Business Blogging - How to Build A Better Blog

Top Blog LIsts: Why You Should Pay Attention in Your Niche

Somebody likes us, really likes us. We didn't win an Oscar or make Time Magazine's Top 25 blogs, but Mitch Mitchell put us on his list: 9 Best Blogs for 2009.

Build A Better Blog: these ladies, Patsi Krakoff and Denise Wakeman, have put together a supreme blog about business blogging, and if the rest of us want to find a model to follow as far as gaining blogging prominence, these are the two ladies to follow.

This week also announced the new quarterly Top42 Content Marketing Blogs. Even though my other blog, WritingontheWeb.com slipped from #3 to #12, it's still an honor to be on the list. Be sure to check out this list for the other sites who are writing about content and how to leverage content for marketing purposes (like writing for your blog...).

Why are top blog lists important? First, it's a great way to short cut your research. If you want to publish a great business blog, you need to know what others in your field are already writing and publishing. You can't blog in a vacuum.

How often are you participating in the Blogosphere in your niche? How many blogs are you reading regularly and commenting on? If you need to find other blogs in your field, visit Alltop.com or Blogs.com. This is one of the four keys to successful business blogging, as we teach it in our Build a Better Blog Learning System.

Secondly, it's just plain smart to build relationships with these other bloggers by leaving meaningful comments on their blogs and joining in the conversation. It's also one of the top ways to build traffic back to your own blog.

Starting a Blog and Making it Effective

A couple of weeks ago I was interviewed for an article on small business blogging by a reporter from Newsday. The article was published today and also includes quotes from corporate blogging expert Debbie Weil:

Small Business: Starting a blog and making it effective

The "blogger's to do list" referenced in the article is posted here.

The Blog Squad Rocked on User Friendly Thinking Show

On Friday, Patsi and I were guests on Bizzuka's User Friendly Thinking show, hosted by our good friend Paul Chaney and John Munsell, CEO of Bizzuka. We had a rockin' one hour conversation ranging from blogging for business to social media to PR and where to find and how to use simple, inexpensive tools to market your business.  Here's the show...

Seth Godin and Tom Peters on Blogging

Don't believe me and Patsi when we say business blogging is essential for your business?  Would you believe Seth Godin and Tom Peters, two major uber-business gurus? Watch a short (1:37) video with Godin and Peters in conversation and hear what they have to say about why you must be blogging.

Tom Peters says blogging changed his life.  I said the same thing last week.

Get our free report on Better Business Blogging to find out how to leverage this powerful tool for your business.

How to Get Out of Blog Block: Use Plinky

 Ever get stuck for what to write on your blog? Nah, of course not... Here at Blog Squad Headquarters, we've got a vicious attack dog that barks loudly and bangs against the doors if we don't feed him a blog post every day. That keeps us motivated.

But that's probably not the best way to spark your creativity. Here's a site that asks you a question to prompt your thinking: Plinky.

You can use it to create blog posts, or better yet, find things to tweet about. I've found it makes great tweets and since it's light-hearted and fun, your Twitter followers are likely to reply.

I found Plinky through a post by Mark Nagurski on the Really Practical Marketing Blog: Finding Inspiration for Your Content .

Plinky is a website that helps get you started by encouraging you to answer prompts like ‘name a book that opened your eyes’ or ‘name a movie character that remins you of someone you know’.

There are new prompts every day. Some are profound, some are silly. You choose a prompt and ask your Twitter followers, or just create a new blog post about your answer. Here are a few samples:

The Internet Voted Most Important Innovation in 30 Years

I just got an emailed press release that fascinates me:

30 most important innovations from the last 30 years

The first most important innovation is the Internet. The 20th most important is social networking via the Internet. It's amazing how many of these recent innovations we now take for granted.

To celebrate their three decades on the air, PBS’ Nightly Business Report teamed up with Knowledge@Wharton, the online research and business analysis journal of the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, to select the 30 most important innovations from the last 30 years. 

The results are in, and the Internet reigns supreme. PBS' Nightly Business Report will review the full list during tonight’s broadcast (check local listings).

www.pbs.org/nbr/site/features/special/top-30-innovations_home/

Here's the list, in reverse order:

The Blog Erotic Gives Sex a Good Name

If you're looking for real information about sex, love, and intimacy on the Internet, instead of titillating text or web drivel, you'll like The Blog Erotic. The Blog Squad is proud to have helped Dr. Stephanie Buehler set up and launch her great sex blog.

So much of what is published on the Web in the domain of sex is either pornographic or so focused on sexual pathologies that it's distasteful. It's hard to find good information that any normal person can relate to.

Admit it, for most of us, sex is a major part of our lives, taking up a lot of mental if not physical energy. So why not have an intelligent blog that talks about the issues in a realistic and humorous way that's enjoyable?

