Business Blogging - How to Build A Better Blog

Online Visibility Tips Link Round-up

In the event you are not getting online visibility updates from DeniseWakeman.com, here's a round-up of posts from the last month you may have missed with tips for boosting your presence on the web. 

3 Steps to Using a Blog to Produce Profitable Webinars

Social Marketing Tips Marketing App Now Live! (how an app can help you attract more visitors)

The Social Media Examiner Success Formula - Interivew with founder Michael Stelzner

10 Reasons Why Your Website is Losing Visitors - are you making any of these mistakes?

How to Use Social Buzz to Build Your List

Are Your Social Networks Getting Out of Control?

Google Plus Circles - How to Build an Optin List

No doubt there's an article on this list that will help you with some aspect of your business.

Finally, at the risk of overwhelming you, I want to make sure you know about a couple of new ways we can connect. The LinkedIn group I recently started is really active and there many great discussions going on about how to build your visiblity and online marketing. I find the interaction is much better on LinkedIn than it is on Facebook and you're invited to join me there.

And, I'm using Google Plus (Google+) more and more. I love the ability to filter the content that interests me, as well as deliver the content I share with better targeted audiences.

If you'd like to be part of my business blogging and/or online visibility Circles, let me know here. And add me to one of your Circles while you're at it!

Blogging is at the heart of online visibility

This blog is focused on business blogging and DeniseWakeman.com is focused on building online visibility and social marketing. But the lines get blurry because your blog is the heart and foundation of building your visibility on the Web.

It's not about using one tool OR another. Integration is important so once blogging has become a consistent habit, you'll see the most success when you look at the bigger picture and learn savvy ways to combine blogging with social marketing tactics.

To that end and because of the blurry lines between my blogs now, you may have missed a few juicy posts on DeniseWakeman.com. Here are five posts to check out...

How to Breathe New Life Into Older Blog Posts

How to Maintain Visibility with Your Blog Readers

How Many Social Profiles Do You Need?

7 Ways to Use Amazon.com to Boost Your Visibility

8 Gifts You Can Give Away to Build Your Email List

As always I welcome your comments and questions on the posts. Blog on!

15 Articles to Boost Your Blogging and Your Business - Guest Post Round-Up

A few weeks ago I announced I was going on vacation and had lined up guest posts for Build a Better Blog and Biz Tips Blog from some of my esteemed colleagues. In case you missed an article or two, here's a round up the expert posts covering everything from mindset to customer service to tactics for managing your blogs.

I am truly grateful for the generosity of my colleagues who shared so many great ideas.

Biz Tips Blog

Kathleen Gage - Three Things You Must Know Before You Create Information Products

Dr. Rachna Jain - Mindshare Marketing Touchpoints

Susan Creal - 7 Powerful Steps for Overcoming Uncertainty

Terri Levine - 8 Tips to Avoid Messing Up Your Marketing Message

Kellie D'Andrea - Take a Moment and Wear Your Customer's Shoes

Lou Bortone - Lies! Rumors! Scandal!

Maritza Parra - Visibility + Authenticity with Transform Your Business

Jeff Herring - Article Marketing and Online Visibility: The Quickest Path to Hearing "I See You Everywhere"

Ellen Britt - Get Visible! 3 Steps to Being Seen Everywhere

Janis Pettit - The Wheel and Spoke Marketing Method

 

Build A Better Blog

Rich Brooks - How to Turn Your Blog into a Lead Generation Machine

Christina Hills - How to Manage Your Blog Sites with Google Docs

Dr. Rachna Jain - 3 Secrets of Great Content Creation

Phil Hollows - From "Like" to Subscribe: Integrating Your Facebook and Email Marketing

Rich Brooks - Yes, You Do Have Time to Blog

Many articles generated insightful comments and questions that were answered by the author, so be sure to read those as well as add a comment of your own. And, if you like a post, be sure to tweet, "like" and share it with your communities and let the author know you found their article useful.

Blog on!

Tweet

22 Social Media Marketing Superstars Reveal Their Secrets

How do you like that for a title? I am excited and proud to be among the 22 Social Media Marketing Superstars included in this brand new book. I'm in fabulous company.

