Create a business blog - 10 steps to a better blog

Building a business blog is a great online marketing tool for finding new customers and networking online.

How?

Follow these 10 steps to a better business blog!

Strong Post Titles

Title your posts for grabbing readers attention and help search engines find your blog. Every blog post has a title. Make each title strong, concise with your most important key word first in the title. This title is the heading that others see first through RSS readers so make it a grabbing headline.

Example: Stuffable Teddy Bears with Noah's Ark Workshop or AmeriPlan - Latest Bonus Opportunity.

Strong Post Introduction

Start your actual blog entry with the same key words, phrase as your title. Think of it as reinforcing your theme of your post to your readers but it will also help with search engines and RSS readers that display your blog may include the first few lines of your latest post.

Make your blog informative.

Teach your readers and consumers. Share your knowledge to help them make informed decisions. No Hype - avoid making your blog post an advertisement. Avoid sounding like an advertisement ~ internet surfers are wise to the language of SALES.

Become a resource.

Through consistent effective blogging, you will establish yourself as an expert in your area whether it's about cooking or candles, home decor or direct sales. Present your blog posts in a way that invites discussion with an email address for readers to contact you for more information or answer questions.

Create a Dynamic Blog

Encourage feedback. A blog with comments, feedback, discussions will create more visitors and establish your blog as dynamic and interactive. A static blog that simply has post after post of self discussion is much less effective as a marketing tool so work to make your blog shine.
Within your post invite your readers to click-thru for more information on whatever you are discussing. This will bring visitors to your own website to see product, read more and potentially create sales.

Make your business blog a big part of your marketing

Discipline yourself to blog frequently. Essentially, train yourself in the same manner you use to post your ads through your online groups. Create a new blog entry even 2-3 short paragraphs several times a week. At a minimum, blog weekly. Publishing a new blog entry 3-5 times a week will keep your blog being read, crawled by search engines and creating headlines on the RSS feeds which is what you want.

Think Search Engines when blogging

Work to use a few important key words over and over within each blog entry. Consistent use of the same key words that internet surfers use to search will build up page after page of these search relevant key words in your blog. When you have a blog with 15 posts in your blog with titles and blog entries about soy candles, scents, safety and specials - search engines will read your blog as it would a website.

A blog with several posts (pages) on the same subject with the same key words but unique content will give you search engine traffic that you can learn to funnel to your own website or direct sales company website.

Publish your own articles on your business blog

Post your own articles to your blog, complete with resource box and permission to publish with resource box intact. Your own articles will give you further credibility and build readership. Other than your own website, your business blog is the perfect venue to you to publish your thoughts, ideas, and business plans through articles and business writing.

Use your blogs links section

The links section of your blog give your readers the opportunity to explore your websites, your newsletter, services and products further after they have read your latest post. Make sure your blog links section clearly directs readers to your own website but also to sign up for your newsletter or read other blogs you have online.

Be sure to PING!

Finally, take the time to understand how to ping your blog. Whether you are using a ready made blogging system like Blogger or your own blog set up on your website - every time you publish your blog you have one more step before your work is done! The absolute minimum is to submit your blog each time to Ping-o-matic http://www.pingomatic.com Your latest blog will be sent out to a number of feeds and blog services for online publication.

When you are ready to begin actively promoting your blog, you will move beyond using only Ping-o-matic as your announcement for your business blog.

Remember to keep your business blog ever focused on your readers, your target market. Your blog will be found by both RSS readers AND search engines following these 10 steps to a better blog!

The blog revolution: How blogs to generate profits solid Web, uses

Blogs were originally only meant to be 'Web Logs', or personal journals for members of on-line communities to stay in touch, sort of like 'underground news media'. But, it didn't take long for net-repreneurs (internet entrepreneurs) to catch on to their popularity and to find ways to use them to make money. The human mind is infinitely creative and nothing really stays the same.

This awesome entrepreneurial spirit transmogrified Blogs into what they are today: very powerful marketing weapons that have almost made some other forms of advertising, redundant. It never ceases to surprise me how ingenious people are when it comes to finding new ways to generate cash flow, particularly in web marketing - what a power-house!! It leaves real-world business for dead (in my opinion).

Traditional safelists are becoming somewhat threadbare. Isn't it amazing how quickly business changes on the 'Net, and isn't it weird how safelist people 'spin their wheels' by posting, posting, posting, when most messages go to 'junk' in-boxes to be automatically deleted. You can send out a whole lot of messages with safelists, but only a tiny percentage are likely to be actually read by a real person. Maybe that's why email traffic is threatening to choke the Internet. Because of this, many canny web business people have now shifted to Blogs as their main tool for promotion. Many others, like me - who continue to believe that safelists have a role (when properly used) -have made Blogs a valuable extra facility in their marketing toolboxl.