Dr. Stephanie could be the next Joyce Brothers or Dr. Ruth! You heard it here first. I predict a major publisher will spot her blog, and offer her a book contract. A psychologist and sex therapist from Irvine, CA., she writes with ease and tells it like it is, or should be. Here are her most recent titles:

• Erotic Valentine's Day Ideas
• Spontaneous, Shmontaneous: Planned Sex and Romance Isn't All that Bad
• How to Have "Vacation Sex" at Home
• The Glamorous Life of a Sex Therapist (Not!)
• Hot Monogamy: The Sexy First Couple
• The Mysterious Secret to Having Better Sex

Sounds fun to read, no? What better month to launch The Blog Erotic, just in time for Valentine's Day. Gotta luvvit... Go on, get over there, you know you want to, go ahead and subscribe!

I Love Blogging...Let Me Count the Ways

In celebration of Valentine's Day, the folks at TypePad.com have put out a challenge (invitation) for you to share why you love blogging. Since I'm an avid business blogger and use TypePad for most of my blogs and set up TypePad blogs for clients, I figure I better join the party!

I Love Blogging...Let Me Count the Ways (in no particular order of importance)

1. Blogging changed my life...
   
2. Blogging allows me to instantly and easily publish my content on the web
3. Blogging helps me connect with amazing people
4. Blogging has helped me become more findable and visible to my ideal clients
5. Blogging created a new business for me with Patsi
6. Blogging has generated invitations to speak at conferences, contribute to books, participate in joint venture opportunities, create new products, travel and connect
7. Blogging has revealed my inner extrovert
8. Blogging has helped me become a better writer
9. Blogging helps remove barriers when meeting online friends in person
10. Blogging has helped keep me motivated to lose weight and keep fit (my personal blog)
11. Blogging lets me take advantage of my natural love of research and active experimentation
12. My blogging community has helped me raise money for causes I care passionately about...you are the best!
13. ...I'm sure there's more so I may add new thoughts as they come to me in the next couple of days.

Part of the game is to tag 5 bloggers and invite them to play and share why they love blogging. In addition to the 5 I'm tagging, I invite you to share here in the comments section or on your own blog why you love blogging! And send me the link if you post on your own blog. (You can get the "official" guidelines here.)

I tag:

Patsi Krakoff - Writing on the Web
Michael Martine - Remarkablogger
John Trosko - OrganizingLA
Paul Chaney - Conversational Media Marketing (Paul is one of my early blogging inspirations - read his blog!)
Liz Strauss - Successful-Blog

Business Blog First Impressions: A List of Things You Believe In

Denise and I teach our blog clients that a good business blog must pass the "blink" test. In the blink of an eye, when a first time visitor lands on your blog, do they quickly get a sense of:

• Who the blog is for?
• What they'll learn?
• What you're an expert in?

There's a combination of good blog design and concise writing that creates this instant recognition. Your blog title is important, along with a tag line to describe in as few words as possible these three important elements. Other elements can attract visitors to stay, read and subscribe.

Here's an idea to deepen connections with readers right away.

Recently I ran across a side-bar item on a famous consultant/professor's blog that adds a tremendous amount of blink factor on a deep and profound level. It was called "15 Things I Believe." Wow, how's that for getting to know a blog author?

Could you possibly write a list of 7-12 deeply held values? Wouldn't that create connection with readers? If you want to read the example, visit Bob Sutton's Work Matters Blog. You might have to scroll down a little, it's on the left side. Talk about making a good impression...

Related Posts:
Blog "Blink Test"- Is Your Business Blog Well Branded?
10 Blog Design Tips for Branding & Building Trust

Does Your Blog Answer This Question: What Problem Do I Solve?

(Circular posting by way of Newt Barrett of Content Marketing Today, who posts about Michael Katz E-Newsletter Success, by way of by myself on WritingontheWeb.com...)

Does Your Marketing Answer This Question: What Problem Do I Solve? Newt Barrett says we know too much. In an effort to showcase our expertise, we confuse readers of our marketing materials, including our blogs and newsletters.

He says, "Basically, we’re asking our prospects to work too hard to understand how we can help when all they want is a precise solution to an urgent problem."

"For those of us who provide professional services, we know a lot about a lot. Even worse, we want to share as much as we can about our skill set with prospective clients."

Take a look at the number of categories on your blog, if you don't believe me. Heck, look how many categories we have on our own blog here!

I think Denise and I do a pretty good job, nevertheless, with the focus of this blog: it's all about how to build a better business blog. But I look over at my Writing on the Web blog and I'm not sure it's clear that the problem I solve is how to write better blogs and e-newsletters on the Web.

Read Newt's post and the reference materials to Michael Katz on how to laser focus your writing in your content marketing materials.