Business Blogging - How to Build A Better Blog

Your Roadmap for Creating Purpose-Driven Content [replay]

Earlier this week I hosted a webinar by my colleague Tom Treanor of Right Mix Marketing. Tom outlined his elegant and effective map for creating content for your blog that supports your sales and business goals.

Right now you can watch the webinar replay video (no optin required) and take advantage of Tom's generous offer to save $30 on his Fast, Easy Blogging program plus get two blogging programs from me and a live mentoring class to get you on the path to better visibility on the web.

While you're at it, I recommend you read Tom's guest post on 9 Ways to Improve Your Business Blog's Performance Overnight. Good, easy to implement tips.

Blog on!

Does Your Business Blog Need a Category Cleanup?

This is a guest post by Linda Dessau of ContentMasteryGuide.com.

anyone about to start a blog should attend #barrieblogathon to get it started right.Fixing it up is really tedious :(

— Kerri Fullerton ND (@BarrieND) April 18, 2013

I really admired Kerri Fullerton at last week's Barrie Business Blogathon. She said she knew she'd write more blog posts later (she's been a prolific blogger since 2009), so she was going to dedicate her Blogathon time to cleaning up her blog's categories.

Creating blog post categories that reflect your brand - what you and your business are known for - will help you reinforce that brand and show people your value and expertise.

When they visit your blog, people can browse your categories to quickly find the content they're most interested in. They also get an instant snapshot of the range of your expertise.

The cringe test

How to Build on the Momentum of a Blog Writing Day

This is a guest post from Linda Dessau of ContentMasteryGuide.com.

Have you ever returned from a conference, class, seminar or other event, all gung-ho to apply your learning, but then find yourself quickly enveloped back into your busy life, with your new goals left behind?

It's certainly happened to me, but I didn't want it to happen to my Barrie Business Blogathon participants or the crew from Denise's Virtual Blog Writing Day. So I put together these simple tips that will help you build on your momentum, so that you can keep building your blog and growing your business.

Blog Posts about Blogging You May Have Missed

It's no secret that I read and share a lot of blogging articles and resources via my social networks. But, if you don't follow me on Twitter or Facebook, then you may have missed some great blog posts about blogging...

First, I want to circle back and close the loop on the Virtual Blog Writing Day. On DeniseWakeman.com, I posted a list of resources and a list of blog posts participants wrote on VBWD:

Anatomy of a Perfect Blog Post [infographic]

As I prepped for Virtual Blog Writing Day (you're welcome to join us!), looking for articles to help bloggers be productive, efficient and create great posts, I ran across this infographic from my colleague Derek Halpern of SocialTriggers.com. When creating your posts, this is a helpful guide for formatting your content.

How to Write the Perfect Blog Post 
(click on the link to see the infographic in full size).

Like this? Learn how to use psychology to get more traffic and sales with Social Triggers.

Top 10 Time-Saving Blogging Tips for Busy Business Owners

This is a guest post from Linda Dessau of ContentMasteryGuide.com.

Facebook expert Mari Smith recently reported on the results of her social media survey. It was no surprise to read that an overwhelming number of responders reported that time is their biggest marketing challenge.

In order to effectively attract clients with your business blog, you must publish new content consistently. For some, that may mean starting out with a monthly post and then gradually increasing. Others might be ready for a weekly blogging routine. 

Whether you're starting a new blog or just trying to keep your blog going, how do you find the time to write?

Here are 10 concrete actions you can take to get your blogging done:

Roundup - Blogging Resources to Boost Your Business

The last couple of weeks have been busy at The Blog Squad HQ. Two blogging related webinars generated hundreds of registrations and I want to make sure you know you can still access the content (free and fee).

Here's a roundup of links to blogging resources that can help you boost your business:

 “From Blog to eBook: How to Create New Revenue Streams with Amazon’s Kindle Ebook Program.” - get the 90 minute video presentation, audio (mp3), transcript, formatting cheat sheet and resource links for only $27 for a limited time. 

How to Use Mobile Marketing to Drive Traffic to Your Wordpress Site and Build Your List - FREE replay video. My guest, mobile marketing expert, Kim Dushinski shared terrific tips on how you can get started mobilizing your blog right now.

ARTICLE: Three Signs You Need to Mobilize Your Wordpress Blog 

ARTICLE: A Cure for Blogger's Block?

ARTICLE shared on my Facebook page: 5 Ways to Go from Blogger to Published Book Auther [by Nina Amir on Social Media Examiner]

ARTICLE shared on my Facebook page: How to Shave 20 Minutes Off Your Next Blog Post [Hubspot]

ARTICLE shared on Twitter: How to Write Multiple Blog Posts at One Time [by Sanera Camp]

ARTICLE shared on Twitter: Blogging About What Matters to You [by Rebecca Livermore; audio]

There you have it. Some of the content I've found and shared this week, as well as two webinars to watch and study. Applying just a few tips you learn can make a big difference in your business.

Did you read a great blogging article or find a fabulous blogging resource this week? Share it with use in the comments below and ... blog on!

How to Keep Blogging, Whatever the Weather

Blog writing is a skill like any other. You can learn how to do it, and the more you do it the better you'll get. But only if you keep doing it.

If you don't keep up with your blogging, it can turn your website into a ghost town that reflects badly on you and your business. 

Here are some ways you can keep growing your blogging tree and welcome plenty of new clients to your orchard.

A strong blogging tree needs the right climate

Here in Barrie, Ontario, Canada, we enjoy four seasons every year. Not every day feels pleasant (though I do believe in the old adage that there is no such thing as bad weather, only inappropriate clothing), but each season gives us something of value - even if that's just more appreciation for the season coming up!

Your blogging tree needs different weather elements in order to grow strong, including rain and sunshine, and here's why: 

How to Control Blog Comment Spam Without it Being a Time Suck

Don't you hate it? All those spammy comments that contribute nothing to your blog and are clearly being submitted by bots or people being paid a nickle a comment because they think they're going to get some kind of fabulous link juice?

I received a question the other day from Yoon:

I am finding that my blog gets inundated with spam type comments that has been taking my assistant on average about 10 hours a week to review all of the comments and delete spam vs post real comments. This seems like high maintenance. Is this normal? Or are we doing something wrong that's creating unnecessary work?

Unfortunately I don't know what blog platform Yoon is using or what plugins so I'll give a general response.

How to Use Mindmaps to Create High Quality Content at Breakneck Speed

This is a guest post by Sharyn Sheldon at Business Content PLR.

How to Use Mindmaps to Create High Quality Content at Breakneck Speed 

Do you ever dread the thought of sitting down to write an article or create some fresh, high quality content for your blog? Maybe you have an idea you want to write about, but you get stuck in the middle. In my case, there are times when I can't even get the first sentence out because there are too many ideas and I don’t know which one to choose first. Other times, the words flow smoothly and quickly.

The key to speeding up your web content writing pace is good planning. If you’re like me, you probably learned about creating outlines in grade school. You might even resist creating an outline for that very reason. After all, we're free of all those restrictions now, right? Wrong! An outline is your best friend in developing a piece of content that flows beautifully and speedily.

Using Mindmaps to Create Content Outlines