Business Blogging - How to Build A Better Blog

Virtual Book Tour on Monday

I thought I'd whet your appetite and let you know we'll be hosting a virtual book tour on Monday, right here on this blog.  Well known entrepreneur and author Shel Horowitz, will be our guest and answer a few questions relating to his new book Grassroots Marketing for Authors and Publishers.

We figure we better walk our talk and since we're constantly touting the benefits of using a blog to promote and market a book, we jumped at the invitation to host Shel.

Here are two of the five questions you'll see answered here by Shel Horowitz on Monday:

What's your opinion on using new media like podcasting, video and book trailers for promoting a book?

From your experience, what is the biggest obstacle or challenge authors face when marketing their book?

Stay tuned...

Blogging Question: How do you deal with racy content?

Got another great question from The Publicity Hound, Joan Stewart, today.  Since you too, may encounter this dilemma, I'm posting her question (with permission of course), my answer and a link to her blog post so you can decide for yourself...

I’m asking your advice on a sensitive blogging issue. 

Here is an item I’ve written for my blog. My question is, should I link directly to the videos, which many business people in my audience might consider raunchy, but which younger guys---the target market---would view as funny? Or should I make readers who are curious go to YouTube and hunt for the videos like I had to when I didn’t see links to them in the Wall Street Journal article?

I consider my blog a business blog. So is my warning in parenthesis adequate? Or should I remove the links? I think this is an interesting question and am eager to hear your response. I’m leaning toward leaving it in and letting the reader decide whether they want to click or not. 

My answer...

BlogHer Women Rock: A RoundUp in NYC

The great thing about some conferences, besides all the learning about new trends, is meeting face to face with other bloggers, or in this case, other BlogHers- women bloggers. Here's a few related posts about the parties:

Toby Bloomberg's post Beyond Fabulous Blogger Happy Happy Time
Friday night after the last BlogHer hug Elana Centor, CB Whittemore, Megan Garnhum, Marianne Richmond, Patsi Krakoff and Denise Wakeman and I headed off to CK's beyond fabulous blogger happy happy time.  Read more on the Diva Marketing Blog...

Blogher Follow-up: The Rock and Roll of it All
By Yvonne DiVita
Patsi and Denise - The Blog Squad... wish I could have attended their expert table... but I was pretty busy at my own! Get thee to their blog for more and better info! DD Flannery - DD attended with me. She's just recently launched her ... Read more at the Lip-Sticking blog...

It's a fact. In fact, I've got metrics to prove it.
By 'CK'
...and, as of Friday night's party, I've now also met Lori Magno, Mark Goren, Matt Dickman, Valeria Maltoni, Elana Centor, CB Dsc00621 Whittemore, Fard Johnmar, Alex Geana, Patsi Krakoff and Denise Wakeman. OK, so 36 not 50. ... Read more at CK's Blog...

NYC conversations and connections
By Mark Goren
The Blog Squad was present and provided a real-life example of just how small this world really is. Denise Wakeman, now settled in California, lived a couple of blocks over from me in Ottawa a few years back. Really. Small. World. ... Read more at Mark's Transmission Marketing Blog...

Beyond Blogging: Podcasting and Webinars

Blogging and Beyond with The Blog Squad, Patsi Krakoff, Psy. D., and Denise Wakeman
March 29, 2007
8:00 a.m. PT (11 a.m. ET )
With Guest Expert: Debra Simpson, Magic in Words
 
Beyond Blogging: How to Use Podcasts and Webinars to Grow Your Business

Does "multimedia marketing" mean anything to you yet? Learn how to take your online marketing to another level and communicate with site visitors and prospects through audio and video. Today's interactive web tools make it easier than you think. The Blog Squad interviews expert Debra Simpson of Magic in Words about using  podcasts and webinars to build your business.

In the second half of the show, Ideal Client Erik Feder shares his progress promoting and marketing his online business and we talk about ways he can implement audio and video on his blog and website.

Podcasting: Can You Hear Us Now?

Blogging + Podcasting = Marketing to 65 Million Pairs of Ears
©2007 By Debra Simpson www.magicinwords.com

The combination of blogging and podcasting can be a lethal marketing mix.

What is podcasting?

A podcast is an audio recording formatted like a radio show. You can conduct interviews, present your views on certain matters, create your own radio drama, come up with your own brand of entertainment, and you can share whatever you create with people who visit your blog.

Podcasts have become natural extensions of blogs. It’s a way of elevating blogging to the next level. Blogs have a more personal feel compared to other online mediums. And podcasts will give your blog a voice, your voice, for all your readers/listeners to hear.

What Are the Marketing Uses For Podcasts?

Linking for Love and Profit

Darren Rowse of ProBlogger tells bloggers several ways to help generate links back to your posts, a key in boosting your readership and blog authority:

• Scoops - Be the first to break some news and you will get other bloggers to link back to  you.
• "How To" Posts - When you help someone to do something, they will pass the info on to others who will also link back.
• Opinion Pieces - Starting an argument on something controversial will generate lots of links as everyone has an opinioin.
• Humor Posts - People love to laugh.

Most importantly, he shares that "Links are not everything. While they definitely help, concentrate on producing great content and keeping a holistic perspective and you’ll find the links will come in time."

How to make money with your blog

On Thursday, Patsi and I (wo)manned a table at BlogHer Business and discussed how to monetize your blog, or to say it more simply...how to make money with your blog.

We've been doing a lot of research on this topic and I have to say the myriad options for making money as a blogger is staggering. For the session we created a handout with a list of 49 ways you can make money, divided into 5 categories: Advertising on your blog, blogging for dollars and revenue sharing, pay-per-post review site, affiliate programs, and other miscellaneous ideas.

The list is by no means complete and I would love to get some feedback here about additional sites and sources for blogging income.

Download Make Money With Your Blog handout.

Related Posts:
Blogging for Dollars: Opportunities to Blog for Others
Blogging for Dollars: NY's Top Bloggers May Go Broke
Monetize Your Blog
Blog Revenue Ideas from TypePad
Makin' Money with Your Blog
Blogging Business Models
Bloggers: Get Paid for Your Content

BlogHer Business: Live from the Affinia Manhattan

Another great event put together by the uber-women of BlogHer. We'll be posting our notes and tips shortly. It's so good to hear from others how they are managing their blogs and all the results for business. Blogs are similar to describing an elephant: your perspectives depends on where you're standing.

White Boards That Work: A Blog Is Launched by Bill Branson

The Blog Squad is proud to announce the launch, or re-launch of Bill Branson's Blog, White Boards That Work.  Here is the press release with the details. We applaud Bill for taking his 30-year corporate experience and turning it into a specialty niche of interest to anyone who needs to communicate better, especially using visual aids.

Extreme Blog Makeover Boosts Professional Whiteboard Blog

(PRWeb) March 19, 2007 -- Bill Branson is an expert in information technology. His blog, Whiteboards that Work!, is a place for professionals who recognize that visual communication skills are vital to their effectiveness at work.

Blogging for Dollars: The Rants

You know how when you're focused on a topic, everywhere you look or read, the subject pops up?  Well, by way of Yvonne DiVita of Lipsticking, here's a post about why some think that bloggers being paid to write reviews is ruining blogging and is unethical (if they don't disclose the relationship).

What do you think?