Business Blogging - How to Build A Better Blog

8 Reasons Why Client Questions Make Great Blog Content

Questions from clients make great blog posts. Here are eight reasons why:

1. It gives you instant content for your blog posts
2. It gives you an opportunity to showcase your knowledge and expertise
3. You demonstrate exactly how you work with your clients
4. Other readers identify with your clients' problems and see how your solution might work for them
5. They gain a better understanding of how you might be able to help them
6. They start to know you better and begin to trust you as a go-to resource
7. They begin to feel comfortable enough to ask you a question themselves
8. They are that much closer to hiring you or buying from you

Last week, for example, I posted twice on each of our three main blogs using questions clients had asked us during the week. Read them to see how I turned the answers to their questions into blog posts that also served as reminders of our new program we're launching this week, The Law of Action 2.0. 

Blog Frequency: More is Better, More & Useful is More Better

In a recent poll of 1096 bloggers over at Problogger.net, 316 reported they posted 1-10 times during the month of May.

Grrrr....*%&#...?!!!

Did you hear that? Yes, that was the sound of The Blog Squad groaning and rolling their eyes to the Heavens with a look of disgust and discouragement!

People, wake up! It won't work unless you work it! You need to post more frequently if you want to master the fine art of coming up in searches!

There are many who are posting 11-20/month (195) and 21-30/mo. (164). Overall, there are 321 bloggers posting more than once a day. And 100 of the readers polled reported they didn't post at all in May.

Darren Rowse has always been a leader in building community through reader participation over at Problogger.net. You can learn a lot about how to run a successful blog just by visiting and subscribing to his blog. While I was poking around over there this week, I found this poll:

"How many times did you post on your blog in May?" (1096 responses)

Problogger Darren Rowse: Useful and Unique

"How do you know what is good content for your blog?" This question was submitted by a listener on our webcast interview with Problogger Darren Rowse yesterday.

For many people, Darren is the go-to guy for learning how to make money with blogs. But what most people don't realize is that Darren pays a lot of attention to content for his blogs.

According to Darren, "For your blog to be successful, your content needs to be useful and unique to your readers."

Of course then you have to figure out what is useful and unique to your readers! Darren has studied this quite a bit, and his own blog Problogger.net, with 48,000 subscribers, shows that he's figured that out for his readers there.

In his book Problogger: Secrets for Blogging Your Way to a Six-Figure Income, co-authored with Chris Garrett, he lists six types of useful content:

Blogging for Leads: Put some bait on your hook!

On our 5 Traps of Internet Marketing teleclass yesterday, almost 1000 people registered and we got some interesting questions. You can listen to the audio replay here. Here's one:

"I have a website that was created about 3 years ago. Of course, it just exists and does not provide any lead for my accounting business. I want to attract leads for my business from small business owners for their accounting and tax work. How can I move forward in a professional way but inexpensively?" Aslam in Toronto

This something we hear all the time, from professionals in all sorts of niches. They spend money getting a nice website up on the web...and wait for something to happen. Leads aren't going to happen unless you put some bait on the fish hook, Aslam.

What do your small business owners want to know about their accounting and tax problems? I'll bet plenty! Figure out their biggest pain points and create content that relieves their pain.

Oh, did I mention that the best way to do this is on a blog?

Blogging about your clients' problems will get you found. It's like a juicy worm to fish. After that it's up to you to use your blog content to persuasively let them know how they can get further help with you through your services.

5 Ways to a Better Business Blog, Right Now

This week we presented a teleseminar (check out some of the feedback!) to over 700 people on how to get the most out of your blog.  The program was hosted by Adam Urbanski and he asked that we share 5 easy action steps anyone in the audience could take immediately after the call.

Here are 5 things you can do right now to improve your business blog.

We suggest review your blog periodically for critical elements that may be missing. (Some of these are such common sense, but you'd be surprised how many of these things are missing on business blogs!)

1. Your name clearly identified on the home page (why not put it in the banner or title?)
2. Your photo (and make sure it's one that shows you as a credible professional)
3. An email subscription form (people all use email and most don't know how to use RSS)
4. Review your 'About' page. Is it written in first person? Is it conversational and does it tell your 'real' story?
5. Create an editorial calendar: post 3 days, comment 2 days. This gets you into a daily blogging habit and will get you great traffic results

Here's what else you need to do:

Twitter Feedback...Gotta Love It!

Indulge me please. Today Patsi and I presented a teleseminar on How to Get the Best Out of Your Blog as part of Adam Urbanski's 4 part tele-interview series on social media, From Contacts to Contracts.

