Business Blogging - How to Build A Better Blog

"I doubled my blog traffic!"

"My traffic pretty much doubled, must be thanks to you two!" We just love to get emails like this. Connie Bennett, author of SUGAR SHOCK! is in our advanced group for Better Business Blogging and is one of those passionate professionals who invests a lot of time and energy in building her business.

And, I have to point out that she has great branding. SUGAR SHOCK! is a play on words (remember the song 'sugar shack'?). Having a great brand that is easy to say, easy to remember, and quickly describes the purpose of your business is essential.

But it's not always easy to find a great name. There are more than 25 action steps you can take to find your own great brand name and you can start the process by joining The Blog Squad and Ruth Klein in the first ever Branding and Blogging teleseminar.

Find out more about this powerful marketing combo at www.brandingandblogging.com. (Did I mention today's the last day for the bonuses and $100 discount?)

Branding and Blogging Q&A

In yesterday's teleclass on Branding and Blogging (replay available here), we received dozens of great questions from the audience.  In the time allotted (we went over 90 minutes!) we answered as many as we could.  A few more questions have come in which we'll answer here.

Q: Is this seminar going to teach us how to create a blog from the BEGINNING steps forward and how to put it on the internet?  Or do "you" assume that we already know this?  As well, do we need to familiarize ourselves on anything regarding blogging prior to Session #1?  If so, would you guide us as to what we would need to research and where would we go to find this info.

A: The Branding and Blogging program is not an intro to blogging course so we will not be doing any "how to" around getting a blog set up.  However, you do have time to get going on your own before the beginning of the program. 

We recommend you set up a blog on TypePad.  You get a 14 day free trial.  We have an ebook that can accelerate your set up time plus you get an extra 60 days on you free trial.  You can take a look at the ebook here:  www.buildabetterblogsystem.com or we also have a program where we setup and train you on how to blog at www.buildabetterblogservice.com

You can also get a ton of info about blogging at our blog at www.buildabetterblog.com

Branding and Blogging TeleClass Replay

Branding and Blogging was a hot topic yesterday as we had over 400 people registered and attending our free teleseminar on the subject, with branding guru Ruth Klein.  If you missed the call, you can listen to the replay online or download the mp3.

The Branding and Blogging teleclass was an introductory call for our four week program that starts in September.  The program is strictly limited to 20 participants and there are only 9 remaining places at the time of this post.

There is also a $100 early bird discount for registration until August 31.

Driving Traffic to Your Blog by Edith Yeung, part 2

More tips on how Edith Yeung is driving traffic to her website and blog...

How to Drive Traffic to Your Blog or Website by Edith Yeung, continued

Several friends from National Speaker Associations (NSA) have asked me to write about my lessons learned (so far) about driving traffic to my website. Keep in mind that the following is based my own personal experience and results. Obviously there are many other ways to drive traffic, but I prefer methods that are simple, repeatable and incur zero cost.

Squidoo.com - As some of you know already, I am a big fan of Seth Godin. Seth started Squidoo.com to allow people not only to talk about specific topics that matters to them, but also to allow others to comment on the same topics.

You can also make money if your readers decide to purchase anything because of your content. For example: In The Dip Squidoo, you will find EdithYeung.com gave a blurb about Seth’s new book “The Dip”. One tenth of my traffic comes from Squidoo.com.

Stumbleupon.com - StumbleUpon helps readers to discover and share great websites. Users download a StumpbleUpon toolbar.  When the user finds a website they like, and they click the “Stumble!” button, the toolbar delivers pages that match the personal preferences of the users. You can also recommend and rate any websites that you like.

I got hundreds of referrals one day from Stumbleupon.com a couple weeks ago. Admittedly, I am still fair new to StumbleUpon, but I would definitely recommend this as it has been generating some nice traffic.

Driving Traffic to Your Blog by Edith Yeung, part 1

Every once in a while we find a great blogging article worth sharing with our readers, and this one from Edith Yeung is important. Edith shares her own experiences driving traffic to her fairly new blog, and she is apparently having success.

We'll break this up into two parts, each one sharing three important sites you can use to increase traffic to your own blogs. I don't know about you, but I always learn when I see people doing things and who can break it down into steps and numbers. Even though these items aren't new, they are worth repeating. Enjoy.

How to Drive Traffic to Your Website or Blog
by Edith Yeung

I recently left corporate America to pursue my dream to positively impact the lives of 1,000,000 people by March 15, 2008. In order to achieve this, I have been intensely building both my public speaking skills as well as my website blogging skills.