Blogs have become so popular because they are so very user-friendly for advertising. They are practical, easy to set up and very convenient to use. Keeping content up to date is very easy for webmasters who otherwise would have to spend hours uploading and downloading files. Be warned, however, that setting up a 'Free' Blog, will mean you will have a lot of other people's ads on it (There's no such thing as a 'free lunch'). It's always worth paying because, yes, you get what you pay for.

Anyway, There are probably five key methods (and a whole lot more) you can use to ensure that Blogs pump up your web profits.

1. BLOGS ARE MAGNETS FOR SEARCH ENGINES: Go on, get on to Google and, whatever topic you search, you'll inevitably see that the search engines have thrown up a number of Blogs in the top ten results. This is because Blogs are constantly showing fresh, new and key word friendly content just like your web pages should; that's a Blog's very reason for being. Imagine the value to you of having your own Blog pop in the top end of search results. The ubiquitous search engines clamor to highlight fresh, appropriate content - they love it. Constantly re-newed and freshened Blogs leave stale, ageing (and rarely updated) web sites for dead.

2. BLOGS LOVE TO LINK TO EACH OTHER: Yes, Blogs love to stick together, creating networking 'heaven'. Just one link on your Blog could see visitors drop in from all over the place. Wow - visitors queueing to click your links; how powerful is that for an advertising and traffic generating system. Awesome.

3.YOUR CUSTOMERS WILL APPRECIATE REGULARLY HEARING FROM YOU: You see, Blogs today have this great 'comment' facility which means your people - your customers - can ask you questions and give you valuable feedback almost immediately. This is almost like a 'chat' system, and is quicker than email. Forget about having to manipulate your source codes, Blogs make this unnecessary. Blogs have an amazing comment system that allows your customers to immediately post feedbacks and queries. And that's what service on the net is all about today - quick responses, dependable advice and getting what you want, when you want. Now. And Blogs can do it.

4. PUMP UP YOUR ADSENSE PROFITS: If you're into Pay Per Click marketing, well Blogs are ideal for you. Then can stimulate even more regular traffic than your basic garden variety web site. Google AdSense, god bless 'em, even lets Blog owners show as many as three appropriate ads, and these must relate to your theme and content, on their Blog pages. It's Blogging marvelous!! Here's the key reason why your Blog should have a 'niche', a specific theme, a targeted audience. Take time to give some thought to this when you set up a Blog. What about AdSense? The more visitors - and they're likely only dropping in because of what you specifically offer - who click on your Blog's Adsense ads, the more income you can earn.

5. BLOGS ARE A DREAM FOR AFFILIATE MARKETERS: Like me, I just bet you are enrolled in more affiliate programs than you can count. The problem is how to continue to promote all of them. ANSWER - You can easily use Blog 'reviews'. Simply design each Blog entry around the particular affiliate program you want to focus on that day. Extol the virtues of the program, product, service or what-ever, give good advice about the PROs and the CONs (this objectivity impresses the hell out of potential buyers who are usually pleased with honesty) and include your affiliate link, almost as an after-thought. This is not hard-sell territory. This is the 'soft-sell' Most 21st century people run a mile from 'hard sellers' but they will take time to listen if they believe you are giving good, solid, valuable advice. Providing such good, valuable info encourages your people to come back for more. Hey, you don't even need to create an individual page for every affiliate program because Blogging makes this unnecessary. What a time saver!!

Whew. Blogs do get me a bit excited. And these tips are only the tip of the iceberg. I am sure you can be creative in the marketing use of your Blogs because they have enormous potential. Just check out the exponential growth of Blogs today and you'll see what I mean. If you want fresh Blog ideas, all you have to do is cruise through a few of them. Check out what the pros are doing and, do the same. Remember, imitation is the ultimate form of flattery.

Don't let anyone try to tell you that the bottom is falling out of web marketing. The awesome growth and popularity of Blogs shows that they could not be more wrong.

Happy Blogging!!

Why every artist needs a blog & how to create an artist blog

As an artist, the key to selling more artwork is maximizing its exposure. The internet is an increasingly popular tool for promoting original art, and if done properly, can be quite profitable.

One of the most effective (and free!) online marketing tools for artists is the blog. Artist blogs provide an easy way to display your art, discuss your creative process, post exhibition announcements and more. Best of all, blogs require no working knowledge of HTML and the search engines love their dynamic content.

What is a blog and how will it sell my art?

