Business Blogging - How to Build A Better Blog

Blogging Direct From Facebook

One stop blogging. Now you can post to any of your blogs from WITHIN Facebook, and post to your Twitter or other microblogging site, and update your Facebook status, all at once.

Six Apart, creator of TypePad.com has developed a Facebook App called Blog It that allows you to do all this with one post:

Why use Blog It?

    * Update all your blogs from within the Facebook environment.
    * It's a free Facebook application.
    * Blog It is powered by TypePad, one of the best blogging services available.
    * Update all your blogs and web services. Blog It supports TypePad, Twitter, Blogger,    Livejournal, Movable Type, Wordpress.com, Wordpress.org, and more.
    * Increase the number of people who see your posts.
    * Keeps your friends on any network informed of your activities.

For example, I'm writing this one post from my Facebook account and it will be simultaneously posted on Build a Better Blog, my Facebook profile, and my Twitter feed.

Watch a video about how it works here: http://www.typepad.com/features/blogit.html

Blog Squad Events and TeleSeminars Coming Up

We've got quite a few programs that we're hosting or guest presenters or attending in the next couple of months.  Mark your calendar, register and save the dates!

Wednesday, April 23, 2008, 5 p.m. Eastern Time
Insider Secrets of Using Web 2.0 and Social Networking to Get Thousands of Warm, Hungry Visitors to Your Web Site
The Blog Squad interviews Michele PW, Your $Ka-Ching! Marketing Strategist, and Mary Pat Kavanagh, Queen of Connections
Registration: $20 includes live event and mp3 audio file
http://www.blogsquadteleseminars.com/kaching/

May 2-4, 2008
SOBCon 08 in Chicago - Biz School for Bloggers
Denise will be attending - meet me there!

Tuesday, May 6, 2008, 8 p.m. ET
Blogging to Gain Expert Status (we always include new information in our signture teleclass - no two classes are the same!)
The Blog Squad interviewed by Ellen Britt for the Marketing Qi Intensive
FREE - Register here.

Wednesday, May 14, 2008, 5 p.m. ET
Better Business Blog Writing - BRAND NEW Blog Squad Program
Details to be announced soon. Save the date.

May 17-8 and May 31-June1, 2008
Coaching Success 2008 Super Conference
Details and Registration here. $300 Blog Squad discount if you register before April 30.

More to come in late May. Plus, we're presenting two programs at the Publishers Marketing Association University this year in Los Angeles.  This will be our 3rd year presenting about the power of blogs for authors] at this premier event for authors and publishers which precedes Book Expo America. PMAU is May 27-29.

Drive New Traffic to Your Blog - Contest

A few days ago I wrote that I'm excited to be attending the second annual SOBCon (Biz School for Bloggers) in Chicago the first weekend of May. Now, if you cannot be there, you can benefit from the wisdom of the bloggers who will be there.

SOBCon08 has partnered with Utterz with a contest anyone can enter.  All you have to do is make a commercial for your blog or website. It can be text, audio or video and it will be featured on a special blog for the contest.

The commercials will be evaluated by the attendees at SOBCon and the winner of the best commercial will get a Nokia N95 mobile phone.

Are you a fan of The Blog Squad?

The Blog Squad now has a fan page on Facebook. If you like what we do and want to get extra special tid bits, video tips and first crack at deals and opportunities, then join our Blog Squad page on Facebook and click on Become a Fan.  You do have to have a Facebook profile to join. We already have 24 fans and this is the first time I've mentioned that that site exists!

As a member of The Blog Squad Fan Club you can upload photos, videos, post questions and comments on the Wall, start a discussion thread, and write reviews. You'll also be able to promote your blog to other members of the group. We're contemplating other ways to make the Fan Club really special just for members.

If you've been following this blog or Biz Tips Blog, then you know we're hot on Facebook for making new friends, marketing our events, and creating new relationships with potential joint venture partners.

