Archive for the ‘Posts From Other Blogs’ Category
Social Networking 101 – How to Use It to Increase Your Business!
July 30th, 2010 | 
Author: By Katrina Sawa in Web 2.0
You know how often I get asked about how effective social networking is for someone’s business, from my clients or when I’m out networking from random business owners?? Hundreds a month.
It’s amazing. It’s amazing how many of us are on the social sites but also how many are not!
I think if you’re an entrepreneur, no matter whether you do business locally or globally, you should be doing some amount of social networking as ONE source of lead generation in your business.
Of course there are hundreds of other ways to get leads too and I’m only talking about ONE right now (and it’s not always the most effective depending on how you utilize your time but it’s certainly affordable).
Lead generation is ONE goal to have when you network online but it can also do the following for you:
- solidify long lasting relationships – either personal or professional
- provide an easy way to connect faster with target prospects, referral sources or mentors
- establish yourself as an expert in your field by answering discussion questions, posting tips and articles or even inviting ‘friends’ to live events like teleclasses and webinars
- drive more traffic back to your site for special promotions, downloads or interaction
- provides a central place to share photos, videos and basically get more publicity than you could ever pay (or pray) for
Is it worth it to spend my time on the forums or having profiles on these sites?
I say definitely yes.
- You want to ask and answer questions on forums and blogs
- Post comments, articles, events, information, tips, surveys and polls, anything to get the visitors attention
- Record and post interesting or business related videos (nothing too embarrassing!)
- Send people requests to join your ‘network’, ‘fan page’ or ‘group’
- Pursue those in related groups for interaction, advice, joint ventures, etc.
- Dig deeper into the websites of those you’re really interested in working with or those you want to pay attention to you and relate to them on a deeper level if you can – this is the way to make the most of your time I think.
- And so much more….
Whew! I know this can seem daunting and more sites pop up every day right?
I mean, you can even start YOUR OWN social network these days (not that you want to).
So, what should your ROI (Return on Investment) be you ask?
Well, granted this stuff sucks up a ton of time! So, if you’re delegating some of the initial connecting and basic weekly/daily posts and then you’re only in there mostly to dig deeper, get personal and maximize your time; then you can really build a great following. One that’s loyal and interested in new things you send out. A following that clicks and interacts with your profile, your videos and your website.
This is how then you get them on your list over time, get them to attend teleclasses or join your programs or even refer you!
I can tell you that the hardest part of figuring out whether your time/money invested in social networking is paying off though is that it’s not that easy to track results.
So, if you want to really find out if it’s working for you, you have to set up systems that allow for really detailed tracking – tracking your traffic, conversions, customers and more.
original article url.
http://www.sitepronews.com/2009/06/30/social-networking-101-how-to-use-it-to-increase-your-business/
Originally posted 2009-08-09 16:54:19. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
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Traffic Tactics For Your Blog
By Brett Schaefer in Blogs & Podcasts
Use the right software
Selecting the right software for blogging can go a great way in making you stand out among the crowd. Custom blog software would be very useful, since users can customize it themselves.
Blog hosting
Always host your blog on your own domain. If you place your blog on another domain, it may not be able to attract public attention, build confidence, and improve rating in search results. So using a different domain is the biggest mistake one can ever make.
Title tag
Whenever you put a title tag, make sure that it is relevant to the subject matter, and is not just a random one. You put a title to attract your visitors, so ensure that it is short, and snappy.
Notwithstanding which area of article marketing for your blog you have ventured into, there are many public forums for that topic, which you must actively participate in. There are quite a few online communities, where you can post messages or initiate a discussion to increase your visibility, and attract a huge community of people to your website.
Tagging
Tagging is very important. You can visit Technorati for this purpose. If you have many tags on your page, then it will show in the search results.
Technorati
Testing Technorati is extremely important. You must notify Technorati whenever you have made a comment on a blog. For this purpose, you will need to ping Technorati, or else, you may take the help of Ping-o-matic, which automatically alerts Technorati whenever a comment is posted by you.
Boosting blog’s visibility
To increase your and your blog’s visibility, it has become clear that commenting on other people’s blog is extremely important. But a primary concern is that you must comment on a subject which you are comfortable with. You need to search to get across a proper blog where your comment will be appreciated.
WTF at Technorati
Bloggers are allowed to comment on why few of the topics are a hot favorite. This can be done on a Technorati feature known as WTF.
