biased source.
After learning a lesson, I started to bookmark the posts I came across to use as resources and motivation. I’ve had these posts archived for reference, a large part of my blogging knowledge base aside from a few memories and a bit of experience.
So for those of you who are looking to improve your blog, empower and enlighten your readers – here’s my favourite articles on blog marketing:
The Top 5 Articles on Blog Marketing
1. How To Market Your Blog In 2007, by Tony Hung
This is definitely one of my favourites as it provides not only relevant and effective techniques – but in addition it is one of the most comprehensive articles you’ll ever find for free.
2. 25 Tips for Marketing Your Blog, by Lee Odden
If the first article left anything to question then Lee Odden has likely covered it through the excellent 25-point guide. I like to use these as a checklist (with a few changes), when launching a new blog for myself or a client.
3. Top bloggers reveal how to build traffic off-blog without spending a dime, by Jonathan Fields
This is an inspiration article because the author has interviewed numerous prominent bloggers to ask them their single favourite, low budget, blog marketing method. The article contains the opinions of over 14 influential bloggers including Cory Miller and Darren Rowse.
4. 8 Tips to More Effective Blogging, by Jolina of TopRankBlog.com
This is my quick fix when I need some blog marketing motivation. A quick guide that’s simple layout always helps me put my own work in perspective.
5. Top 10 Ways to Drive Traffic to a New Blog, by Miguel Alvarez
I’ve always been a fan of copywriting, well at least since the time I learned about how it can be used effectively. Miguel Alvarez writes many inspiration posts on copywriting and this is one of my favourites from the CopyWriting.com blog. This is not a post on copywriting a blog, just a great resource on marketing one – written by a copywriter (so you know it’s good).
These are the top five articles I use for reference and now you’re welcome to use them yourself. I’ll be following the marketing of blogs in my 5 part series, The Blog Bloodlines – compiling a complete guide and list of resources for marketing your own blog. Now that I’ve shown you the standard, my job will to be make an even more useful reference - an all-in-one guide to blog marketing.
Blogs are a great way to network, and any marketer or business builder that plans to build an online presence, needs to know a thing or two about blogs. Good luck blogging.
Cheers,
Kris
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Internet Marketing is constantly changing. Now, the internet is used by everyone – not just the tech and computer savvy. Every day barriers are broken and our succinct communication has truly rendered the globe as more of a “virtual community.”
After the introduction of Web 2.0, an army of social networking mediums took the net by storm and while some were swept under the rug for eternity, most of us can generally recall a number of the popular ones that held. Did you ever have a MySpace? How about a Facebook profile? For those of you who have been networking on the net for a while – you’ve likely heard of Twitter.
Twitter is the next generation of social networking tools. The unique system limits users to a 140 character update field – to share their trials and tribulations. Over the past year, Twitter “tweets” (the short updates) have captured the attention of internet marketers and any company with an online presence.
I Just Don’t Get It. One-Hundred and Forty Characters Can’t Mean Many Words… So How Could it be a Sensational Marketing Tool?
A short and sweet tweet that’s right to the point. That’s as good as it gets for some business communication. It never hurts to perfect your elevator pitching skills, or in this case “Microwriting Skills” as Miguel Alvarez defines it in his latest post on copywriting for twitter. At many times in life you won’t get more than a few words or minutes to pitch even your most brilliant ideas to busy prospects.
To dig a little deeper into theory: if you we’re short on time, if you had lot’s to do, or if you simply don’t like reading all the mindless jabber – then why wouldn’t you manage your online network through twitter? Get all info, news, thoughts and opinions in 140 characters or less.
That’s why Twitter is growing, and why it will continue to grow.
The Top 10 Ways to Make Your Next Tweets Pack a Punch with Your Prospects
For anyone who is unfamiliar with copywriting, I recommend you learn at least the basics here: Copywriting Basics. One thing I learned from copywriting is how to meet prospects on different levels and connect with more than their eyes – but also their hearts and minds.
You can apply this to Twitter in several ways, and understanding the art (or arguably science) of copywriting will benefit the Twitter user with ever tweet. When copywriting on Twitter, or Microwriting, you need to think of a couple things:
First, Why are you here? Is it because you want to market or promote something, meet knowledgeable people, or maybe you want to make new friends?
Second, If you are trying to market something, including yourself – keep in mind the reasons above. Why? It’s because you had a reason to join, and so did they.