As you know, I talk a lot about why you need to make your business blog the hub of your online platform. And that is the topic of the chapter I contributed to Success Secrets of the Social Media Marketing Superstars, the brainchild of Mitch Meyerson, that launched today.

Right now the book is under $15 on Amazon and after you purchase a copy you can get 8 exclusive audio interviews and videos from the authors at the official book site.

You'll learn:

• The biggest mistakes people make with social media and how to fix them
• Actionable plans for all areas including social networks, blogs, web TV and mobile marketing
• Real-world case studies, best practices and proven techniques from the experts
• Detailed list of resources

Here's the lineup of authors and topics (I have lucky chapter #13!)

Success Secrets Of The Social Media Marketing Superstars
By Mitch Meyerson

Section One: Strategies and Principles

1. Building Your Social Media Relationship Strategy – Keith Ferrazzi and Tahl Raz
2. The Psychology of Social Media – Brian Clark
3. Mastering Online Marketing: Six Key Principles – Mitch Meyerson
4. Creating Content People Care About: The Cornerstone of Social Media – Ann Handley
5. How to Create a Mega-Following With Social Media – Gary Vaynerchuk
6. Personality: How To Stand Out In Virtual Crowd – Andy Wibbels
7. Build Strong Online Communities Using Social Media – Chris Brogan
8. Social Media Success Qualities – Joel Comm
9. How To Communicate With Impact Using Social Media – Craig Valentine
10. How To Profit From Your Social Media Efforts - Starr Hall
11. PR Strategies for Social Media – Dan Janal
12. Making Your Content Go Viral With Social Media – Michael Stelzner

Section Two: Applications and Websites

1. Business Blogs: How To Make Your Blog The Centerpiece of Your Social Media Enterprise – Denise Wakeman
2. Facebook: The Essential Rules For Building a Large and Loyal Following – Mari Smith
3. Twitter: Your Power PR Tool for Attracting A Tribe of Raving Fans – Deborah Cole Micek
4. LinkedIn: Transforming Networks into Dynamic Business Connections – Barbara Rozgonyi
5. YouTube: Leveraging the Power Of Google To Get Your Video Content To Millions – Julie Perry
6. Podcasting: Leveraging the Power of Apple To Get Your Content To Millions – Paul Colligan
7. Using Social Bookmarking To Improve Your Traffic, Links and Visibility – Chris Garrett
8. Mobile Marketing: How To Integrate this Powerful Tool With Your Social Media Marketing – Kim Dushinski
9. Online Video: A Mini Guide to Your Own Web Show – Shama Kabani
10. Social Media In One Hour A Day – Dave Evans

Check out the book now and grab the bonus interviews. There's excellent, actionable info from top thinkers and do-ers in the industry.

By the way, Brian Clark's chapter on The Psychology of Social Media Selling is a must-read if you're doing business on the Web.

Authors - How to Use Blogs and Social Media to Promote Your Book

To me, authors and blogging are a natural fit, yet many, many authors I know are not blogging, don't want to blog or are afraid to dilute their writing time with blogging. Yet, it's such a powerful tool to build an audience for your books.

In the last few days I've come across several articles, blog posts and events that demonstrate how blogging, and social marketing can help you build an audience of raving fans and book buyers.

The is a "link post" as I'm simply providing 5 links to resources I think you can learn from or model for creating a successful book launch.

1. From the New York Times: Blog's Readers Enjoy a Good Whodunit
(how a group of authors share a blog and support each other's writing and new book promotions)

A birthday gift for you and entrepreneurs world-wide...

It's my birthday and I want to celebrate!

Last year, for my 50th, I created the Kiva Challenge and put together a lending team of 109 people who, to date, have made 301 micro-loans, for a total of $8,800 that is helping entrepreneurs world-wide.

Check it out and see what's going on with the team.

Here's the birthday plan for this year...

... for 51 hours, I'm reducing the investment for Online Visibility Secrets (OVS) to $5.10 for the first month. This is a 13.5% discount on the program.

Details ~> http://OnlineVisibilitySecrets.com

But I'm not stopping there.

For every new enrollment, I'm going to add $5 to my Kiva lending account so I'm putting the money right back into loans that will help more entrepreneurs.

I see this as a win-win-win.

Win #1 - You get a great gift: a 13.5% discount on my popular 26 week step by step program that helps you build your business by boosting your visibility on the Web.