Rate and ranks
Technorati can rate and rank any blog, based on the links to the blog. That is, your blog will get a higher ranking if other blogs link to your blog.
Blog commenting
Commenting on other blogs has also become important because others will then comment on your blog. A blog becomes dry and dull if there are no comments on it.
Choose your blog topics
There are people who simply join in the bandwagon without much knowledge on what it is all about. If there is some great news about something related to your industry, it does not necessarily mean that you should jump to cover it, or even mention it. Yes, that does help to increase your popularity, and sharing something is always good. But if you don’t feel the need for doing it, simply leave it!
Intelligent linking
If you link things in your blog, then do so in an intelligent manner. Don’t link each and every issue that you want to, but maintain a fine balance between linking important topics. Both under-linking, as well as over-linking, are not good. So conventions and creativity should be used only when the circumstances so warrant.
Invite contributors
You may invite a famous person to contribute something to your blog. It may be something that he specializes in, but that will surely add sheen to your blog. by doing so, other people become aware that you have an association with famed people, and invariably, your blog will get more hits. Also, the celebrated person will feel flattered on the status you provide him or her.
Interaction
Make your blog interactive. Mere textual data becomes monotonous after a point of time. So use graphics, images and charts to make the blog appealing to the readers.
Provide answers!
Whatever niches you might be in, there are always some questions whose answer remains vague. So you can focus on those important issues and provide a concrete answer for those questions.
Tracking visitors
Software which tracks visitors can analyze the areas most frequented by visitors, the ones which hardly get any hits, etc. so these vital information can be used for betterment of your blog. Feedburner is very good for RSS purpose.
Charisma
Online, as well as offline, charisma is always valued. The voice presenting something in a blog is extremely important, as people appreciate honesty, compassion, empathy and other emotions associated with it.
Proper archives
Proper archives need to be maintained. Sorting them out date-wise or subject-wise always helps. Generally, archives must include every article that has ever been posted on the blog, but from the usability point of view, you can just link interrelated topics in a blog post.
Blog URL
URL’s are also important as it gives the readers a view of what lies on that page. The best URL’s should be short, but having enough information regarding the content of that webpage.
Sharing information
An open source on the internet is always welcome. Sharing private information on the internet is always considered a good marketing strategy.
Don’t go overboard
If you over-market all your blog posts, negative sentiments will prevail. So be cautious on this front.
Link bait
Capitalize on linkbait, if you have got it. Your website needs to be very much presentable if it hits the front page of Reddit, Digg or any other place where a constant flow of visitors will be ensuing.
Writing style
Your readers will personally take your style of writing and your focus on subjects. If you constantly modify that style, you will disappoint those segments of people who rely on you for that subject or style.
Branding tool
Building a brand is very important. A good brand is one which people feel pride associating themselves with, so such a brand must be built.
Blog submission
Blog submission to blog directories is very important. BlogCatalog.com, blogarma.com and bloggernity.com are some famous blog directories.
Yahoo feed
You must create a feed on Yahoo! This option is available under the “My Yahoo!” tab.
Google Adwords
Google Adwords is expensive, but a great marketing tool nonetheless. A low-cost option is also available with them.
Blog name
If you can, buy a domain name for the blog, which costs about $10 annually. You won’t even have to shell out money for hosting.
Frequency of blog posts
Regularly update your blog.
Signatures
Make it a habit to use signatures. Put a link of your blog in your signature, and use it while sending emails, posting on forums, etc.
original article url.
http://www.sitepronews.com/2009/06/02/traffic-tactics-for-your-blog/
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Originally posted 2009-08-18 18:58:01. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
Search Engine Optimizing your WordPress installation
By Ryan Edmunds in Blogs & Podcasts
If you’re obsessive about SEO you likely already have a domain name that contains one relevant keyword, an entire keyword phrase or even a targeted search term. This is a great practice if you have a website that is highly targeted to one topic or set of keywords, but there is a lot more you can do that will help to boost your search engine ranking position (SERP) and possibly outrank the sites that DO have your keyword in their domain name.
The keyword appearing in the URL is important, but more important than that is the keyword appearing in the title tag. Somewhere in between or just underneath is something called the H1 (which is not surprisingly followed in importance by H2). Naturally your keywords should also appear in the content here and there (not everywhere). If you write about your keywords on a daily basis you are probably already on top of your SEO situation, but if your blog is more relaxed topically and you like to drift and touch on anything you like, then you may benefit from doing a few SEO best practices for WordPress.
