This is a new Course for Fall 2009!
This NEW Complimentary Online Workshop will provide an educational overview on the lowest cost-most effective method of lead generation on the internet today. Social Networks - this particular Course will focus on how people are generating leads by Blogging in conjuntion with their Social Networks.
While this not new - there are new techniques for lead generation. We focus on Linked In - Twitter - and Facebook in this Series being used with WordPress.
Stop dabbling and let us show you how the pros are doing this!
Learn How To:
-Understand Blogs
-Know about the different types of Blogs
-How to start a Blog
-How to jump in
-How to jump out
-How to convert to an internal lead!
Don't miss this new class where we show you all the secrets!
In less than one hour we will show you how to generate more business from Blogs and Social Networks and why they work.
3. What is Blogging? A blog (a contraction of the term "Web log") is a Web site, usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video.
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7. Getting Started A basic precept of any business is just as essential with your blog. It's critical to pinpoint your audience and, in the process, decide what you're going to say that will make them read what you write. Identify your audience.
8. Getting Started Next up is determining where to locate your blog. There are numerous software packages that let you add a blog section to an existing Web site. A more automated and perhaps easier option is a blog hosting site (with a link from your Web site bringing visitors over). Decide where your blog should live www.WordPress.com is a great site to set-up your blog.
9. Getting Started At this point, bringing your blog live will mean little more than placing your thoughts, observations and insights into the blog for others to read. Provide a perspective that is heartfelt, compelling, and has the potential to help you market yourself and your business. Start talking
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11. Getting Started Building traffic between blogs is another central element to luring repeat visitors. Blogrolling is a set of links on your blog site that identifies other sites on the Internet; related to your business, industry or expertise; which you find valuable. Get into the practice of "blogrolling" Blogrolling encourages a steady back and forth between various sites, including other blogs. Write commentary about what other bloggers have written, then link to them,
12. Getting Started Search engine hits are another element of generating traffic. One strategy to attract search engine interest is through careful use of keywords in both your headlines and blog copy. Emphasize keywords (tags) Be Consistant – 5min!
13. Getting Started Study your website, content and target and list an effective set of keywords that are “Relevant” to your objective. This how people would search for your target! Emphasize keywords What would people type in to find you, your product or service?
14. Getting Started Nothing is more discouraging to prospective readers than returning to a blog site to find old or outdated material. So, be prepared to work at keeping your blog as fresh and current as possible. Have a system – empower the team! Keep it fresh
15. Getting Started Monitor the amount and quality of the traffic you receive. If things seem slow or stagnant, don't be afraid to vary your themes or subjects to boost interest. But don't stray too far from your business or expertise. Watch your traffic closely
16. Writing Content For a blog to be successful your content needs to be useful and unique to your readers. Start with the customer or prospect - find out what they want and give it to them. Be Unique and Useful Perhaps the best advice on developing useful content is to research your readership (or potential readership). It’s okay to play!
17. Writing Content They Are Hungry for Knowledge Writing for your target DOES NOT mean writing about the products and services you sell them Write about the things they want to learn about Answer THEIR Questions!
19. Writing Content Be the Thought Leader Should establish as a thought leader When starting put time into your plan and posts This will reflect your reputation
20. Writing Content Survey customers, look a lot at other blogs on a topic (especially the comments section to see what types of questions people are asking) and particularly look hard in forums and discussion groups on topics where there is usually a lot of question asking going on. As you do this you’ll begin to put your finger on what people are wanting and what you might be able to provide to meet these needs. Researching
24. Writing Content A great way to see what other blogs are talking about in your industry is to subscribe to them using and RSS reader. There are many RSS reader tools available from Google Reader to Feed Demon. RSS Readers will update you when there is new content on a blog. Subscribe to other blog feeds via RSS
25. Writing Content Do some analysis on what sort of content other bloggers in your industry are producing. In most niches you’ll find that sites are all presenting very similar information in pretty much the same voice, tone and style. You can either replicate what they are doing and try to do it better OR you can distinguish yourself in someway from what others are doing. Distinguish yourself
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28. Creating A Post Using Word Press First step is to create a title for your post. Make sure that it is interesting and is rich with keywords.
29. Creating A Post Using Word Press Now you can enter your body text. When you are finished always make sure that you proof your work before posting.
30. Creating A Post Using Word Press WordPress blogs come with robust tools for formatting and editing posts.
31. Creating A Post Using Word Press WordPress also supplies tools for adding pictures to your blog as well as videos, music, polls, etc.
32. Creating A Post Using Word Press Additional tools allow you to schedule posts, or preview them. You can also set categories for each post.
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36. Getting Found Through The Web A “Share Button” allows visitors to share your information on multiple networks and through email Use a Share Button on Each Post http://www.addtoany.com/buttons/for/wordpress_com
