Jan
25
Visit TheSocialGhost.com
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Starting up and managing a blog is just like starting up and running a new company. It takes time to grow, you have to focus on your outcomes, and constantly evaluate where you are moving to.
In 2010, one of my goals is to simplify and focus. Simplify to be able to provide the greatest amount of content in the most effective manner. Focus on what I’m best at and what means the most to you as my readers.
While blogging is huge for me, currently brings me in about 50 percent of my income, and is looking to be one of the driving forces in my overall business model, I also have to to look at what I truly love. For me its about educating creative business owners on how to succeed online.
While blogging is a huge part of it, there’s so much more. Social is a huge part of it. But more than that, its all about taking charge of what you do, put it into your business model, and make it a success. 
If you’ve followed this blog, you’re going to love the content at my newest site
Please join me over there for continuing discussions about the world of online marketing, where its going, how to use it for your business.
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.
Feb
6
If you’ve been writing content on your blog for awhile, its time to start getting even more traction from your material. 
Having content is great. But by the time its a few months old, its lost in the backend of your site, and is rarely seen by your audience. Depending on how it was written, you may be gaining traffic from the search engines. But there are other ways to revive your posts.
Create a Best Of series
Over time, a lot of your content will be similar in nature. You may have several posts that feed into one another, and when read together, take on a whole new meaning. Write a post with a common theme, then list out the posts, and hyperlink back to the original posting. This will bring them back to the forefront, and make people take action on your material.
How High Up Are You In The Search Engines?
Increase Your Online Sales With No Traffic
How To Name Your Blog Posts
Blogging For Business: Make Sure They Know How To Follow You
Recession Proof Your Small Business
Dec
10
50 Ways To Use Twitter
Filed Under Blog Resources, Social Sites | 1 Comment
1. Use your real name. (Twitter.com/LoriOsterberg) This is a way to build your expertise.
2. Use a photograph that shows who you are.
3. Change your photograph out, but make sure it always represents your business image.
4. Change out the free Twitter background to include more about you or your business.
5. Start using some of the different applications for Twitter
6. Automatically feed your blog posts into your Twitter account.
7. Automatically feed you Twitter posts into your Wordpress blog.
8. Start a discussion.
9. Ask a question.
10. Comment on a post made by someone you’re following.
11. Share cool tools and sites. (Love to travel to exotic places? My newest find – CouchSurfing.com)
12. Survey your followers.
13. Find a great virtual assistant.
14. Hire a sales person.
15. Find restaurants when visiting new places.
Oct
28
Blogging With Photographs – Ways To Find Pictures That Complement Your Blog Post
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The purpose of a blog is to bring in readers that will find your information beneficial, and choose to follow you and possibly connect with you to do business. For most of us, a blog wouldn’t be the same if it didn’t have photographs.
As a photographer, it may seem as if I have it easy to find pictures – just look through my own files, right?
But it really can be a lot more complicated than that. What if I’m creating a storyline, and I want to show a photograph of an orange?
Sure I can stop what I’m doing and run to photograph an orange, process it, and use it – after 15-20 minutes of work. Instead, why not use the resources right in front of you?
Oct
20
What’s Your Niche? What If You Could Get Paid To Blog About It?
Filed Under Blog Resources | 2 Comments
Whatever business you’re currently in, what if you could turn one tiny piece of it into a full time stream of income?
In many cases I’ve reported statistics on blogging, and the numbers are quite large. But what you also have to realize is that most people create blogs as journals for things happening in their lives. Very few businesses – especially in the detailed, niche industries – take it seriously and blog for their business.
Which leaves huge opportunities for us!
Imagine having a health spa that services a local community. You have a variety of products and services, all helping women lose weight, maintain their optimum 
weight, and look good in the process. What if you became an expert of maintaining your optimum weight, and got paid to write about it?
That’s the reality of blogging.
I read a great article on Read Write Web that listed what if feasible in the online world. Can a person make money blogging? Can a person make money consulting about their niche through blogging? While this is a new industry without a huge number of case studies, the overwhelming answer is yes.
