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

TheSocialGhost.com

Please join me over there for continuing discussions about the world of online marketing, where its going, how to use it for your business.

When it’s written in a sentence like the one above, you start to become a little leery. Nothing can be THAT good. Right?

Yet every week I meet with people that have heard me talk about blogging, and they always bring up the statement, “I want to use a blog so I can quit other forms of gaining leads”.

When I hear that statement, my next question is, “how quickly do you want your blog to work for you?” Because a blog is a great tool In fact, I can’t imagine my marketing plan to be without several at the moment. But I’ve also been using blogs for over eight years now.

Blogs are just like any other form of marketing.

• You have to use it regularly to make it work for you.
• In order to bring clients to your blog, you have to give out content that makes them want to come back again and again.
• Traffic will come from a variety of sources; you have to keep trying and do what works.
• People will sign up for and buy different things. You have to make more than one offer to gain clients.
• You have to be patient. A blog will only work after you’ve dedicated yourself to it for a while, and you have the traction of several things working together.
• You won’t be number one in Google immediately. Like everything else it takes time.

So let me ask you a question. Will you be in business five years from now? If so, then you have plenty of time to start up a blog, dedicate yourself to it as one of the best forms of marketing your business, and just do it.

This holiday season I’m seeing a lot of giveaways and specials built around the Christmas concept.

Last week in my One Great Idea feature I wrote about a photographer who’s giving her readers specials in her 25 days of Christmas promotion. Every day she’s releasing specials to her followers (on a limited basis of course) and allowing them to purchase right on the spot. Over 25 days, she could easily have one of her best December’s yet – all just by selling certificates and deals that will be used sometime in 2010.

Today I found an Appvent Calendar. Every day leading up to Christmas, you can head to the Appvent Calendar and receive one free download of a game directly to your iPhone. Presented by BlacksmithGames, their concept is to release 24 games, all avaialbe only the day it is released, requiring you come back every day for your new game, and to build your understanding of their products.

This is a great promotion to introduce a whole new set of app users to BlacksmithGames. In the technology world, this type of promotion can go viral quickly. People will only promote a new product if they really like it – and then it would only be in the form of a review. But a free giveaway is something to write about – and tweet about. Getting people back to your site again and again is key – and this will do just that.

I attended a meeting last week with a variety of business owners. We were all in the B2B realm, with everything from insurance and financial representatives, to IT and promotional products.

After I gave my 60 second commercial on creating an online marketing strategy, the social media conversation started. 

     “I just signed up for Twitter.”
     “I visit Facebook every day.”
     “I use LinkedIn all the time.”

So I asked the next question.

     “How are you using these tools to make money for your business?”

And of course I got exactly what I expected. A ton of blank stares.

If you ask people what it means to market or advertise, they usually come up with a response about promoting their businesses. But ask how any of the new social media applies to their marketing strategies, and you’ll be lucky to get any type of reply at all.

Just because the news is filled with stories on Twitter doesn’t mean you have to have a Twitter account. Just because they talk about Facebook on your favorite radio show doesn’t mean you have to create your own account.

Unless you have the desire to build it as an effective marketing tool, understand why you’re using it, and have an ultimate goal of how its going to bring in money for your business.

I have several accounts on Twitter. I use them all to promote who I am and what my company offers. I use it to grow relationships. And I have a lot of fun with them.

But I also have a strategy in mind. So for our Twitter Photoshoptips account,

• Build it to 100,000 followers by June 2010
• Create a strong following
• Share Photoshop tips to amateurs and professionals
• Build links back to VirtualPhotographyStudio.com
• Build traffic to a variety of Photoshop products
• Create revenue of $2500 per month by June 2010

The same applies to all my other social accounts. Strategies may be different, but I definitely have a strategy in place.

If you have social media accounts, what’s your strategy?

If you don’t know, maybe it’s time you did.

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.”

If you hate selling, you can instantly feel Jane’s pain. You can put yourself into her situation, and feel exactly what she’s feeling. You also want to read more of the story – what happens next? Does Jane shut down her business? Or does she find a solution?

