Oct
28
What is a blog post really for? 
Ultimately, you want your reader to be able to really get into your story, see him or herself in your writing, and have the desire to move to the next level. To take action.
The easiest way to become better at writing is to create your blog posts like you would be telling a story to a potential customer. How would you speak to them?
“Selling isn’t fun and most people don’t enjoy it.”
You may agree with that sentence, but does it really motivate you to want to take the next step or to find out more about what the person is saying? Compare that to:
“Jane hated selling. She hated it so much she almost decided to close her business because of it. She loved working with the clients, making them happy, and following up with them after the sale. But it was always the initial meeting that made her nervous. She never wanted to come across as a used car salesperson. She didn’t want people thinking she was pushy.”
Jul
27
I was talking to a friend over the weekend, and we ended up on the subject of blogging. She loves the idea of blogging, but can’t think of things to write about on a regular basis. So I asked her if she used Google Alerts.
Google Alerts is a free service you can sign up for that will let you know every time your keywords are found by Google’s search robots.
For example, I’m subscribed to Google Alerts for the keywords “photography business”. Anytime that anything comes through Google with that search result, I receive a notification as to where on the Internet they exist. Because this particular key phrase is fairly common, I receive one email every day, and usually with a dozen or so links.
The great thing about Google Alerts is you can put in as many words and phrases as you choose. Also consider using it for your name and your business name – I have it set up for “Lori Osterberg” and my business name and websites. This keeps you up to date if anyone is talking about you online.
By using Google Alerts for your keywords and key phrases, you can find a lot of ideas for future blog posts. You’ll be led to other websites and blogs with ideas you can continue on with. And you’ll receive news and press releases on brand new items coming out that you can alert your readers to.
It only takes a couple minutes a day to stay on top of the news. And to make sure you know what is being said about you.
Jul
1
How To Add Video To Your Blog
Filed Under What To Blog About | Leave a Comment
I’ve long 
been a fan of video on websites and blogs. In fact I’ve been experimenting with video for around five years now, and love how easy it makes it to connect up with people you may never meet in person. It’s a great way to connect and build relationships even quicker than with words or even audio.
We’ve always used a fairly high quality video camera in the past. You know, get out the tripod, set it up with lighting, create a great background. Hey, we’re photographers right? But I have really wanted a Flip Video since they first started making their appearance online.
- They are small and portable.
- You can bring them anywhere.
- It’s easy to create video – just push the button.
- It’s easy to move the video to your computer – just pop out the USB and plug it in.
- And amazingly enough, it has high quality video and audio for such a small inexpensive camera.
So a week ago I decided a Flip Video would be the perfect gift for Father’s Day. So we’ve been playing with it for the past week, and I decided its time to get busy and start recording.
May
18
I’ve been writing for many years now. I have hundreds or articles and posts 
between three different sites, and over the years, they all fall down into the depths of my sites.
If you are a blogger, you know what I’m talking about. Each day you sit down to write on a new subject that’s pertinent to today and to your market. But if you’ve ever searched back through your categories, chances are you’ll find something similar from several months before.
How can you use old information to help you gain clients today?
Let’s look at three strategies.
1. Instead of sitting down with an entirely new idea, choose a category instead. Then click over to that category on your blog and start reading some of your posts from the past few months.
Are there any posts that would make an interesting topic today?
Are there several posts that you can combine together to make a new point?
Start writing your new post, linking back to the old posts as reference. It will give your old posts traction (people click through to read your point) and will help you dive deeper into a topic you have a lot of knowledge in.
Apr
17
Have you ever read something that just set you off? The person writing has an audience, and you feel they are saying something way off base.
I know we all experience that at sometime or another. Well April 1st was my day. I was reading a book, and completely disagreed with what the author was saying. 
Even just a few years ago, I wouldn’t have had a venue to promote my own feelings. I may have talked to friends and family I bumped into that day. But for the most part my feelings would have simply faded away.
No longer. Now we have the power of blogging.
So I created my rant in blog format. And posted it to my blog. And the comments came pouring in all kinds of formats (blog, email, Twitter).
1. Know your audience. Who are your readers? What do they want? The best way to tell is keep writing and read everything they respond to you with. If they like something, they’ll tell you.
2. Write quality information they can trust. The great thing about blogging is you can push the limits. Because we all experience different things every day, its easy to find new things to write about. Your readers are changing too. Chances are they’ll enjoy reading different sides of what you have to say.
3. Rant every once in awhile. I’ve found ranting actually makes you more trust worthy. People find your passion through your rants. They know where you stand. They know what you care for. And they’ll trust you all the more.
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
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.
Feb
19
Put Your Knowledge Into A Blog Post
Filed Under What To Blog About | 1 Comment
What do you know that your prospects and clients don’t?
What do you learn just by being in the business that would be of interest to those that may do business with you down the road? 
I was out networking today and talking with a number of different professionals about blogging. As I chatted and explained blogging to one man, he stopped me after a short time and said, “I just don’t have that much to talk about”. I asked him a few questions.
- Tell me about your business.
- Why is your company different than others?
- Who has been your favorite client?
- What excites you about working in your industry?
And he came alive. I spent over 5 minutes listening to his responses. He was very passionate about what he does, and he obviously new a lot about his industry. He has a ton of experience, and really enjoys being able to help people with his services.
Dec
1
Turn Your Questions Into Blog Posts
Filed Under What To Blog About | 1 Comment
When you’re out networking, what questions do people ask you about your company or your industry?
When you’re meeting with a prospect, what questions do they have before they become clients?
When you’re working with your clients, what questions do they ask you as you go through the process of the sale?
These are perfect blog posts.
The purpose of a blog post is to educate your potential customers, and provide them with quality information that proves your expertise. People are more likely to do business with people that provide quality information – people they look to as a resource, and can rely on for help throughout their learning process.
They will also make your job easier.
Nov
7
Ghost Blog Writing Services – What does it truly mean?
Filed Under How To Blog, What To Blog About | 1 Comment
If you’ve ever had the desire to use a blog to market your services – but just don’t have the time to write on a regular basis, what about hiring a ghost blog writer?
There are different ways to hire a ghost blog writer.
1. Some services are national firms that write a great deal of content, and have it available for release to clients. When you sign up with them, you get content fed onto your blog on a regular basis. The problem with these firms is they are feeding the same content not just to your blog site, but to sites of your competitors as well. Anyone within the industry is free to purchase this information, and use it to fill up their blog. Read more
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