Which got me to thinking: Why can’t you combine what you love (your business) with blogging, and sell your services to help build your expertise along with other companies you partner up with?
You’re helping your partner by giving them quality content. Their helping you by allowing you to share your expertise – and getting paid in the process.
Most business owners will tell you the most difficult thing about being online is the content. They simply don’t know what to say. So if you provide them with the "what to say", you’re taking a huge task off of their shoulders.
So the small business owner of a health spa, from above, that sells weight loss and maintenance coaching to her clients, could easily team up with a small grocery chain as their "weight maintenance expert".
It’s about building your business first, showcasing your talents, and offering what you do – for a price – to others that can also benefit. Are you blogging?
Oct
15
No matter what industry you are in, its fun to get involved in something that affects people across the globe. And as a blogger, the way to get involved is Blog Action Day.
Today is Blog Action Day – the day bloggers from around the world get together and blog on one common topic related to their blog focus. And the topic this year is poverty. With 10, 667 blogs participating, I’m anxious to see what the rest of the world has to say.
Because this is a blog about blogging, I figured the best way to get involved is to find other blogs I enjoyed reading, and link to them here. Let’s see what others have to say about today’s Blog Action topic of poverty.
Vision Of Success
I’ll start by linking to my own post on my other blog. One of my passions is education and reading, and giving kids the love of a good book.
ThreeBillion
An interesting perspective on the business behind youth culture – the statistics alone are well worth the read.
ThatOneCaveman
His post on educating children fits right in with my vision. He also has an interesting perspective on financial news.
PutThingsOff
I never looked at myself as part of the 22% club – a very interesting take on the life we lead.
MyBellaVita
The idea behind a blog post is to bring you to the site and make you want to stay to read more. Mission accomplished here – wow. I think I may have to visit Italy soon.
andipantz
It’s so amazing to find a blog you have so much in common with. Andrea is a self-taught photographer currently an exclusive photographer and image inspector with istockphoto. hmmm… Guess I’ll have to see how we can connect with my VirtualPhotographyStudio site. connections, connections
As a blogger, hopefully you see how easy it is to use just a few minutes of your time to find some valuable resources. Blogging brings you together. Use it to find information you’ve never seen before, and connect with people that just might help you become better at blogging.
Jul
7
How Important Is Your Name?
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So you’re blogging for your company. Are you the owner? If so, there’s a good chance people may know you as well as your company, and end up typing your name instead of your company name to try and find you.
No matter what business you’re in, it’s important to have a variety of domain names so you’re customers and prospects can find you. Having yourname.co
m is no different. If you speak, write, or network, people may remember who you are instead of what company you work for.
For instance I have a lot of different websites targeting different types of clients. But to provide a good summary of who I am and what I offer, I have LoriOsterberg.com for the just in case. Because I write for places like Denver Business Journal that doesn’t carry a large bio with my articles, this is a good site to have in case people are out searching for me on Google.
Oh, and by the way, there is another Lori Osterberg out there – an incredible softball player from what I read. [Can't wait to meet her someday!] Is there anyone else with your name? Have they beaten you to purchasing yourname.com? Check now and at least park your name for future use. You’ll be amazed at how many people come looking for you through yourname.com.
May
30
I attended my first Bloggers Meetup last night here in Denver. I found out about this week just a couple of weeks ago, and was excited to meet other bloggers who actually understood what I was doing.
At 7 last night, about 20 of us piled into a coffee shop and started sharing information about our blogs. One started a blog in the last 24 hours; another has been blogging since the 1990’s, and is making a very health living from blogging. 
What I enjoyed the most was the resources everyone provided, the chance to talk in detail about specific issues with marketing your business online, and finding a wealth of information right here in my local community.
As a blogger for your business, it’s time to find resources like this for yourself. Everyone knows to join a Chamber group for networking, a leads group for referrals, and a niche association to keep up with the latest trends in your industry.
But what about creating a Mastermind group of your peers – people that have no true impact on your business, but can share a wealth of information and knowledge that can skyrocket your business.
I found my local bloggers group by heading over to Meetup.com and typing in keywords like “blogging” and “Denver”.
Give it a try.
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