The amazing thing about social media is the instant feedback you get.  Not only were people twittering while they were on the call, the feedback poured in within minutes after the program ended.  Thought I would share some of the tweets with you...

You can still get in on the program and learn about Twitter on Tuesday, Facebook on Wednesday, and how to integrate it all with your business on Thursday.

Blog Squad Events: 3 Free Classes

Next week is another crazy week in the life of The Blog Squad.

Mark your calendar! A bunch of events all came together and happen to fall in the same week. There are three free teleseminars for you next week...

Monday, June 23, 1:00 p.m. Eastern Time (10:00 a.m. Pacific)

How to Get the Best Out of Your Blog: A 4-Point System to Get Found, Get Known and Get Clients
Part 1 of a 4-Part Teleseminar series hosted by Adam Urbanski on how to use social networking tools to get more business.

Info and registration

Tuesday, June 24, 6:00 p.m. Eastern Time (3:00 p.m. Pacific)

Discover the 5 Internet Marketing Traps that Can Derail Your Business
with The Blog Squad and Kathleen Gage The Street Smarts Marketer

Info and registration

Thursday, June 26 (Denise's birthday!), 7:00 p.m. Eastern (4:00 p.m. Pacific)

Blogging for dollars: Can you really make 6-figures?
Interview with Author and Problogger Darren Rowse

Info and registration

Again, there is no charge for any of these programs. All are designed to accelerate your business success. Hope you'll join us for one or all these terrific programs next week.

When Bloggers Speak From the Stage...

We drove to Upland yesterday to see Arvee Robinson and get some really great training on How to Market from the Stage. Boy, can she teach mumbling, bumbling bloggers how to speak AND make money doing it!

She's a really good teacher (besides being a fun gal to work with). Denise and I highly recommend hiring the best teachers to learn what you don't know how to do. As busy professionals, we all have expertise in our fields, but we clearly aren't born knowing how to do everything it takes to successfully market your business both on and off line.

There are two points I want to make with this blog post (going against my blog writing advice of only one point per post)!

• Sooner or later you'll be asked to speak in front of groups, so you better:

    a) Learn how to do this well
    b) Learn from the best
    c) Learn how to sell your products and services in a way that is effective

Problogger Darren Rowse Talks to The Blog Squad: Save the Date!

Darren Rowse of Problogger.net fame is scheduled for a LIVE and FREE interview with The Blog Squad on Thursday, June 26 at 7:00 p.m. ET.

Blogging for dollars: Can you really make 6-figures?

Problogger Darren Rowse, publisher of the popular blog Problogger.net, says "yes" but with caveats.

The Blog Squad is pleased to have snagged busy pro-blogger, and father of a new baby boy, Darren Rowse for an interview about what makes his blog so successful with nearly 48,000 subscribers! Darren has recently published Problogger: Secrets for Blogging Your Way to a Six-Figure Income with co-author Chris Garrett. We're going to pick his brain about the ins and outs of problogging and if it's really possible to be a full-time blogger and make a six-figure income.

You'll learn:

• How to determine the right monetization method that's right for you
• The difference between active and passive income
• How to optimize ads for your blog
• The design elements you must have for your blog to be an effective money-maker
• Some of the secrets that make a blog successful
• Plus much more!

This event is FREE and registration is required to get the dial-in number. When you register you will have an opportunity to submit your questions about blogging for dollars.

Getting Healthy: Dr. David Trybus Launches Blog

Let's Talk Getting Healthy says Dr. David G. Trybus, a Springfield, Missouri alternative health care practitioner. He recently launched his blog by that same name, and he's proving to be a prolific and intelligent provider of intelligent health care information.

Denise and I had the pleasure of helping Dr. Trybus set up and optimize his blog for his business. A few recent posts will give you an idea of his expertise:

• HEALTH AND THE ENVIRONMENT ~ What do They Have in Common?
• R.I.C.E. ~ You Want Me to Do What With That?
• MAKING A DIFFERENCE IN LIFE!
• "TEXTING THUMBS" Soon to be Known as TWITTERING THUMBS!
• How HAPPY Do You Want To Be?

Dr. Trybus is a licensed Chiropractic Physician, Acupuncturist, Nutritional Counselor and Health Coach. He has extensive knowledge and experience working to combine the best of Eastern and Western medicine to help people on the road to health, happiness and prosperity as quickly as possible.

David is one of the professionals we've enjoyed working with who take to blogging immediately. His posts are conversational in tone, yet deliver valuable information just about everyone can use. Please visit Lets Talk Getting Healthy today and be sure to subscribe to get updates.

Learn more about how you can get a business blog up and running that will help you attract, sell and profit online.