1) Title Tags
The title tags are the most important thing. It may not be most important to the Search Engines, but it certainly is to the reader. Even if something is the #1 result in Google, a reader wont likely click on a title that has nothing to do with what they are searching for. That is why it is good to serve your post headline in the title tag instead of just the blog name.
You can do this by editing your header.php to include the appropriate WordPress template tags within the HTML Title tag. This may also mean using an IF statement to determine what type of page is displaying and what tags to use.
2) The H1 Tag
There is a high degree of confusion circulating the web on the proper use of h1 tags with WordPress. The basic purpose of h1 is to let the search engine know what a page is about. The last thing you want is more than one h1 on a page. This confuses the heck out of search bots and, as a result, drops your SEO score.
The typical belief is that serving your blog title in the H1 tag is proper. This makes sense because you have your keywords in your blog title, but what about the individual posts? Aren’t the post titles more relevant than the name of your blog?
If you have a post on your blog about “99 Ways to skin a cat” isn’t that particular page about skinning cats rather than your blog’s title, which may be “catskinners.org”? The solution here is that you want to have your post titles on the single post page inside the H1 tags. Since there shouldn’t be more than one H1 per page, this means you need your title or logo inside a div.
If you have more than one post on your homepage (which most people do) then you should place your post titles’ inside of H2 tags and your logo in an H1. This tells the SE’s that your homepage is about whatever your title is, and the post headlines are the next most important thing. Once a user clicks through to a single post the most important thing becomes the title of that post.
3)Inbound/Outbound links
A huge part of blogging is sharing the link love and creating conversations between one blog to the next. It is typical in the blogosphere to see someone quote a post from another blog, add their own 2 cents and then link the blog where the topic started. This is a fine thing to do and it will even help you gain a few links yourself as your own sharing attitude encourages others to share. You just have to be careful not to have too many links out and balance it with your links from your blog pointing to your own blog.
People often forget that a link to your blog from your blog still counts as a link to your blog (how was THAT for a sentence?). Since one of the best things you can have linking to your blog is some good relevant anchor text that contains your keywords, why not go ahead and link any of those words within your posts back to your homepage?
Here are some more things you can do to make the best use of your internal links:
- Linking from your posts to older posts (when relevant)
- Linking from your posts to your homepage (whenever possible)
- Keep your navigation consistent across the whole site
- Link every page to your homepage at least once (more is ok too)
- Use a sitemap template that includes all your single posts and pages as well as the date and category archives
4) Anchor Text and Keywords
You probably already know at this point that one of your main goals in offsite SEO is to get links with your keywords in the anchor text (the text that makes up the active link). This is one of the single most important factors to both your SE for your determined keywords and your PR. The more links you have, the better your PR. The more links you have containing your keywords, the better your SERPs for those keywords are. It is healthy to mix them up and use different combinations of your keywords to help monopolize your grip on a given topic.
We’re almost finished. There is one more important spot we need to place our keywords. If I were a keyword where would I be? In this blog post! You can have all the SEO you want on your WordPress template but it isn’t going to matter much if you don’t talk about your keywords in your blog posts. You obviously don’t want to come off as a spammer so be wary not to simply randomly throw in long and short-tail keywords in every single sentence. However, there is nothing wrong with using your full keyword search term whenever the opportunity arises. For instance, if you have the option to use a pronoun or the actual keywords you should choose the keyword.
You can optimize your WordPress for search engine rankings quite simply by sticking to some of the concepts we’ve covered here. It can be done over time or all in one shot. However, it would be handy to come back to this little guide each time you are setting up a new installation of WordPress. Remember that not all WordPress themes are search engine optimized so you may have to get your hands dirty and shine up the code of each template you use on your blog. A good start is making sure the markup is semantic and Google recommended.
original article url.
http://www.sitepronews.com/2009/04/28/search-engine-optimizing-your-wordpress-installation/
Originally posted 2009-08-18 19:03:56. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
10 Steps To Success In MLM & Network Marketing
No one is born a salesperson, any more than one is born a doctor or born a lawyer. Sales is a profession. To be successful in any profession one must learn not only the basic techniques, but also how to apply those techniques. Success in sales makes use of all the abilities one is born with, plus all those acquired through education and experience.
