Blogs means different things to different people: to journalists they are unofficial sources of information, to the ordinary Joe they are an Online diary or forum, to repressive governments they are subversive and a threat and to the Internet marketer they are a marketing tool!
Starting as humble “Web Logs” kept by Internet Geeks, blogs have moved fast to occupy center ground. A good example of what a professional quality blog can look like is Jim Edward’s blog http://www.igottatellyou.com/blog/
This is not a diary entry this is entertainment!
Jim Edwards is an experienced journalist and user of multi media. But Newbies can learn some great lessons from this site. The obvious thing is that Jim Edwards character jumps off the page! You can do this. You have a character too! You have interests, passions, obsessions even!
And why would Jim Edwards provide first class information and entertainment at no cost? Because you will keep going to his blog and you will learn about the books Jim has written. Maybe you would even buy one! Very nice “un-pushy” advertising.
The importance of Blogs to the Newbie will take a while to become clear. For now I just want to say that a blog is a website. You can enter whatever text you desire, pictures too! You can allow other people to contribute if you want (I’d recommend against that unless you review and moderate the content!)
For anyone who is nervous about building a website or about getting content for a Newsletter or eZine, having a blog is a perfect practise tool to build up confidence and material
How to get started
Internet Newbies who wish to start Blogging must first find Blogging software.
The three main varieties of blog software are
1. Blogger, free and very easy technically
2. Wordpress, free ( and priceless as Wordpress fans remark ! )
3. Typepad, monthly charge
4. Squarespace, monthly charge
We will use the free one – Blogger. which is very “Newbie friendly”
First visit Blogger http://www.blogger.com/home
You find yourself at what I call the front page of Blogger and what Blogger calls “The Dashboard”.
Now use the “Create a Blog” button. You are then asked for a Title or name for the blog and then a web name. The name should reflect the desired subject matter of your blog and the web name is probably going to be shorter and conform to the usual rules – no spaces etc.
Mostly people Blog either by going to http://www.blogger.com/home and entering their password and username clicking on New Post and just typing straight in or by downloading the Google Tool Bar with the little orange Blogger button. To get this, go to Google.com and click on the “more” link on the right. You will find the little orange Blogger button and can download it and install it.
You may have the Google Toolbar already. In Internet Explorer, click on View and then on Toolbars, if you see Google there tick it and use it, otherwise you need to download it. The exact details may depend on the version of Windows you have etc.
After opening an account at Blogger jot down a few notes, Remember this is a website, the whole world will be able to read it so don’t put anything in it that you might regret!
Happy Blogging!
If you want to build a business on the Web Blogging is a good place to start. You get used to writing and when you click the little orange “Blogger” button your words will be “live on the internet”.
Before we end this “Newbie Guide To Blogging” lets just comment on Adsense.
When you sign up for a Blogger blog you will be able to add “Adsense” to the blog. This is a clever form of advertising and in principle can earn you money when a reader clicks on one of the Ads”. If you have a high traffic blog with thousand of visitors per month it is true that income from such advertising can be substantial – earning hundreds or even thousands of dollars. For the Newbie Adsense is just a distraction in my view and is not likely to earn a substantial income.
If you can use a blog and add to it regularly and build an archive of content you may soon be ready to think of putting a website together and that for most people is much more lucrative.
About The Author
Alex Newell taught Physics and Information Technology and now helps Internet Newbies cut through the hype and confusion and get their first Internet victory http://www.newbie-on-the-net.com.
Monday, October 8, 2007
Seven Reasons Why Blogging Should Be Part Of Your Marketing Effort
I started my blog (www.jimestill.com) 18 months ago as an effort to increase communications with my staff but very quickly realized the power of it with my customers and my suppliers. Now I consider my blog to be an integral part of my marketing efforts.
As an active blogger I have come up with seven reasons blogging should be part of any marketing program.
1. Blogs increase communication Anytime you increase communication, you increase profile and sales.
2. Although blogs have been around for awhile, they are still new and topical. People who see that you have a blog will think you are more leading edge. Even if you do not sell technology products, it helps.
3. Owning a blog is like owning a media. Similar to a newspaper, magazine, or a radio station. The advantage of owning a media is that you can say whatever you want where all other media tend to filter what you have to say.
4. You noticed that I said a blog should only part of a marketing program. Blogs on their own tend not to get much readership, rather they have to be crossed promoted so you need to put it on your email tag line, your website, your business cards, etc. People who see your blog address in another media are likely to come to it.
5. Blogging like writing tends to make you an expert. People tend to believe what they read. For this reason you don’t want your blog to be totally self-promotional. Add value. Provide information that helps your customer, amuses them, teaches them etc.