Now that you’ve put some thought it, let me share my list of methods for connecting with these different prospects. I’ve broken the methods into three categories reflecting the type of Twitter user you’re targeting.
Comparing – Targeting the curious and concerned.
1. Cliffhangers – Leave something unfinished, and an invitation for your prospects to finish it.
2. Theories and Philosophies – Open up a new idea or perspective to promote feedback.
3. News and Current Events – Spur discussion on popular news, and share in the buzz.
4. Topical Commenting – Have an educated opinion? Why not share it and start a discussion?
Sharing – Targeting the powerful emotion of greed and a need for self-actualization.
5. Free Information and Tools – Offer something of value that helps prospects better something in their own lives or careers.
6. Relevant Articles – Are you a marketer? A florist? A carpenter or tradesperson? Share relevant articles in your niche that provide insight and knowledge to your prospects.
7. Value by Association – We all remember high school. If someone was sitting at the popular table (regardless of discussion) they were generally deemed of popular status, right? Now apply this concept to Twitter, if you happen to be networked with valuable contacts, then you suddenly become “popular” and create some value in networking with you.
Caring – Targeting the social needs and a need to reciprocate.
8. Tweet Personalization – Everyone loves seeing their own name, so connect with them by personalizing your tweets to include comments referring to your followers or prospects.
9. Direct Questions – Ask questions directly to your followers or prospects, ones that aren’t easily answered with a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ and that promote thought as opposed to automatic response.
10. Network Building – Do you know two people who you think would like to meet, or have something interesting in common to talk about? Introduce them and you’ll promote overall readership.
Every tweet is like a very short blog post, with a significant difference in the amount of space you have to capture the interest of your prospects. So make use of it, don’t waste a single tweet and if you want to ever effectively use Twitter – then put some more effort the quality of your tweets, and less into the quantity.
Finally, I Know How to Tweet! But Wait a Minute, Isn’t This Useless If You Have No Followers on Twitter?
Self-improvement is never useless, but in regards to twitter – your tweets do have a good chance of going unnoticed unless you have some friends and followers. The common goal of most twitter users is to build their network of followers and with the use of Microwriting, and the Twitter strategies above – you’re network will grow quickly. However, you do need to give it a helping hand to get off the ground.
The Secret Strategy to Sky-Rocket Your Twitter Following:
Start by following a small group of prominent and related Twitter users
For those of you thinking about starting your Twitter network, that’s your useful tip of the day. Find prominent Twitter users that you might know; perhaps your favourite blog authors, or maybe someone specializing in your niche. When you follow these users, reply and comment on their tweets and their entire network can see your comment. In addition, you get a direct link to your profile.
So whether you’re a blogger or a builder you shouldn’t pass up the chance to expand your horizons online with Twitter. Remember, every success isn’t a step – but a journey.
Regards,
Kris Scheben-Edey
Don’t forget to add me on Twitter! Click Here for my profile.
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Niche Marketing: And Why You Need To Know How To Use It To Your Benefit
Nearly two years ago my very own mother decided to start a blog. The real-estate markets were steady and any guerilla marketing tactic seemed like a new and exciting new idea at the time. My mom has always been a natural marketing talent (probably where I got my own interest in marketing) and she loves connecting with people. However, she doesn’t have much of a tech background.
When I say she doesn’t have much tech background – I mean that I was plugging in printers and installing CD’s for her since I was about 8 years old. Now with a blog, venturing onto the World Wide Web full of code and critics - I was both concerned and curious.
I remember her telling me from the very beginning that she was just going to persevere with the blog and at that exact moment she made the commitment to manage her blog for 1 full year no matter how it went.
So What Next? Did it Top the Charts or Flop to the Bottom?
Now, nearly two years later I cannot help but be amazed by the results of her hard work and perseverance. In our last time together we briefly looked over her blog, the successes and pitfalls, and discussed her journey from a lonely collection of articles to a first page blog that really connects with the real-estate market. I asked her a couple questions, questions like:
Do you know much about SEO? “No”
Do you understand keyword relevance? “Not sure”
How about title tags? Anchor text? Outbound Links!? No, No, No. Then the next question I was far too afraid to ask out loud – so I wondered silently, “what do you know?” I just kept asking myself, “how does a mother and real-estate agent with no technology background build a first page blog?”
The Layman’s Secret to SEO Success
After some thought, I realized that she didn’t need to know the exact ins and outs of the search engines just to become popular, build a reader base, and even climb positions. No, all she needed was the three things she had all along: a passion for perseverance, the drive for self-improvement, and the patience for trial and error.
