Business Blogging - How to Build A Better Blog

Content Marketing on Your Blog with Lists

Let's face it. Blogging IS Content Marketing. 

As you plan and organize the content you write that will attract the right readers, it's generally agreed that it's good to mix up the style of posts you write. You want to keep your readers interested and engaged. Consider how-to posts, case studies, Q&A, polls and interviews to name a few styles. However, by far the most popular type of post is the List Post. 

List posts are easy to scan and read, and they tend to get shared a lot.

In my travels around the web, I found a very cool list about why list articles are great for content marketing. You can even add your own reason to the list by clicking through see the full list.

What would you add to this list?

Related Post
The Ultimate Tool for Building a List Post 

7 Tips to Prepare for Virtual Blog Writing Day

If you're planning to attend all or part of the the Virtual Blog Writing Day on August 23, then I recommend you hit the ground running so you can easily tap into your creativity and achieve the goals you set for the day. As I've been planning how to facilitate the Virtual Blog Writing Day, I've come up with seven tips to help you prepare and be as productive as possible during the time you commit to your blog wrting.

1. Back to basics: what's your primary message?

When you look at at the last 10 posts on your blog, are they on message? Do they reflect what you want readers and your prospective clients to know about you and your business? If it's looking a little disjointed and confusing, answer these questions:

• What problems do you solve for your ideal client?
• What's your BIG WHY? (Why are you doing what you do?)
• What is your specific expertise?
• What are the benefits of working with you? 

Crank Out Your Blog Posts During Virtual Blog Writing Day

Not having enough time to write blog posts is a lament I hear time and time again from online entrepreneurs...even though they KNOW the benefits of publishing consistent content on their blog.

Awhile back I wondered aloud if having a dedicated block of time, like a virtual blog writing day would help.

Many folks I asked gave me a resounding "Yes!"

So, I'm doing an experiment and have scheduled a Virtual Blog Writing Day...

Date: August 23, 2012
Time: 9:00 am to 5:00 pm Pacific Time (check your local time here)
Where: your computer
Cost: FREE... NO CHARGE...My gift to you! 

Here's how I envision it working:

How to Make a Few Bucks from Your Blog Content

Bloggers, you already have lots of great blog content,right? Now how do you maximize your time and energy and even make a few bucks from your blog?

Leverage your blog content.

 

From Blog to Kindle eBook

Amazon.com is the biggest ecommerce site on the Web with millions of customers EVERY DAY. Why not get your best content in front of a slew of new eyeballs who are looking for the solutions you provide? Adapting your blog posts into a Kindle ebook is a fast and easy way to leverage your expertise and get paid for it!

 

Turning blog content into a Kindle ebook may seem daunting and confusing, but it doesn't have to be.

That's why I'm presenting a one-time, live 90 minute training webinar called “From Blog to eBook: How to Create New Revenue Streams with Amazon’s Kindle Ebook Program.”

Date: Wednesday, July 18
Time: 10:00 am Pacific Time (check your local time here) 
Investment: $27
Registration Details Here

You'll learn:

• The difference between repurposing and syndication
• Why you should repurpose your blog content
• A simple 13 step process to create an ebook from your blog
• How to build your list with a Kindle ebook
• 3 ways to promote your ebook on Amazon, the largest ecommerce site on the Web

Plus much more...

This is NOT a preview webinar with a pitch for a big ticket product at the end. This is a training webinar. I'm frequently asked to share this information so I'm doing it one time, next week. This is info I share privately with clients and now you can benefit too.

The webinar will be recorded so you will get the video and audio replays plus a transcript and a pdf of the slides.

Whether you're ready now or plan later to publish an ebook from your exisiting content, this webinar will give you the steps for getting started so you can see how simple it can be, stop procrastinating, stop waiting for perfection, and take immediate action! :-)

I look forward to "seeing" you on the webinar!

Register here. 

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: 

A Blogging Plan You Can Wrap Your Arms Around

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

"Reduce your plan to writing. The moment you complete this, you will have definitely given concrete form to the intangible desire." - Napoleon Hill

If you've decided that blogging makes sense for your service-based business or wellness practice, you need more than the desire to do some blogging and get some traffic to your site. You need a blogging plan...

Profitable Content Creation - Content Is Cash and How to Get Your Fair Share

This a guest post by Jeff Herring at JeffHerring.com.

Content is the basis of EVERYTHING online. Creating your content and then marketing it well is how you profit from your content online.

Create It - The key to successful content creation is to be prolific. What most people do is wind up staring at a blank screen. I don't want you to do what most people do because most people are broke.

Instead of staring at a blank screen I want you to use templates. Create a 7 tips article or a 3 mistakes article. Then all you have to do is fill in the blanks with your information.

Another great way to become prolific is to just write on regular basis. Make it a habit, and you'll find the flow.

Market it - So many people create their content and then do nothing with it. Again, don't be most people.

There are so many ways to market your content that you really can't run out of ideas. Start with your blog. Then post your article on EzineArticles and other top Article Directories.

Meditation as a Blogging Practice

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

This recent Twitter interchange with small business marketing consultant and former meditation instructor Jeff Korhan got me thinking about meditation as a blogging practice.

I find it most helpful to brainstorm, draft and write my blog posts in the morning. This rejuvenates my creativity for the day ahead, fulfills my most important marketing strategy and fills me with a sense of accomplishment that energizes my productivity for other tasks.

Sometimes, this creative work begins as a form of written meditation, long before I set foot in my work space. I start by simply opening myself up to the universe and writing down whatever message seems important for that day, similar to Julia Cameron's morning pages.

The way I carry this into my blogging is by printing out my draft blog posts and having them with me during that morning writing time. Away from my desk, with a clear, focused mind, it's been amazing what I can come up with.

Writing this post has been a wonderful reminder of this creative tool that's available to me. I've already printed out the draft of my next post so I can start accessing my clear, focused mind to enhance my blogging practice.

(Update February 2, 2013 - The free training I mentioned to Jeff above is no longer available, but here are the direct links to the idea catcher article and video.)

Linda Dessau is the author of Write Your Way to More Clients Online and the founder of Content Mastery Guide. Visit her site today for more do-it-yourself blogging tips and hands-free blogging services.

Do you use meditation? Are there any other activities that seem to evoke new ideas or creative solutions to questions or challenges that have you stuck? Please share in the comments below.

Why Your Business Blog Needs to Be More Than a Diary

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

As your business grows (and grows up), it can be inspiring to look back at a chronicle of what you've accomplished and how far you've come. Having that record is one of the benefits of blogging, and a reason to continue dating your posts.

But when business blogs are completely filled with announcements and personal musings from the business owner, that's a missed opportunity to connect with your prospective clients.

Sure, your family, clients and other supporters will always be thrilled to hear of your latest successes, accomplishments and lessons learned, but what about someone who is just getting to know you? Will those things mean as much?

Do you proofread your blog posts?

Whether you're writing a blog post or a status update, posting a tweet or writing a description for your video on YouTube, if it's for your business, you need to get your grammar right. 

I confess that sometimes, my fingers are flying, I'm pressed for time and I neglect to proofread my writing. Not good. Inevitably I find a typo or a grammatical error. Thanks to Copyblogger, now you've got a cheat sheet if you find yourself confused about when to use "affect" or "effect".

Check out this great infographic for a quick grammar review...