That’s the way you want to write. Let your writers feel what you are talking about. Bring out the details. Describe the situation how someone looking in would see it. Describe it from one person’s point of view.

Great books always pull you in because they tell a story. They make you want to read further because you want to find out what’s next.

Do the same with your blog.

Do this with every post. And do it between different posts. Make people move from one spot to the next.

The more you can pull them in, the greater they will stick to your blog. And the bigger the chance of them becoming customers in the future.

Around 2 years ago I started seeing blogging as its own unique platform. I started seeing how blogging was a perfect traffic generator, and how you can really have a profitable business that is solely built around your blog (or in my case, multiple blogs).

Over the past couple of years, I’ve discovered there are “laws” to blogging. Things that I’ve done over and over again that work every time. So I thought I’d share those Laws with you. 

So here are the 21 Laws Of Blogging Success:

Law 1 – Define your purpose before you start blogging. Are you trying to sell products? Services? Are you making money through affiliate links? Or do you simply want the traffic for future sales?

Law 2 – Don’t blog for your entire business structure – niche it. I work with many types of small businesses. But a small business blog is too generic. So I niche to photographers, bloggers, social media writers, wedding coordinators, etc.

Law 3 – Build one blog to success before starting in on another one. It’s easy to get completely overwhelmed when you have too much on your plate. Get one blog working before you dive into another.

Law 4  – See your successes. It’s important to see one success in your blog each day. Sometimes it takes awhile to build, so its important to congratulate yourself for each success. One comment, a retweet on Twitter, one person signing up for a free report, or moving down the Alexa rankings are all something to be celebrated.

Law 5 – Identify a problem. In almost every industry you can find a blog that reaches out to your target market. Your job is to reach out differently. Identify one problem your clients and prospects are having, and blog all about that.

Law 6 – Make sure your clients and prospects have a desire to fix the problem. I have one client who has a wonderful niche market dealing with a “habit”. Her business has been decreasing steadily over the past year because during this recession, people enjoy this “habit” and really don’t want to let it go. We found a way to change her focus just a little to start building up her business again.

Law 7 – Find something you can deliver that people can get excited about. You have to have excitement about what you offer before your clients will get equally excited. Love what you offer, and talk about it all the time.

Law 8 – Gain confidence. So many people say they hate writing, or have nothing to say. If you’re truly passionate about what you do, you should have an endless supply of things to say.

Law 9 – Become the expert. Being an expert doesn’t mean you know everything. It simply means you’re in tune with the industry, and know where to get the best information and the best resources.

Law 10 – Always give great value. The more you give, the more people will want.

Law 11 – Be truthful. Don’t ignore rumors and bad comments. Meet them head on. If someone is vocal on your blog about something they don’t like, explain yourself and move on.

Law 12 – Never ask for money in the beginning. People find you in a lot of ways. Always give first, ask for money second.

Law 13 – Have an opinion. Don’t just agree with everyone – make a stand. Give a few points on why you believe the way you do, and set the line.

Law 14 – Blogging isn’t about gaining a ton of traffic. It’s about gaining the right traffic.

Law 15 – It’s not all about you. Give links to other sites. Talk about other people in the industry. Give resources for other businesses that offer complementary items. People will find it on their own in this era of searching. Don’t ignore it, just be the expert.

Law 16 – Don’t be perfect – there is no such thing online. Just start it, do it every day, and modify all the time.

Law 17 – Look to new media. Everyone can benefit from showing photographs or videos. Don’t have any yourself? Try stock houses or YouTube – you’re sure to find something that can showcase what you do in a different light.

Law 18 – It’s all about the relationships. Make sure you stay on track to continue to build those relationships.

Law 19 – Test the waters. Blogging offers you instant feedback. If you want to try something new, ask for opinions. People will instantly tell you how they feel.

Law 20 – Watch other industry leaders. They may have great ideas you can piggy back off of. Don’t be afraid to combine forces with other leaders.

Law 21 – Reinvent yourself. Whatever you are doing today can be changed for tomorrow. Constantly grow and look for new ideas.

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2. With free platforms like Blogger, you have limited customization control. You can’t fully brand the site to have your look and feel.