Win #2 - Entrepreneurs who need a financial boost, get loans (not donations!) to help their businesses grow.

Win #3 - I get to serve you and share the tips, tricks and tactics I personally use so you can get more leads, more clients, more gigs, and more opportunities to build your business.

Details ~> http://OnlineVisibilitySecrets.com

The 51 hour special starts at 12:00 pm ET on June 25 (my birthday is the 26th) and ends at 3:00 pm ET on Sunday, June 27.

As I'm writing this, I decided to throw in another gift for you...a private group coaching call for everyone enrolled in OVS. I'll take any and all questions you have about blogging, social media, online visibility, Internet marketing and I will keep the lines open until all questions are answered. How's that to sweeten the deal? I'll send details next week to OVS students.

OK, now, I invite you to my birthday celebration - join me for Online Visibility Secrets and together we'll help more entrepreneurs around the world.

Join now ~> http://OnlineVisibilitySecrets.com

I look forward to connecting with you on the private group coaching call...

...blog on!

Blog or Squeeze Page - where do you send prospects?

Recently I got a great question from an Online Visibility Secrets student. She was watching the Business Blog Mastery videos and wondered about my comment that your business blog should be the hub, or home base, for your online presence. If you've been reading this blog or attended a teleseminar or event where I've spoken about blogging, then you've heard this many times before. However, Linda had a good question related to this:

Maybe this will be cleared up once I go through the OVS program but I was just listening to the Business blog Mastery (video 1) where you spoke about the blog being the hub. My question is there has been a lot taught about sending people to your squeeze page so they can either sign up or not vs as you indicated sending them to your blog. Can you share a few thoughts.

My first response is: it depends (don't you hate that?!).

And it does. What are the goals and objectives of your content? Many prospects will not give you their email address on the first contact. Unless what you're offering is so compelling and valuable, many are wary of getting more email and marketing messages.

The Basics of Content Syndication and RSS

The Basics of Content Syndication is a guest post by Dr. Rachna Jain of MindShare Corporation.

Content syndication is a hot topic in social media, and there is a lot of confusion about what it is, and how to do it. In the most basic sense, content syndication refers to the process of efficiently distributing your content around the internet. Since effective content syndication does require a little bit of technical know-how, most people's eyes glaze over when they hear about it. The problem is that if you're ignoring the power of content syndication, you are only getting about 1/3rd of the value from your social media efforts as you could be.

Done correctly, content syndication can help you accomplish four main business goals.

1. It can help you generate more targeted visitors to your website and blog
2. it can help you improve your search engine positioning
3. it can help you build your following
4. it can build your expert status

All of these are valuable outcomes for a process which doesn't really take a lot of time.

One of the biggest mistakes entrepreneurs make is in creating content (for their sites, blogs, teleseminars or trainings) and then only using the content one or two times. This means that your time to create the content is only paying off minimally.

Far better to repurpose your content into multiple formats, and be able to use it multiple ways, so that you are getting maximum value from the time you spend creating the material in the first place. Repurposing efficiently and regularly is one of the key underpinnings of an effective content syndication strategy.

An example of repurposing your content would be to take a written blog post, convert to an audio (see audio option above - instant podcast), turn to a slideshow, and then convert to a video. Your one blog post then becomes deployable in multiple formats, and can be sent out to the various article, audio, and video sites. So, in essence, you get four times the value for your content. There are multiple other ways to repurpose your content, and you'll find, as I have, that once you get good at doing it, it's kind of addictive.

So now that you understand the background of content syndication, let's look at some easy ways you can get started:

Beauty Supply Stores Need Blogs Too

Today I was interviewed for an article in a trade magazine for beauty supply store owners. Last year the same writer interviewed me for a similar story that was published in Pool and Spa News for owners of pool supply stores.[Just reread the article and there's good info, if I do say so myself!]

Apparently, most beauty supply stores are what the writer refers to as "mom and pop" retailers. One or two stores, usually in malls and located near a nail salon (that's my observation). At least here in Los Angeles, it seems like you'll almost always find a beauty supply store near a salon.

While we talked mostly about why a blog is a great marketing tool for small business owners, we did also touch on social media. I was informed that most of the smaller store owners have been slow to come to the Web and don't have much (brochure style website) if any web presence.

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???