6. A blog should have an angle. People don’t want to log on and hear some promotional material about you and your company. They want to hear something that is a bit edgy, interesting, humorous, and resonates with them. Although you own a media, you still are in competition with all of the other media available. In my case, I have chosen Time Leadership/CEO as the title of my blog and I blog about personal self-development with a focus on time management and efficiency.
7. Blogging will often get picked up by other media and this added press can help you sell. For example, because I blog I have been featured twice in the Globe and Mail and once in Forbes magazine, as well I have been in our industry trade journals. I have also had many speaking engagements as a direct result of my blog.
Blogging doesn’t need to be technically intimidating. Anyone can set up a blog in five minutes. My suggestion is to get an experienced blogger to show you how to start. Or ask your kids.
Blogging is not for everyone. If you want to blog, you need to be willing to dedicate some time and you must enjoy writing. Because I blog about efficiency, I spend a lot of time focusing on my blogging efficiency and I spend less than 20 minutes on each of my blog entries. I do four or five a week; so I spend less than two hours a week on my blog.
I have received some direct sales as a result of my blog. I know from the feedback I have received that many of my customers and suppliers read it.
Blogging is one part of the marketing program.
About The Author
Jim Estill started his business from the trunk of his car and grew into to $375 Million in sales before selling it to SYNNEX. He is now CEO of SYNNEX Canada a $1 Billion computer wholesaler. he is a regular blogger at http://jimestill.com.
As an active blogger I have come up with seven reasons blogging should be part of any marketing program.
1. Blogs increase communication Anytime you increase communication, you increase profile and sales.
2. Although blogs have been around for awhile, they are still new and topical. People who see that you have a blog will think you are more leading edge. Even if you do not sell technology products, it helps.
3. Owning a blog is like owning a media. Similar to a newspaper, magazine, or a radio station. The advantage of owning a media is that you can say whatever you want where all other media tend to filter what you have to say.
4. You noticed that I said a blog should only part of a marketing program. Blogs on their own tend not to get much readership, rather they have to be crossed promoted so you need to put it on your email tag line, your website, your business cards, etc. People who see your blog address in another media are likely to come to it.
5. Blogging like writing tends to make you an expert. People tend to believe what they read. For this reason you don’t want your blog to be totally self-promotional. Add value. Provide information that helps your customer, amuses them, teaches them etc.
6. A blog should have an angle. People don’t want to log on and hear some promotional material about you and your company. They want to hear something that is a bit edgy, interesting, humorous, and resonates with them. Although you own a media, you still are in competition with all of the other media available. In my case, I have chosen Time Leadership/CEO as the title of my blog and I blog about personal self-development with a focus on time management and efficiency.
7. Blogging will often get picked up by other media and this added press can help you sell. For example, because I blog I have been featured twice in the Globe and Mail and once in Forbes magazine, as well I have been in our industry trade journals. I have also had many speaking engagements as a direct result of my blog.
Blogging doesn’t need to be technically intimidating. Anyone can set up a blog in five minutes. My suggestion is to get an experienced blogger to show you how to start. Or ask your kids.
Blogging is not for everyone. If you want to blog, you need to be willing to dedicate some time and you must enjoy writing. Because I blog about efficiency, I spend a lot of time focusing on my blogging efficiency and I spend less than 20 minutes on each of my blog entries. I do four or five a week; so I spend less than two hours a week on my blog.
I have received some direct sales as a result of my blog. I know from the feedback I have received that many of my customers and suppliers read it.
Blogging is one part of the marketing program.
About The Author
Jim Estill started his business from the trunk of his car and grew into to $375 Million in sales before selling it to SYNNEX. He is now CEO of SYNNEX Canada a $1 Billion computer wholesaler. he is a regular blogger at http://jimestill.com.
Blogging - Developing A Readership
You've finally created a blog and you've made your first post. Now how do you get people to actually read what you're blogging about?
Here are some tips on promoting your blog.
1) Quality Content - Interesting content will keep your readership returning. Update your blog regularly.
Googlebot, which is Google's web-crawling robot loves content. The more you update your blog, the more frequent the search engine spiders will return to it.
2) Take part in forums that are related to blogging. Ask other bloggers for their opinion on your blog and take their suggestions to heart.
3) Publish an RSS/Atom/XML feed. If you're using Blogger, you can turn on RSS feed by clicking on settings in your dashboard and then clicking on site feed and make sure that your settings are set to yes.
4) Carefully choose your subject titles, taking into consideration what other internet users may be searching for.
Use keywords in your title. I suggest subscribing to Word Tracker. Their report of the most popular searches is published each Tuesday and distributed to over 30,000 subscribers.
Technorati.com , is a blog search engine that also lists the top search words. The more targeted your keywords are, the greater your return in search engines will be.
