Business Blogging - How to Build A Better Blog

5 Steps to Social Media Success - Video

I couldn't resist sharing this video on Social Media in 5 Steps by John Marshall Roberts. Thanks to my colleague Mike Jay for passing it along.

Really, it's very simple to be successful using social media for your business. Just watch, and you'll see how easy it is! ;-)

Anything missing? I think this video covers it all: monitor the conversation, build your platforms, be social 24/7, stay on top of it and track your results, repeat daily. What else is there???

Do You Have an Online Visibility Action Plan? This Sample Schedule Could Help You

In my daily conversations and email exchanges with clients and potential clients, the issue of time always crops up (as I've noted in many previous posts). I'll spare you the "make time!" rant. If you want to watch the video, it's here.

Creating visibility for your business requires consistent, constant effort. Whether it's you or a VA or a combination of both, you've got to be publishing content as frequently as possible and connecting with people in your community on a regular basis.

You need a Visibility Action Plan. A few months ago I put together a sample visibility schedule for students in a program I was teaching. I also share it with clients and new students as a guide to demonstrating how you can proactively build your online platform by focusing on frequency and consistency across sites to build your visibility.

If you're struggling with how to manage your time and build your online visibility, as my gift to you today, I'm giving you this sample visibility plan so you can get on the right track.

Download Sample Online Visibility Schedule (Right click on link to save to your computer.)

This schedule shows you what to do with a minimal time commitment of 1 hour a day or 5 hours per week, Monday through Friday. That's not a lot of time to devote to your online marketing. Keep in mind, more time invested is always better and will get you better results. However, this is a great start.

Do you have an online visibility plan? If so, what does it look like and what kind of results is it generating for you?

Are You Crushing It with a Blog?

Do you have a blog for your business? I'm frequently surprised by the number of people I meet who do not yet have a business blog, even though it's one of the most powerful online marketing tools you can use. Even Gary Vaynerchuk says so in his book Crush It! Why Now is the Time to Cash in on Your Passion. [aff link]

Ok, I admit I'm a little late to this party. I only just recently read Gary's book. Having heard and seen Gary speak, I definitely wanted to get his take on how to make a living doing what you love. While much of the book is devoted to passion and DNA and success mindset, it's the "how to" that caught my attention.

Gary Vee (as he's known online) is a loud proponent of using the web to build your personal brand and monetize your passion. Through out he pounds it in to the reader (and I swear I could hear his voice as I was reading) that all you need once you've identified your passion, is a domain name, a blog, a Facebook fan page, a twitter account, an inexpensive video camera (I recommend the Flip [aff link]) and be willing to create a ton of content.

I can't argue with that. But why do you need a blog? Why not a website? As Gary says,

Think of it this way: your website is for communicating logistics and facilitating sales; your blog is for communicating the essence of your brand.

I like that..."communicating the essence of your brand." And the vehicle for communicating your essence is through text, video (Gary's medium of choice - check out his wildly popular wine blog, Wine Library.tv) and audio. You need a home base for your content and your blog is it. A blog also increases your findability factor exponentially over a static website (search engines love the fresh content blogs provide) and they're easier and cheaper to set up and maintain.

Gary gives you a simple, inexpensive starting point. Once you get comfortable with the tools, you can begin to leverage your blog and myriad opportunities for building your personal brand on the web and boosting your online visibility beyond Facebook and twitter.

If you're looking for a blast of motivation and quick steps to get started, you'll enjoy Gary's passion and enthusiasm for business, the Web and playing big.

Related:

Start here if you're new to blogging...

How to Get the Best Out of Your Blog

5 Critical Tactics for Business Blog Success

Online Visibility Secrets - Invitation to a Private Teleseminar

How’s business?

It’s that time of year when entrepreneurs and business professionals are evaluating their progress and assessing their accomplishments in 2009, then setting goals for 2010.

Is one of your goals to kick your online marketing up a few notches?

Do you want to attract more opportunities for your business?

Are you ready to be found online by your ideal clients? The media? New joint venture partners?

You probably realize by now that a business blog is just one element required to have an effective platform on the Web. While it is a critical element, you also need multiple channels to reach people and drive them back to your blog so you can create trust and build credibility, making your blog readers feel safe and comfortable going to the next level with you.

About a month ago I launched Online Visibility Secrets, a 26-week step by step action program that does just that. It’s designed to help you boost your online visibility so you can get more traffic, more leads, more clients and more opportunities for your business.

The program is delivered to you via 26 weekly email lessons that include video, audio and articles. Plus you'll get resources and most important you'll get a weekly Action Step to complete before you move on to the next lesson.

Building a highly visible presence on the Web takes consistent, constant action. It doesn't happen overnight. It takes time, with each action building on the momentum of the previous actions.

On Wednesday, December 16 I’m doing a private teleseminar ONLY for members of the Online Visibility Secrets program. This is the only live access members get and I’ll be covering some of the fundamentals for building a visible presence on the web. More importantly, I’ll be taking questions.

There will be a live Q and A and I’ll stay on the line until all your questions about online marketing and
visibility are answered (or until I have to leave to meet my running group!).

You can attend this exclusive teleseminar too, when you join the Online Visibility Secrets program by
December 16.

I've deliberately kept the investment low...

...only $19.97 per month for a total of 6 months.