I love speaking in front of a live audience and I also believe in the power of technology and the ability to help people even when I am sleeping. Since EdithYeung.com was launched on April 2nd, 2007, I am grateful to have had 811 unique visitors in the first 29 days.  For the first 9 days in May, there have been 497 unique visitors.  My goal for this month is to surpass 5000 visitors. I believe I can do it.

Blog Design and Usability Tips

In our Better Business Blogging class yesterday, we discussed blog design and usability. A lot of what we covered is common sense, yet we still run across blogs that don't adhere to good design or make it easy for their readers to consume the information and navigate the content.

In my research, to make sure I didn't miss any vital information, I came across a couple of good lists of usability tips:

Weblog Usability: The Top Ten Design Mistakes (2005 and still relevant)

Thirteen Blog Clichés (we discuss all these points with our clients and my personal pet peeve is #1 - the useless calendar widget)

Whether you're a new or a veteran blogger, it's worth the review to get started right or tweak your blog to take it to the next level.

Blog Squad in the News

Kelly Heyboer of Jersey Blogs picked up on a story about the blog critique we did for Sue Lanza's Dementia Caregiver's Toolbox, and invited Patsi to do an interview: Q&A: Pimp My Blog.

Patsi answers questions about how The Blog Squad got started, common blogging mistakes, and the future of the blogosphere.

Related posts:
Dementia Caregiver's Toolbox Blog Wins Award
Dementia Caregivers Blog Gets Home Improvement Plan from California Blog Squad
Hey, Blog Squad, Can You Fix My Blog?

Blog Management ala HitTail

Patsi alerted me to a post on the HitTail blog about blog management. Mike Levin asks these questions:

What is the correct ratio between blogging purely about what’s on your mind and in your heart, versus about what you KNOW FOR SURE will generate new traffic and audience to your site? (ala HitTailing)

Is blogging primarily a function to generate traffic (SEO) for some other ultimate purpose at your website (driving sales), or it is a “pure” medium for pontification and soapbox journalism? What if you’re a business and have to balance blogging with all your other corporate considerations?

To remind you about HitTail:

HitTail reveals in real-time the least utilized, most promising keywords hidden in the Long Tail of your natural search results. We present these terms to you as suggestions that when acted on can boost the natural search results of your site. It's that simple.

Branding and Blogging: Free Teleclass on Wednesday

Do these marketing problems sound familiar to you?

• Not enough people know what you do
• Not enough people have heard of your business
• Not enough people are moved by your message
• Not enough people can find you

Join The Blog Squad and branding guru Ruth Klein for the first ever teleseminar on Branding AND Blogging: what many experts consider to be the new 'success secret' of smart professionals and entrepreneurs with online businesses. 

There is no charge to attend.

Branding and blogging may be two missing pieces to your marketing puzzle that can ramp up your marketing and blow the lid off your business.

We know from first-hand experience: when we branded our company and used our blogs for business, we grew, and grew... and then grew some more!

Not sure how the two tie-in? Join us next Wednesday, August 29 for a complimentary teleseminar:

Branding & Blogging: The new 'success secret' of today's smart professionals

A complimentary teleseminar brought to you by The Blog Squad and Branding Guru Ruth Klein

Wednesday, August 29, 2007
5:00 p.m. ET (2:00 p.m. PT)
No charge!

Register here. You'll get the dial-in number and information about how to listen live online via simulcast, if you prefer.

Register now to reserve your place.

Blog on!

Denise and Patsi
The Blog Squad

Sugar Shock Blog Gets Blog Makeover on Video from California Blog Squad

"Patsi and Denise really helped me to focus more on my goals and vision for the SUGAR SHOCK! Blog, and I'm already seeing a really positive response," Bennett says. "For instance, the SUGAR SHOCK! Blog is now receiving more comments from readers so they're relating to it much more now. I have Patsi and Denise to thank for giving me great ideas on how to make the blog cleaner looking, more focused and friendly."

Sugar Shock Blog Gets Blog Makeover on Video from California Blog Squad

(San Diego, CA) July 26, 2007 - Connie Bennett is the author of the book Sugar Shock that helps people get off sugar and lead healthier lives. Recently, she called in The Blog Squad, a team of blogging experts in California, to offer guidance on how to make the SUGAR SHOCK! Blog more welcoming, popular and reader friendly.

The Blog Squad is a team of blogging experts in California, Denise Wakeman and Patsi Krakoff, Psy.D. They delivered their blogging advice via screen cast video to Ms. Bennett who made suggested improvements.

"Although the SUGAR SHOCK! Blog is already popular with thousands of sugar addicts, hypoglycemics, diabetics and health-minded readers around the world, I decided that it was time to make it more of a welcoming, helpful destination for my target audience," Bennett says. She started her blog two years ago.