5) Involve yourself in commenting on other blogs. You can gain a loyal readership just by offering feedback to your fellow bloggers. The comment feature allows you to add a link back to your blog as well.
6) Be sure to include your blog address in forum signatures and in your email signature.
7) Submit your blog to directories.
Submit your blog's url to Technorati, Daypop, Blogdex and Popdex.
8) Write articles. Include a resource box in your article and submit it to article directories such as http://iSnare.com
9) If you're using blogging software such as Blogger, there is an option to notify the central blog update services (such as http://weblogs.com) whenever you've made a new entry to your blog. Make sure that this option is turned on! In blogger, click on publish in your dashboard and make sure that your settings are set to yes under notify weblogs. Alternatively, you can go to http://pingoat.com and send out a ping each time you update your blog. This lets everyone know that you've just updated your blog.
10) Link to other blogs. Use services like blogrolling, which is similar to linking. Blogrolling allows you to maintain an updated list of your favorite blogs. But, don't build a long blog roll of sites that you have no intention of returning to. There is nothing more annoying then visiting a blog that has a humongous blogroll.
Be patient, traffic doesn't happen overnight. The best way that I've found to increase traffic is by getting to know people. Spend what free time that you have, reading blogs, leaving feedback and building friendships. Try to leave comments on the blogs that you visit as often as you can. While you are waiting for the traffic to come, just enjoy blogging. You'll be improving your writing in the process.
Eventually you'll build a network of not just readers, but friends and loyal supporters. Blogging is not just about marketing; it's about creating lasting relationships.
About The Author
Rose DesRochers is the founder of Blogger Talk Blog Community http://www.bloggertalk.net, a friendly fast growing blogging portal, offering bloggers support, advice, tools, tips and information about blogs and blogging. She is also the administrator of Today's Woman Writing Community http://www.todays-woman.net, a supportive online writing community for men and women over 18.
Here are some tips on promoting your blog.
1) Quality Content - Interesting content will keep your readership returning. Update your blog regularly.
Googlebot, which is Google's web-crawling robot loves content. The more you update your blog, the more frequent the search engine spiders will return to it.
2) Take part in forums that are related to blogging. Ask other bloggers for their opinion on your blog and take their suggestions to heart.
3) Publish an RSS/Atom/XML feed. If you're using Blogger, you can turn on RSS feed by clicking on settings in your dashboard and then clicking on site feed and make sure that your settings are set to yes.
4) Carefully choose your subject titles, taking into consideration what other internet users may be searching for.
Use keywords in your title. I suggest subscribing to Word Tracker. Their report of the most popular searches is published each Tuesday and distributed to over 30,000 subscribers.
Technorati.com , is a blog search engine that also lists the top search words. The more targeted your keywords are, the greater your return in search engines will be.
5) Involve yourself in commenting on other blogs. You can gain a loyal readership just by offering feedback to your fellow bloggers. The comment feature allows you to add a link back to your blog as well.
6) Be sure to include your blog address in forum signatures and in your email signature.
7) Submit your blog to directories.
Submit your blog's url to Technorati, Daypop, Blogdex and Popdex.
8) Write articles. Include a resource box in your article and submit it to article directories such as http://iSnare.com
9) If you're using blogging software such as Blogger, there is an option to notify the central blog update services (such as http://weblogs.com) whenever you've made a new entry to your blog. Make sure that this option is turned on! In blogger, click on publish in your dashboard and make sure that your settings are set to yes under notify weblogs. Alternatively, you can go to http://pingoat.com and send out a ping each time you update your blog. This lets everyone know that you've just updated your blog.
10) Link to other blogs. Use services like blogrolling, which is similar to linking. Blogrolling allows you to maintain an updated list of your favorite blogs. But, don't build a long blog roll of sites that you have no intention of returning to. There is nothing more annoying then visiting a blog that has a humongous blogroll.
Be patient, traffic doesn't happen overnight. The best way that I've found to increase traffic is by getting to know people. Spend what free time that you have, reading blogs, leaving feedback and building friendships. Try to leave comments on the blogs that you visit as often as you can. While you are waiting for the traffic to come, just enjoy blogging. You'll be improving your writing in the process.
Eventually you'll build a network of not just readers, but friends and loyal supporters. Blogging is not just about marketing; it's about creating lasting relationships.
About The Author
Rose DesRochers is the founder of Blogger Talk Blog Community http://www.bloggertalk.net, a friendly fast growing blogging portal, offering bloggers support, advice, tools, tips and information about blogs and blogging. She is also the administrator of Today's Woman Writing Community http://www.todays-woman.net, a supportive online writing community for men and women over 18.
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