Mar
30
Building Your Business Using Twitter
Filed Under Social Sites | 1 Comment
Suddenly the world is talking about Twitter.
Head to a networking group and chances are someone will mention Twitter. Twitter “experts” are popping up all over with new business services (can you really be a Twitter expert with 100 followers?)
It seems to be the only way to do business these days.
Even just a few months, in order to have access to the press, you had to type up a press release, send it, and hope for the best. If you had a personal relationship with someone, you could contact him or her directly.
But now with Twitter, you can connect with a variety of different news and media sources.
MediaOnTwitter is a database filled with journalists, media sources, bloggers and reporters. You can browse through the sources, sort by columns, and easily follow someone through the Twitter follow link.
Mar
26
There is one good thing that comes from a blizzard. I stay at my desk and get a ton of work done. 
From my desk, I have a large picture window overlooking my backyard. So all day I sat watching the snow pile up. We haven’t had much snow at all this year. Then today, it started snowing, with 16-24 inches in the forecast.
How can we go from one of the driest winters on record, to a ton of snow? Can’t it level out and give us what we need throughout the season?
Then I turned that into a question for small businesses.
How can you go weeks without a single new client, and suddenly have a dozen new clients within a day or two? What causes the Feast or Famine philosophy? And can you control your business more than you can control the weather?
Business is a lot like fishing:
Mar
23
How To Write A Blog Post For Your Reader And The Search Engines
Filed Under What To Blog About | 1 Comment
I was out searching today for current blog posts in a well-defined niche. I’m working on a strategy plan and a ghost blogging program for this client, and I was gaining information on the industry. 
As a part of my research, I continually came across one blog in particular. They rank very well, and came up through a variety of my searches.
One problem.
They wrote for the search engines, not for their visitors.
When I entered their blog and scrolled down through the first few posts, they looked something like this:
- Niche Keyword: A How To Guide
- Niche Keyword: Answering Your Questions
- Niche Keyword: How It Works
- Niche Keyword: 10 Ways To Implement
Lots of text. No photographs or graphics. And LOTS of niche keywords throughout the titles and blog posts.
Boring.
Sure, it might do well in the search engines. But where is the attraction? If you get me as a reader over to the home page of the blog, what’s going to entice me to want to stay?
Mar
20
I had a friend call up yesterday afternoon. He was so excited. He’d been thinking about a new idea and he wanted to know if we could help him get it programmed, and get it to market. 
He’s followed us for a long time, and knew we could help him create the product, and design a website and blog to build it up quickly. And because his idea was “revolutionary – never been done before” he was sure it was a winner.
I hate being a bubble burster. But if I had a dime for every time I heard “I have something that no one else is doing” … well you get the picture.
Anyway, as we were chatting, I started searching for something like his idea. In less than 5 minutes, I had a couple of sites that were doing something similar to his idea. I quickly emailed the sites to him, and told him to check them out for more ideas. Then we can talk later this weekend.
Mar
18
Let’s say you write three blog posts every week. In one month, you’ll have 12 entries. In six months, you’ll have 72.
Depending on your field, the information you created six months is still relevant. Yet to filter down to that content is hard to do. The majority of your readers, whether they’re brand new or have been following you since the beginning, don’t remember what content you created back at the beginning. 
So bring it back to life.
Browse through your older posts, and find a theme.
Then create a brand new post, writing a small amount of new content, and linking back to the blog posts that inspired this new post.
Let me give you an example.
Mar
16
What Happens When Twitter Goes Away?
Filed Under Blog Marketing, Social Sites | 2 Comments
Facebook is now the number one social networking site.
Twitter is taking the Internet by storm.
It seems everything in the media is about s
ocial networking, and how you can use it either in your personal or professional life. Just this past weekend I found stories about Twitter in 3 mainstream magazines, and “What The Tweet Are We Doing?” was a full page article in Sunday’s The Denver Post.
So with the sudden rage that’s exploding all around us, its natural for everyone to wonder what Facebook and Twitter are, and how they can use them.
But does it REALLY matter how to use Facebook and Twitter? Or is the more important question, “How is this technology going to impact me in the future?”
I have been speaking throughout Denver to PTCO groups on security issues for teens. And at the middle school level, a large amount of parents have no concept of Facebook, social networking, or what any of today’s top technology tools do.