If you are looking for a career opportunity or “extra income” to help with the family budget, MLM offers you dream-fulfilling possibilities. However, you must give yourself time to learn the techniques of sales. Ask yourself. “How long does a doctor to be study? A lawyer to be study?”
WHAT IS MLM?
MLM is marketing a product or business opportunity directly to the consumer with no middleman involved. The most reliable firms can be found after doing your reasearch on MLM. They bring to the public fine products that are modestly priced in order to insure mass consumption.
Most MLM companies furnish their representatives with a starter kit and essential supplies below-cost prices. In many instances the investment is under $100.
There is an old adage which says “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.”
Many of them were able to change their lives for the better. They took their families on nice vacations. They purchased a piano or an organ and provided music lessons for their children. They saved money for college education. They redecorated their homes, bought needed furniture. One highly successful saleslady built a new home.
The rewards of the MLM business are many:
1. You can be your own boss.
2. You can set your own hours.
3. You can own your own online businesses with little or no investment.
4. You can pay yourself more than any boss would ever pay you.
5. You can give yourself regular raises as your business grows.
It is only fair to tell you that there are failures, too. There are people who will not work for themselves. When working for a boss, they rise early, are well-groomed, and get to the office on time. However, when they are their own boss, they are still in a bathrobe, drinking one more cup of coffee at 11:00 A.M.
If you can be your own boss and discipline yourself to do what has to be done when it has to be done, MLM offers a most unusual earning opportunity.
THE TEN STEPS
Here are ten steps that will assure your success in your MLM business:
1. BE A GOAL SETTER. What do you want to accomplish? Do you want to save for college education for your children? A new car? A new home? You can have whatever you want, but you must want it enough to do the things that have to be done to get it. Whatever your goal, write it down and set a target date for reaching it. Divide the time period into blocks of achievement that are reachable. Work consistently toward accomplishing each day, each week, each month what you set out to do. Goal-setting is a must in every area of life. Little is ever accomplished without definite goals.
2. BE A LIST MAKER. Each evening list all the things you want to get done the following day. That gives you an organized approach to each day. As each task is finished, mark it off your list. It is amazing how much gets done when one works with a “things-to-do” list. Also, have a notebook listing appointments, potential business clients, repeat clients, and referrals, and keep it with you at all times. You will be adding to it constantly.
3. BE ENTHUSIASTIC. Enthusiasm is the high-octane “fuel” that salespeople run on. Enthusiasm generates its own energy. Energy and good health are synonymous with busy, happy people, people who are achieving.
4. RECOGNIZE THAT THE MAGIC WORD IN SALES IS “ASK”. In MLM we don’t have to wait for business to come to us. We create our own business sales by asking for it. Ask for appointments, then you can do business. Ask for business, then you will close sales. Ask for referrals, then you always have a full list of potential clients. Be quietly, yet firmly aggressive.
5. EXPECT NO’S. Realize that no’s are not personal. In business sales, as perhaps nowhere else, the law of averages works. Every no gets you closer to a yes. Keep track of your ratio. It will help improve your techniques. Are you getting ten no’s to one yes? Is your ratio five to one? Remember, the yes’s are your income. Also remember that “no” does not necessarily mean “no.” Often a “no” is simply a stall for more time to think. It may be a request for more information about your product or your service. What your client is actually buying is assurance. Assure here by your helpful attitude and your complete honesty, that you want what is best for him or her. They will most likely respect you and do business with you.
6. SCHEDULE TIME WISELY. A schedule is the roadmap by which salespeople travel. It takes the frustration out of the day. It assures that the necessary things get done and get done on time. Plan your work then work your plan.
7. BE POSITIVE IN YOUR ATTITUDE. Success in MLM, as in all areas of life is 90 percent attitude and 10 percent aptitude. All of us must work at developing habits of constructive thinking. I am proud to be a salesperson. Sales make the wheels of our economy turn. Bernard Baruch, advisor to several presidents, is quoted as saying, “If every salesperson sat down and took no orders for twenty-four hours, it would bankrupt our country!” Every company that manufactures any kind of product depends upon salespeople to move that product. Without salespeople business would be paralyzed.
Remember, sales is one of the highest paid of all professions. Statistics show that good salespeople enjoy incomes far above the average.
