Category: Blogging

To Accept Advertising … And Guest Authors… or Not?

Every day I get hit with questions from potential advertisers and potential guest authors.

“Are you interested in running advertising on your blog? Are you interested in a guest post?”

I tend to answer all of these questions the same kind of response…

It’s just I don’t believe that you, the reader, once to see advertising or wants to read a guest post.

Am I wrong?!? I’d like to hear your opinion in the comment section below. Let me know if 1)how you feel about accepting advertising on this blog or 2) how you feel about guest authors on this blog.

Bottom line: would unsubscribe if/when you saw a guest post and/or advertising?

I’ll be interested to read your comments — and thanks in advance for leaving a comment! You don’t have to login with the website or even leave your real name, if you are too shy to do that.

But I would repeat appreciate a response. Thanks!!

How To Create a Blog Post - For those who don’t like to WRITE!

How to write a blog post when you don't like to writeIf you really don’t like to write, how can you market your business using a blog?

Here’s my advice for creating a blog post, even if you don’t consider yourself a writer.

1) Log into WordPress
Go to POSTS. Select ADD NEW.
Select Visual (instead of Text)

2) Insert a PHOTO about your business
Click on ADD MEDIA. Select UPLOAD to add a new photo.
Decide if you will add something from the desktop or iphoto. Drag, double click or click on select file to upload
Rename the photo if it called something like 3489IMG or SCAN123. Try to name it something that someone might search in Google if they were looking for your type of business.

3) Describe the Photo
After you’ve inserted the photo, write a few sentences that describe the photo.

  • Just get it down on paper (don’t edit yet)
  • What would you say to a friend if they had just noticed this photo in your home or on your desk at work?
  • Make a few points about it. (Just get it down, not even full sentences.  Work the creative side of your brain.)
  • Then go back and edit for spelling, grammar and wording. (Work the analytic side of your brain.)
  • Make sure you have a title in the Blog post.
  • SAVE DRAFT often. You don’t want to lose your work. Proof and review in Preview.

4) Publish
When you’re satisfied with your photo and short description, it’s good.  Click the Publish key.

Think of writing a page in a book, not a whole book, not even a chapter!  Just a page that has a picture.  Almost a caption.

You can do a lot more, yes. But these 4 little steps will help you when you feel you’re stuck and are not a writer!

Turn Your Blog into a Stronger Marketing Tool to Attract More Traffic

Create a blog editorial calendar to aid in writing

Most marketing professionals know that blogs are one of the strongest marketing tools to come along in the last 10 years. If you’ve started a blog for your company, but found you ran out of steam, you might this downloadable PDF. It can become an important tool for you to plan, implement and monitor your blog’s editorial calendar.

Why is an Editorial Calendar Important to Marketing?

Having a calendar helps when you’re facing the “what do I write about today” moment. It helps you to not forget an important event or milestone that you meant to blog about for your business. Having a calendar allows you to more easily share the blogging duties with other staff members and still deliver a unified program.

How Can this Blog Worksheet Help My Blog Attract Traffic?

The worksheet itself can’t really help drive traffic to your website… it’s only if you actually use it. Print it out and fill in part of it. Try if for a week or two to see if it helps you get started faster and have a more consistent posting schedule. I know from personal experience if I post regularly, more people will read it every day.

Do you currently use a calendar for planning your blog posts? How has it helped you? What other tools have you found that helps make your blog into a stronger marketing tool? Leave a comment below.

Feedburner Stats Are Back Working Again

After a flurry of activity in saving email subscribers and selecting a new syndication service for this blogs feed, Feedburner is back up and showing stats again.

Have stats and information about the blog is a critical part of the publishing process and Feedburner provided a great way to analyze stats without having a complex and expensive program.

 

Now it’s back up.  Not sure for how much longer since they have diminished the Feedburner API and shutting it down on October 20, 2012.