37. From 20 Cars to 200 in 8 Months www.CenterCars.com ---- Post to your social sites!
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Editor's Notes
1. Invite Comments - I notice that when I specifically invite comments that people leave them in higher numbers than when I don’t. To some degree this confuses me as most of my readers know that they can leave comments on any post - but I guess inviting a comment triggers a response to some extent. Also keep in mind that new readers that are unfamiliar with blogging don’t always know about comments or how to use them - invitations to participate in well laid out and easy to use comments systems are good for helping them participate. 2. Ask Questions - Including specific questions in posts definitely helps get higher numbers of comments. I find that when I include questions in my headings that it is a particularly effective way of getting a response from readers as you set a question in their mind from the first moments of your post. 3. Be Open Ended - If you say everything there is to say on a topic you’re less likely to get others adding their opinions because you’ll have covered what they might have added. While you don’t want to purposely leave too many things unsaid there is an art to writing open ended posts that leaves room for your readers to be experts also. 4. Interact with comments left - If you’re not willing to use your own comments section why would your readers? If someone leaves a comment interact with them. This gets harder as your blog grows but it’s particularly important in the early days of your blog as it shows your readers that their comments are valued, it creates a culture of interactivity and gives the impression to other readers that your comments section is an active place that you as the blogger value. As the activity in your comments section grows you may find you need to be slightly less active in it as readers will start to take over on answering questions and creating community - however don’t completely ignore your comment threads. 6. Be humble - I find that readers respond very well to posts that show your own weaknesses, failings and the gaps in your own knowledge rather than those posts where you come across as knowing everything there is to know on a topic. People are attracted to humility and are more likely to respond to it than a post written in a tone of someone who might harshly respond to their comments. 7. Be gracious - Related to humility is grace. There are times where you as the blogger will get something wrong in your posts. It might be spelling or grammar, it could be the crux of your argument or some other aspect of your blogging. When a someone leaves a comment that shows your failing it’s very easy to respond harshly in a defensive manner. We’ve all seen the flaming that can ensue. While it’s not easy - a graceful approach to comments where you admit where you are wrong and others is right can bring out the lurkers and make them feel a little safer in leaving comments. 9. ‘Reward’ Comments - There are many ways of acknowledging and ‘rewarding’ good comments that range from simply including a ‘good comment’ remark through to highlighting them in other posts that you write. Drawing attention to your readers who use comments well affirms them but also draws attention of other readers to good use of your comments section. 10. Make it Easy to Comment - I leave a lot of comments on a lot of blogs each week - but there is one situation where I rarely leave a comment - even if the post deserves it - blogs that require me to login before making a comment. Maybe I’m lazy (actually there’s no maybe about it) or maybe there’s something inside me that worries about giving out my personal details - but when I see a comments section that requires registration I almost always (95% or more of the time) leave the blog without leaving the comment that I want to make. While I totally understand the temptation to require registration for comments (combating spam in most cases) something inside me resists participating in such comments sections. Registration is a hurdle you put in front of your readers that some will be willing to leap but that others will balk at (the same is often said about other comments section requirements that go beyond the basics). Keep your comments section as simple and as easy to use as possible.
One cardinal snafu that can bring down even the best intentioned of blogs is stale content. Nothing is more discouraging to prospective readers than returning to a blog site to find old or outdated material. So, be prepared to work at keeping your blog as fresh and current as possible. That doesn't necessarily mean regular entries as lengthy as a Michener novel — indeed, many engaging blogs are built of short, concise messages. But make a commitment to update your blog on as regular basis as your schedule reasonably permits. “You need to develop what I describe as a ruthless persistence toward posting, particularly if you disseminate the blog's address, and customers or suppliers come to depend on the information," says Rich Hanley, director of graduate programs in the School of Communications at Quinnipiac University in Hamden, Conn. "People view blogs as daily information vehicles, not once in a while musings on a stray issue. Think of blogs as a conversation, and that will help with the daily focus."
Don't make the mistake of feeling locked into your blog's initial topic. Monitor the amount and quality of the traffic you receive. If things seem slow or stagnant, don't be gun-shy about varying your themes or subjects to boost interest. But don't stray too far from your business or expertise. Also, advises Falkow, "Investigate how effective the [publishing] platform you choose to blog in is. I have tried several that did nothing for my search visibility."
This might mean tackling a slightly different topic ( perhaps a sub-niche ) but could also mean writing in a distinct voice It might also mean writing in a different genre of posts (ie if everyone else is writing ‘newsy’ posts you might like to write more ‘opinion’ type posts). Bring together the elements of both Useful and Unique content and you will be one step closer to a successful blog.
This might mean tackling a slightly different topic ( perhaps a sub-niche ) but could also mean writing in a distinct voice It might also mean writing in a different genre of posts (ie if everyone else is writing ‘newsy’ posts you might like to write more ‘opinion’ type posts). Bring together the elements of both Useful and Unique content and you will be one step closer to a successful blog.
This might mean tackling a slightly different topic ( perhaps a sub-niche ) but could also mean writing in a distinct voice It might also mean writing in a different genre of posts (ie if everyone else is writing ‘newsy’ posts you might like to write more ‘opinion’ type posts). Bring together the elements of both Useful and Unique content and you will be one step closer to a successful blog.
This might mean tackling a slightly different topic ( perhaps a sub-niche ) but could also mean writing in a distinct voice It might also mean writing in a different genre of posts (ie if everyone else is writing ‘newsy’ posts you might like to write more ‘opinion’ type posts). Bring together the elements of both Useful and Unique content and you will be one step closer to a successful blog.
This might mean tackling a slightly different topic ( perhaps a sub-niche ) but could also mean writing in a distinct voice It might also mean writing in a different genre of posts (ie if everyone else is writing ‘newsy’ posts you might like to write more ‘opinion’ type posts). Bring together the elements of both Useful and Unique content and you will be one step closer to a successful blog.
This might mean tackling a slightly different topic ( perhaps a sub-niche ) but could also mean writing in a distinct voice It might also mean writing in a different genre of posts (ie if everyone else is writing ‘newsy’ posts you might like to write more ‘opinion’ type posts). Bring together the elements of both Useful and Unique content and you will be one step closer to a successful blog.
This might mean tackling a slightly different topic ( perhaps a sub-niche ) but could also mean writing in a distinct voice It might also mean writing in a different genre of posts (ie if everyone else is writing ‘newsy’ posts you might like to write more ‘opinion’ type posts). Bring together the elements of both Useful and Unique content and you will be one step closer to a successful blog.