8. HAVE AN OFFICE AREA. Most direct salespeople work from their own homes, but it is essential to have a place where you can work in a organized and efficient manner. An office plus a strict working schedule gives you dignity. Both are absolutely essential for efficient operation and accurate record keeping, so important to the success of any business.
9. BE INVOLVED. Most MLM organizations offer contests to stimulate production. Include winning contests as part of your business goals. Contests make your business fun as well as adding considerable dollar value to your income.
10. LEARN TO HANDLE MONEY INTELLIGENTLY. A regular nine-to-five job usually means a paycheck at the end of the second week. MLM “reps” handle money constantly. MLM in business is instant income and constant income. Therefore. it is absolutely necessary to become an efficient money manager.
Deposit every penny collected from clients into a checking account set up especially for its business. Since bank statements show an exact record of all monies collected, and business expenses can be verified by canceled checks, record keeping becomes simple and accurate. Everything except a few “petty cash” transactions can be directly taken from bank statements.
Money saved regularly and put at interest, soon develops a second income in addition to earned income. A long-term goal, which is realistic in direct sales, is to be able to live in retirement off the interest earned on savings.
Would financial security mean a lot to you? If so, ask yourself these questions:
* Am I honest?
* Do I really like people?
* Am I willing to learn?
* Am I willing to work?
* Am I capable of being my own boss?
If your answers are yes, find a good product for the MLM market, one that you like, one that fills the need of a lot of people, and go to work for yourself! You can turn dreams into reality.
By
Brian Fanale
Industry Top Earner & Internet Marketing Coach
original article url.
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Originally posted 2009-07-28 08:27:02. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
How to Use Social Media for Personal Branding
By SEO Sapien in Web 2.0
Creating social media website profiles aimed at strengthening your personal brand is an incredibly important aspect of building your online presence. Building a strong online reputation will help you score more gigs, media interviews, conference speaking pitches, and more.
Even if you are working with a company, your clients and potential clients are inevitably going to want to know who you are and where is the first place they will check you out? They will probably search for you on Google. The idea is to control the top ten search results for your name to ensure that they are relevant and most importantly, positive. The last thing you want is for a client to find search results on the front page of Google that say negative things about you.
The easiest way to control your top ten search results is through building your online presence via social media and blogging. Some of the most important online tools you can use are Twitter, LinkedIn, video websites and social networking sites like Facebook. If you have an unusual name, it will be easy for you to control the top search results for your name but if you have a very common name, try using your middle initial as way to distinguish yourself.
One of the most powerful ways to build authority within your niche and boost your personal brand is via blogging. If you consistently provide great content and expert opinions, you can build a very successful personal brand through blogging. Make sure to link to a profile page with your bio and name on all of your blog posts to increase search rankings for your name. Write guest blog posts for other blogs in your niche to enhance your online reputation and reach a wider audience.
Use Twitter to contribute valuable links and connect with others in your niche. If you build up a large following of relevant users and stay active in the Twitter community, you should expect your Twitter page to rank highly in the search results. If potential clients are looking for information about you and find your Twitter account full of relevant links and expert advice, it is going to go a long way in building your online reputation.
LinkedIn is a business social media networking site that allows you to share your career history with others. It is a great way to build work contacts and allows potential clients to learn more about your qualifications, educational background, and so on.
Video Websites
If you’ve spoken at a conference or have made an online video presentation, upload it to a site like Vimeo or YouTube. When someone searches for more information about you and finds a relevant video you made, your reputation will be enhanced in the eyes of the searcher. Make sure to use your name in the video headline so the video is optimized for your personal brand.
Social Networking Sites
Now that you have filled most of the front page Google results with positive listings, you can work on adding a few neutral listings such as profiles for social networking sites like Facebook and Flickr. Better yet, find a social networking site that is relevant to your niche (i.e. Sphinn for search marketers) and actively contribute to it so you can show clients that you keep up with the latest news and trends in your field.
Keep these tips in mind in order to dominate the Google search results for your name. If you have quite a few online personalities and would prefer that some of them were not visible to your clients and potential clients, make sure to use different screen names! Optimize anything work-related with your real name to ensure that the search listings that show up when people search for you are positive and help to boost your online reputation.
original article url.
http://www.sitepronews.com/2009/07/02/how-to-use-social-media-for-personal-branding/
Originally posted 2009-08-09 16:55:16. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