3. You lose the professionalism of having your own domain name. Your clients will view you differently when you tell them your blog is at MySmallBizBlog.com instead of MyBiz.Blogspot.com.

4. Limited control over advertising options. Want banners, special navigation, or sponsorship links on your blog? Free blog platforms don’t give you the flexibility to create a unified look. 

5. Lack of advanced features. When using a selfhosted WordPress format, you have access to hundreds of widgets, templates and plugins that can provide you everything from SEO capabilities to membership options. Not so with the free platforms.

6. Navigation flexibility. With free blog platforms, you must use their templates. With selfhosted platforms, you can control your navigation, making it appear and work like traditional websites.

7. Tools and metrics. If you are truly ready to track your marketing efforts, and know how well your blog is bringing in the prospects, stats packages are a necessity. Free sites are limited; selfhosted platforms offer a wide range of options.

8. No control over down time. If a free platform decides to bring your blog down for a day (or week), you have no recourse. With a selfhosted platform, you choose where you host it. If you don’t like the service, you can easily pick up and move.

9. Changing platforms can be tricky at best. Some businesses start out with a free platform to see how well they like it. A year or two down the road they decide to switch for all the reasons mentioned here. One issue is transferring data from one platform to another can be a time consuming job. Another issue is traffic – you already have a following built up to one domain name, switching to another means starting over.

10. The cost of doing business. Blogs are one of the most economical forms of marketing. As with most things, you get what you pay for. And if you start with a free platform, how serious are your followers going to take your business model? It’s all about the image and the brand. Make sure your image always says what you want it to say.

For many people there hobby is no longer something they love doing – something that keeps them active outside of work. Their hobby is actually growing into another stream of income. 

Take Tammy for instance. She is a stay at home mom with three kids, 10, 7 and 5. Now that the kids are in school, she’s looking beyond classroom volunteering, and is looking for a way to make a little extra money on the side without having to return to the workforce. She loves scrapbooking, and considers it her one release. She has created many albums for her family and friends, and knows where to find the best resources at great prices.

Or John. John is an avid bodybuilder and fitness buff. He’s worked out in the gym for almost 20 years, and has a variety of routines that help keep him fit and avoid the general boredom that comes from doing the same thing month after month. He also has a variety of nutritional tips that helped him lose weight, build muscle, and keep in top shape. He’s not an expert or a guru. He has no formal training or education. He’s just passionate about what he does.

Both are perfect for hobby blogging. They have a passion. They have a little extra time. And they could easily start up a blog.

Narrow Your Niche

Start With The Content
Because you’re passionate about what you do, chances are you have a ton of things to write about. Writing not your style? Why not try podcasting? Video is easy to record, and easy to insert into any blog.

Start out Small
Don’t start out hoping for a full time career. Concentrate on gaining $100 a month. That will lead to more excitement, more opportunities, and more growth. But you have to start at the beginning, and be prepared to work from there.

Look For The Income
As a new blogger, you won’t know all the ways to make an income stream from what you do. That’s okay. You can start small with affiliate opportunities, add an ebook, and maybe start offering your own products and services. Get the content up first, and worry about the growth potential second.

Find Mentors
Don’t go it alone. Find people that are doing what you want to do. Find bloggers in your field. Find blogs that help motivate you to keep going. While experience isn’t required, it is important that you find people to help you see what is possible.

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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.

Yet there are ways for you to keep your posts alive.

1. Recently Posted
Instead of having a listing of categories or archives, create a Recent Articles section that lists out the blog post titles. Titles are more meaningful to readers, and spark interest based on the information you are providing.

2. Top Posts
What are your most popular posts? Which posts have received the most traffic?

Which have been commented on the most? There are a number of ways you can automatically list your top posts in your blog, or do it manually with your favorites that you choose to have people go back to again and again.

3. Promote Old In The New
When you are writing up a new post, what other posts have you written that make points you can link back to? Add them directly to your post.

4. Related Posts
At the end of your posts, create a section that asks your readers to visit other posts. Then list 4 or 5 related posts, and link them back to the specific page.

5. Create a Top List
Create a post that lists out your top blog posts. Be creative with the title so it attracts new readers:

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