Yet technology will have a huge impact on our children’s lives. And without the support of parents, many children today will become lost in the possibilities. Or worse, lost in the “wild west” and getting into all kinds of trouble.
Mar
13
Every month I attend two separate mastermind groups. I’ve been in one group for two years, and the other since I started my first business back in the 90’s. Okay, the second one is almost like a night out with the girls anymore, but we do still get in a little about business. 
One of my friends from that group is a serial entrepreneur like myself. She’s worked in several niches, and is always finding great opportunities that have huge potential. She’s great at design, great at outsourcing, great at SEO and understanding all the latest technology. But she hates writing.
Is it possible for someone to be successful online – and hate writing? That’s what being online is all about – great content. So how can you get around the “I hate writing” problem, and still be successful online?
Mar
11
Are you active online? Do you find yourself posting blog posts and comments all day long trying to build connections? 
Posting is what makes being online fun. It’s about connecting up with others, and sharing what you do with others who are interested.
But have you ever wondered what’s happening beyond your comments? Are people talking about you (good or bad)? Is there any way to keep up with these outside conversations?
If you’ve been working your connections online for any length of time, you understand the need to track what’s being said about you.
Google Alerts
Probably the original way to follow what’s being said, Google is still one of the best resources for information. Get email announcements whenever your keyword is mentioned – a great way to track your company, or what’s being said about you.
Spy
I love this tool. Type in a keyword, and this tool will pull up social media conversations taking place on Twitter, FriendFeed, Flickr, etc. It’s a great way to find people looking for information about what you do – right now!
Serph
Serph is a search engine for real time media buzz. Type in your keywords, and find out the newest thing released online about that keyword. Type in your name, your company name, and your products and services (if they have unique names) and find out the buzz.
Monitter
If you’re addicted to Twitter like I am, you know there’s a ton of conversations out there every day. A great way to find out what other people are Tweeting about is to head over to Monitter, type in 3 keywords, and watch the conversations.
Mar
9
Using Affiliate Sales As An Income Stream For Your Blog
Filed Under Making Money With Blogging | Leave a Comment
When I work with clients, a lot of my time is spent on strategy, and helping to coach a client into what is possible. 
This past week I met with a client who has a solid business plan. Her business has been growing steadily for the past ten years, she has a great web presence, and her products and services are well defined.
Like most businesses these days, she’s looking for new ways to bring in income. Her company is growing, but there’s always room for improvement.
So I mentioned affiliate sales.
Affiliate Sales
Most people are familiar with Google’s Pay Per Click advertising. By placing ads from Google on your blog or website, Google will pay you a fee for every time someone clicks on one of the ads. Depending on the traffic your site receives, you can earn anywhere from a few dollars to hundreds of dollars per month.
For a lot of businesses, Google Ads are to salesy. They want the primary focus to be on their products and services, not ads from other networks.
Yet for every business model, there are logical products and services that go along with your business model. They enhance it, and in some cases make your products and services sell even better. A couple of ideas are:
Mar
5
The Biggest Lie – Why Traditional Marketing Will Kill Your Business
Filed Under Blogging For Business | 1 Comment
A week ago, the Rocky Mountain News finally closed its doors forever. Everyone knew it was coming. They merged with the Denver Post many months ago. And the rumors have been flying for a long time. 
And they aren’t the last to close their doors. Traditional newspapers are closing down week after week, from Philadelphia, to San Francisco, and beyond to many different countries around the world.
I’ll admit I don’t read traditional newspapers. I get all of my news from online sources, and Twitter has become a big resource for me. The last time I took the time to look through a newspaper, I was amazed at the amount of news versus the amount of ad space.
In 10 pages, I counted two stories, and the rest was full sized ads from several large companies here in the Denver area.
Two questions came to mind:
- Is there really so little news to fill up a paper?
- How long are companies (any companies, it doesn’t matter the size) going to be willing to pay for this kind of advertising?
Last night when a friend talked about putting a classified ad in the newspaper, the response was an immediate “no”. Use Craigslist instead.
And when another friend talked about a yellow pages ad this morning, again it was an immediate “no”. Why not try a blog?
Instead of spending hundreds or even thousands on a dying form of advertising, invest in something that has a huge potential. Something that’s growing and reaching out to a ton of potential prospects.
Blog Updates
To stay up with the news, click the RSS feed logo button.
-
-
-
Blogroll