I will leak something right here, right now. We're working on a new business blogging system and we'll be looking for reviewers.  Members of The Blog Squad Fan Club will get first crack at seeing what we're up to.

Become a fan today!

Blog on!

Death by Blogging: How to avoid this health hazard

The NY Times reports the recent cardiac arrests of three professional bloggers, 60, 50 and 41. Other bloggers report weight gain, insomnia and exhaustion.

Denise and I have noticed at blogging conferences, particularly among male colleagues, a trend toward packing on the pounds among people who earn their living at the computer.

While the NY Times tends to run with a story more for its anecdotal interest than scientific data, sitting-on-your-assets can really be a problem. More of us are earning our livings sitting at a computer all day long.

Here's what The Blog Squad does and recommends for avoiding the fat-assets problem:

What's your biggest challenge with writing on your blog?

We are doing some research. Many of our clients have challenges around writing on their business blog. We want to know what yours are...

What are your biggest challenges around writing, finding, creating content for your blog?

Please use the comment link below and let us know so we can find ways to help.

Thanks and blog on!

Biz School for Bloggers at SOBCon 08

I'm excited to report that I (Denise) am going to be attending SOBCon08 aka Biz School for Bloggers, this year. At last year's BlogHer conference I heard so much about what a great event Liz Strauss had put on the first year that when I saw the announcement for this year's event, I knew I had to be there.

I've met Liz, author of Successful and Outstanding Blog(gers), a couple of times and love her energy and  enthusiasm for all things blogs. Plus at this year's SOBCon in Chicago (May 2-4) there are going to be some heavy hitters in the blogging world and the focus is totally on how to make your blog work as a business tool (I look forward to picking Brian Clark's brain about his Teaching Sells model). Yeah! We can relate to that.

Sadly, Patsi isn't able to join me at, but The Blog Squad will be ably represented by me. If you can get to Chicago the first weekend of May, I heartily recommend you do so. Here's a brief blurb about the event:

Philippa Kennealy is a blogging evangelist.

We met Philippa Kennealy, The Entrepreneurial MD, in person last week at Adam Urbanski's Info Profit Success seminar. Previously, Philippa had attending our Blogging and Beyond Mentor program so it was truly a pleasure to meet her and get a chance to interview her about her business blog. She attributes much of her business success to her blog so pay attention to her tips!

You can see more interviews from the Seminar on Biz Tips Blog.

Dan Safkow of MySeminarPlayer.com shares his marketing tips
Adam Urbanski Hits a Knock Out at Info Profit Success
Joe Nunziata shares his Ah Ha moment

Check out Philippa's interview of me and Patsi on her blog.

Blogging for Business? Then treat your blog better...

It's sad to say, but many otherwise smart business people treat their blog like a hobby not a marketing tool, and certainly not as the best darn marketing tool on the planet!

Most of the professionals we meet at conferences are proud to put their hands up when we ask if they've got a blog. Yes, we've noticed a definite increase in the number of business blogs over the last year. Yet almost all of them admit they need to blog more often.

No surprise, the biggest question we get is "why isn't my blog pulling in more clients?" To which we ask, "How often are you posting on your blog?" Hey there, smart business people, it doesn't work if you don't work it!!!

Two to three times a week, a short post (200-300 words) about something that's relevant and useful to your readers - is that too much to write? I think not! Maybe you're making it harder than it really should be, making it more like article writing, or something complicated?

Blog Tag Line: 3 items to squeeze in if you can

Denise posted a video clip recently about one of our pet peeves: blog authors not easily identifying themselves on their blog. Don't make your blog mysterious!

Here are 3 things you must try to include in the tag line in the banner. The tag line follows the title of the blog and should really be clear about these points:

1. Who is the blog for - try to specifically define who needs to read this
2. What's in it for the readers - think benefits not features. How are you going to enrich their lives?
3. Your name and some sort of identifying title - not your credentials, but something akin to "blog expert" or "author of..."