Over the years that she worked with her community real-estate blog, my mother developed many skills great for internet marketing and even SEO, without even knowing it.
The internet is changing daily, and more and more the people are starting to hold the power. Web 2.0 is all about meaningful connections with such a negative connation on spamming that I dare even say the word. So why make this point? It’s because a meaningful connection with someone can do wonders for a website at times, and you’ll never need to be a webmaster for that!
Alright so you can make meaningful connections, but what else could someone with no technology background possibly offer to the SEO table?
Quality. I could write a thousand articles stuffed with keywords at every angle but the simple fact is that no one will end up reading the material if it isn’t relevant, useful and informative. I sometimes ponder on that too. How many wasted articles have been spammed with keywords, only to be rejected endlessly by the flowing crowds of uninterested prospects because it just wasn’t very good?
The Big Picture
It doesn’t take a webmaster to write gripping content; in fact, the best content will connect with the readers and leave little for them to ask – but with plenty to take away.
The big secret is that anyone is capable of smashing the online barriers and building a presence on the net. You don’t need a background in technology, or programming, or internet marketing. You only need some perseverance, the will to learn, and the courage to try.
I guess the truth is I’ll never stop learning from my mother.
Visit the blog that inspired it all: http://blog.collingwood-bluemountain.com
Regards,
Kris Scheben-Edey
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You could spend hours, or even months bringing traffic to your website and yet you aren’t making much money. You can generate lots of traffic with the optimization you’ve done… but they just don’t seem interested in what you have to offer. Well, it’s time to learn why.
Want to Know Why I’m Not Interested in What You Have?
Put yourself in the shoes - or in this case the computer chair – of one of your prospects. You’re clearly searching for something, and maybe you found this site after looking at countless others to no avail, or maybe you followed a network of links here. Either way, you’re there – but what is going to make you want to reach for your wallet – or subscribe to the newsletter?
That is what’s missing - a persuasion to act. You could have a thousand visitors but if there if the value in your offers are not properly communicated, then you have little chance of making a single sale.
Want to Turn Clicks Into Clients? Here’s the Key to Converting Your Prospects!
You need to communicate value in your offers, provide incentives and guarantees. You can connect with your prospects through stories or by connecting to their emotions of greed and passion.
It sounds like a lot, but you can achieve all of these goals, and you can learn how to really connect with your prospects and convert their slight interest into a bigger bottom line. The first thing you’ll need to do is get familiar with copywriting.
Below are my favourite 5 copywriting articles and resources – the ones I had bookmarked for 2008 and constantly found myself using:
SEO Unique Blog
This article is a great checklist when developing any website. It’s my quick fix for SEO Copywriting, and it’s a great article containing “20 SEO Copywriting Hints.”
Marketing Words Blog
The Marketing Words blog is a great copywriting resource, with regular posts and an excellent knowledge base. Lots of information can be found here, just try not to spend all day reading and make sure you put the pen the paper once or twice for good measure.
CopyBlogger
I regularly check here for updates, in addition to a comprehensive archive of articles on SEO copywriting. Follow this link and check out their “10 Step Copywriting Tutorial” a great guide designed to get you up and running with the basics of writing great copy in ten easy lessons.
Clayton Makepeace Blog
This is my favourite copywriting resource, hands down. With almost daily articles you can bookmark this one with ease, because the knowledge in every article is based on the success of some of the top copywriters in the world. Find thrilling articles written by the likes of Clayton Makepeace, Daniel Levis, Julie McManus, and over 20 other successful copywriters. This is a must have for any business builder.
Copywriting.com
I remember the first day I learned about copywriting. I spent hours on Copywriting.com just browsing the beginner’s articles, the blog posts and the excellent copywriting resources. At the end of that day, I was inspired, and I recommend that anyone who likes to be inspired read the works of Miguel Alvarez here on Copywriting.com. Another must have resource for your online business builders.
It would take months to read all of those articles, but the key is practice. Learn something new, apply it and learn how to master it – then move on to the next thing. First, you learn how to get the traffic, and now it’s time to learn how to convert it.
At many times content is king, and copywriting your content would be the ace. Check back soon for an article on how a mother and real-estate agents – with no technology background – built a first page blog. Until next time, enjoy converting your traffic!
Regards,
Kris Scheben-Edey
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