A "blog" is a web-based diary or journal. The author of a blog, also known as a "Blogger", publishes content on a regular basis about a focused topic. These regular postings typically provide a "community" feel by allowing site visitors to post feedback to your journal entries. This mode of communication can deepen relationships with potential art buyers, leading to increased sales.

Blogs also have the ability to archive all of your previous posts, dynamically creating an individual page for each journal entry. The feature is great for art buyers using search engines to find original art. For example, if you have a blog post describing a painting that you just completed of the Golden Gate Bridge at sunset and an art buyer in Florida goes to Google and searches for "painting of Golden Gate Bridge at sunset", there is a very good chance that your blog entry will appear pretty high in the rankings. Cha Ching!!

Many artists have felt the pain of email marketing losing its effect due to spam filters, junk email overloads and virus paranoia. Blogs provide a new way to communicate with clients, fans and industry professionals. This trend can support your email marketing efforts by allowing blog subscription options for site visitors so that they are notified whenever your blog is updated along with providing a permanent place on the web for all of your postings as opposed to newsletter emails that are typically deleted.

How to start a blog

1. Blog Publishing Tools To begin, visit some of these free blogging sites, all offering unique template options that even an artist can appreciate, image uploads and syndication ability.
   
   
   
   • Blogger.com (blogger.com) - Simple to set up and multiple authoring ability
   
   
   • MSN Spaces (spaces.msn.com) - Create your own mini site, with an exceptional blogging feature
   
   
   • Live Journal (livejournal.com) - Requires a bit of 'blogging knowledge' to get it set up
   
   
   • Blog Drive (blogdrive.com)
   If you're interesting in reviewing additional blog features, these sites require a small monthly fee to maintain.
   
   
   
   • Typepad (typepad.com) - starts at $4.95/month
   
   
   • Tripod Blogs (tripod.lycos.com) - starts at $4.95/month
   Note to artists with MySpace accounts: MySpace provides members personal blogs, but it is important to know that MySpace blogs are not currently listed in search engines, which as noted above, is one of the main reasons to get a blog. While MySpace works to remedy this issue, it is recommended that you blog using a tool that is accessible to search engine spiders.


2. Decide on a title for your blog The title of your blog should be brief and to the point. You can get creative with your language in the blog description / tag line. A focused title will help with higher search engine rankings and make it clear to visitors what the blog is about. For example, the title for ThePauper.com blog is "Diary of a Pauper". The blog description is "Rants and raves about the careers and lives of starving artists." The title is concise, stating exactly what it is, while the description is a bit more creative.


3. Blog theme It's important to establish yourself as a professional working artist if you want to use your blog as a vehicle to sell your art. Blog theme involves the layout and color of the page, quality of the artwork images displayed and verbiage used for blog postings. Select your blog template carefully and make a habit to review your blog from the perspective of a potential client. Is the page visually appealing? Do the images of your artwork provide a link to an extra large version to see detail? Does your content have a consistent theme? Here's a good example of a working blog by mix engineer, Ken Lewis: http://protoolsmixing.com/blog.html The content theme is exceptionally consistent, plus the colors and page layout match his website.


4. What to write What's beautiful about blogs is that there are no rules on what to write, but if you want to attract and keep an audience, you might consider some of these suggestions.
   
   
   
   • Keep your posts creative and interesting. Move and inspire your readers by being completely honest about your creative process.
   
   
   • Use keywords in your blog title and post. Using the example mentioned earlier - if your post is about a Golden Gate Bridge painting, be sure to use that exact phrase in the title and body of your blog. Think about what people might type into search engines to find your content and then use those keywords in your blog. This technique will help increase the ranking of your web page on search engines.
   
   
   • Post daily, or at least twice a week. If you publish blog entries frequently, you will see more return visitors, subscriptions to your blog and comments from site visitors.
   
   
   • Proofread and preview your blog entries before posting. Some blog HTML editors have a way of creating weird symbols out of certain characters and a quick spell-check never hurts. (Note: be sure to create your blog entries using Word or some other text editor. Many blogging tools tend to "time out" after a certain amount of time and you could potentially lose hours of work.)


5. Publish your blog Finally! Your blog looks great and has unique content. Now, depending on the blogging tool that you selected, follow the steps to publish it to the World Wide Web. Test the live URL that now houses your blog. If all of your graphics appear correctly and the copy is flawless, then you want to make sure that you promote your blog on your personal website, in your email signature and by word of mouth. Using the tools you already have to spread the word while testing your dedication to frequent posting is the best way to get started. Part 2 of will unveil tons of ways to promote your blog online.