I know not everyone has the resources to work with me one on one, but that doesn't mean you can't get top-notch content and learn how to take your business to new heights by attracting more opportunities.

You'd be hard pressed to find a marketing coach for $119.82! And the content in the course is valued at least 20 times more than your investment.

Here’s what one OVS student recently told me:

“When I received your email on OVS, I signed up immediately. The format speaks to busy people like me, and the course materials are worth many times over my investment. I am excitedly looking forward to the successful implementation of what I've learned, and to working with you one on one through your other offerings.” ~Kathleen McDonough

You get the 26-week Action program and the live teleseminar for only six monthly payments of $19.97.

http://OnlineVisibilitySecrets.com

I look forward to welcoming you to the program and to the teleseminar on Wednesday.

Blog on!

Locally based businesses need to be on the Web too

I've been interviewed twice in the last week for articles in trade magazines - one for restaurants and the other for optical professionals in Canada - about using online marketing and social media for locally based businesses (bricks and mortar stores).

I tell them if their ideal client/customer/diner/patient cannot find them on the web, it's like they don't exist. If you're like me, and millions are, you use the Web to find information for just about everything, including local businesses. How many times have you done a search to find a restaurant in your own neighborhood or one you're visiting? Or how about to find a chiropractor or dentist or optician or spa or...?

You've got to have a robust online presence in order to compete and be found by your ideal client.

And the best place to start?

You guessed it! A blog for your business, of course!

When you create keyword-rich content on a blog, it gets indexed by the search engines and you can be found by your customers when they do an online search for the problem(s) they have and you solve. Everyday I hear from professionals and business owners who have not yet started a blog. If that's you, here's an article on Ten Easy Steps for Starting a Business Blog.

Naturally there's a lot that goes into creating and maintaining an effective business blog that gets results. The first step, though, is to take action, make a decision and do it, or get help doing it.

Remember, even local businesses need to be visible on the Web.

(Click here to learn how you can boost your online visibility.)

Online Visibility Tip - Comment on Blogs in Your Industry (Video)

Online Visibility Tip: While I was working on an article for Social Media Examiner, I was exploring the concept of outreach, or reaching out to others in your industry (aka commenting) to set the groundwork for more opportunities. This also applies to creating visibility for you and your business.

While it may seem obvious and you've heard it many times before, most business bloggers do not spend enough time on blog outreach. The video includes three sources to find related blogs in your niche. [Click here if you cannot see the video in your blog reader.)

I'm curious to know how often you comment on other blogs? I know I could put more time and effort into this tactic because I know it works!

Learn more about boosting your visibility online...

Related Posts:

Online Visibility Tip: Ping.fm Helps You Automate (lots of great comments!)

Usernamecheck.com Protects You

Posterous Can Help You Extend Your Online Visibility

Business Bloggers Twitter List

Thanks to all the business bloggers who contributed their own twitter link and those of others to my Business Bloggers twitter list. If you're looking for smart, savvy professionals to follow on twitter, this is a great place to start.

Lots of different industries are represented and you're sure to find a few cool new people to engage with...you never know what kind of opportunities will emerge!

Visibility via Video: How to Extend Your Reach Online

If you've been following me for awhile, you know I return to the topic of online video from time to time. Why? Because it is an amazingly powerful online marketing tool.

When I was at BlogWorld & New Media Expo 2009, at least 90% of the attendees had video cameras and videos were being shot in every hallway, at dinners, at parties and everywhere in between. 

YouTube is the 4th most visited site on the Web and it's the second largest search engine. 20 hours of video are being uploaded to YouTube every minute (saw that stat somewhere today).

The reason video is so popular is because it takes social to a whole new level. It's intimate and connects with the viewer more easily than text. And it's really easy to shoot and distribute video.

While prepping for a program I'm developing with a colleague, I put together an outline for the process I use to distribute my videos. Not only do I have a blog solely for my videos, I post them all over the Web for great reach and visibility. Here's my process:

The Future of Social Media is Now! Are you ready?

On October 1 I'm co-hosting a webinar with Dr. Rachna Jain on The Future of Social Media and How to Profit From It...(if you cannot see the video in your blog reader, click here)

Dr. Jain is a psychologist and social scientist. She studies human behavior and is an expert in persuasive social media. She's been flying under the radar for a long time and now she's agreed to teach a class on what's she's learned by successfully integrating persuasive social media tactics for her clients. Join us!

The Future of Social Media and How to Profit From It
Thursday, October 1, 2009 at 5 pm Eastern (2 pm Pacific)
Details and Registration >>>

Related Posts:
The Evolution of Social Media
You're Really Popular. Now What?

Lou Bortone predicts there will be a "land grab" for .tv domains

Yesterday I had the pleasure of co-teaching a brand new online video program with my pal, the online video guy, Lou Bortone. The program, Online Video: Right Here, Right Now! was a follow up to the popular program we delivered a few months ago and which is now a self-study course.

Online video is evolving at a break-neck pace and we felt it was important to update our video students on new developments in tools, video distribution, social media integration and trends for using video in business. Over 125 people attended the program and the feedback on twitter and Facebook was great. 

During the class Lou predicted that there will be a land-grab or gold rush, for .tv domain names like there was for .com domains in the olden days of the Internet. As video becomes ever more popular (YouTube had more than 85 million visitors in July 2009 and is now the 4th most visited site on the Web), the demand for video channels will only grow. So here's the tip from Lou: