By B Hopkins
The growing popularity of blogging by the general public is making business blogging a necessary marketing tool to stay competitive. There are many factors that can determine the success or failure of business blogging, and how successful it is with the business's target market. These factors include how well the blog is marketed, how easy it is to comprehend the blog content, and how well the blog entices people to take action. Determining the name for the blog is one important factor in driving the right kind of targeted visitors to the business website.
Why the name of the blog is important
The name of your blog is important because it sets the tone for the blog and it is the first line of marketing for your desired visitors. If a business names their blog 'Jim's Blog' or 'Jane's Blog', it isn't descriptive enough for people at a first glance to decide if they even want to visit your blog.
Another important result of how you name your business blog, is that most blogging software will put the name of the blog in the title of the browser. Many search engines will list the title of a web page in their results page. If your blog name isn't very descriptive and accurate, you will risk losing potential customers or prospects coming to your site if they stumble upon your blog from a search engine results page.
Research the keywords for your blog:
This is an important step because you will want to include some keywords in your business blog name to get maximum results. In order to determin which keywords you should use in the name of your blog, you will need to research the viable keywords for your industry. There are many free and paid tools that you can use that will tell you what keyword phrases are being used in searches. This information will tell you what phrases your target market uses to find businesses in your industry.
While performing your research, you will find many results for keyword phrases. The ones you should be most interested in are the keyword phrases that don't have too many words (no more than 4), as we will be adding more to the name if possible. You will also want to pick the keyword phrases that have a relatively high number of total searches for the month (10,000 or more).
Once you have decided upon a few keyword phrases, experiment with some different arrangements of the words to create the beginnings of a compelling business blog name.
Pick a clear benefit of your services to use in your blog name:
You are in business to fill a need or pain for your target market. If you aren't doing that, you won't be in business for long. Pick a clear and concise solution to a problem that your business provides for your target market, and try to incorporate that benefit into the name of your blog. You should end up with a name that will include relevant keywords and also contain a benefit for your clients or customers. Following these steps will give the title of your business blog a more relevant and enticing name.
How to put all the elements together for the name of your business blog:
How do you put together a keyword phrase and a clear benefit to create a powerful blog name? Let us go over an example for the travel industry. We will use a hypothetical company that provides travel insurance to travelers. A common problem for travelers that need travel insurance is to replace lost property and luggage. The benefit of this particular travel insurance business is that it provides coverage that is over and above what the other travel companies provide, or provides a service that makes it quicker and easier to process claims.
Our keyword research for this industry finds that 'travel insurance online' has just over 10,000 total keyword searches for the month (total of all 3 of the major search engines). So in creating the name for the blog, we could call it 'Quick Claims in Online Travel Insurance' or 'More Than You Expect From Online Travel Insurance'. We have included a benefit, and the keyword phrase in one short sentence, and we did not make the name too long to make it look awkward.
As you have seen, the name of your business blog serves a couple of functions. The biggest one is that it can be used to help drive targeted visitors to your website, but the name also plays a role in search engine optimization for your business blog. When choosing a name of your business blog, don't leave out the fact that it should also fit into the branding strategy of your business. Choose wisely and do your research well and you could reap the benefits and rewards for your business.
Copyright 2006 B Hopkins
Do you want to know more about business blogging but don't know where to start? Go to http://www.allwebcontent.com/articles/Category/Blogs/4 to read more articles about blogging. You can also learn more about making money with your blogs here:
http://www.allwebcontent.com/businessblog
(A http://drivetraffictomywebsite.com creation)
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=B_Hopkins
Saturday, September 30, 2006
Wednesday, September 27, 2006
China Blogs Nearly 35 Million and Growing
By Lance Winslow
It appears China’s economy is not the only thing growing, now China is seeing explosive growth on its Blogs and the growth as per MIT Technology Review is now 30 times more than it was 4 years the prior. What is fueling this growth even considering the Chinese Government’s crack down on certain material and website censorship campaigns? Well it appears that many younger folks are watching a steady increase in standard of living and are finding the Internet a nice place to introduce themselves you see?
If 35 million people have web Blogs then can you even imagine how many people are reading them? Of course some of these web Bloggers have paid a pretty high price for their writings and have been; Detained as the Chinese Authorities have stated?
Detained? As in detainees? As in Gitmo type detaining? No one knows and no one is saying, but this does pose a civil rights issue, which will have to be addressed at some point. China in case you did not know has over 100 million internet users and that number will only grow and some day it will surpass the United States. Perhaps at the current rate in a couple of years in fact. No one knows how many Bloggers and how many citizens of China will be detained at that point? Consider this in 2006.
"Lance Winslow" - Online Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; http://www.WorldThinkTank.net/wttbbs/
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Lance_Winslow
It appears China’s economy is not the only thing growing, now China is seeing explosive growth on its Blogs and the growth as per MIT Technology Review is now 30 times more than it was 4 years the prior. What is fueling this growth even considering the Chinese Government’s crack down on certain material and website censorship campaigns? Well it appears that many younger folks are watching a steady increase in standard of living and are finding the Internet a nice place to introduce themselves you see?
If 35 million people have web Blogs then can you even imagine how many people are reading them? Of course some of these web Bloggers have paid a pretty high price for their writings and have been; Detained as the Chinese Authorities have stated?
Detained? As in detainees? As in Gitmo type detaining? No one knows and no one is saying, but this does pose a civil rights issue, which will have to be addressed at some point. China in case you did not know has over 100 million internet users and that number will only grow and some day it will surpass the United States. Perhaps at the current rate in a couple of years in fact. No one knows how many Bloggers and how many citizens of China will be detained at that point? Consider this in 2006.
"Lance Winslow" - Online Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; http://www.WorldThinkTank.net/wttbbs/
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Lance_Winslow
Saturday, September 23, 2006
Blogging For Dollars: Your One-Minute Business
By Angela Booth
Have you ever wanted to work for yourself? Imagine - you could decide when and where you work, how much you want to earn, and best of all, no one could ever fire you.
What if I told you that you could start your own business in less than one minute?
You can.
You can start your own business in less than one minute by creating a blog. A blog is essentially an instant-publishing solution. Think of it as creating your own magazine. If that sounds intimidating, it's not. You're a mine of information and knowledge, but you're using all that know-how for someone else. When you create a blog, you're using that information for yourself.
You can create your blog today, and start adding entries to it. You can even monetize your blog today. Tomorrow, and for the next few weeks, you add more information to your blog. And then - you can make your blog your business, sooner than you thought possible.
Thousands of others are already developing their blogs into low-cost, instant businesses. Would you believe that some bloggers earn tens of thousands of dollars a month? They do. You can do it as well.
Start your blogging business today
You can start your blog in less than one minute. Go to Blogger.com (which is owned by Google) and create a blog. This blog is your new business.
Choose a topic for your blog on which you're an expert. Not an expert? Of course you are. You're an expert on what you do. If you're a mother, you're an expert. If you're a student, you're an expert. If you're a bricklayer, you're an expert.
Or, choose a topic that's your favorite hobby: sports, cooking, eBay auctions - the choices are endless. What do you love? Create a blog based on your passion.
Monetize your blog
Once you've created a Blogger blog, monetizing the blog is easy. Google does it for you, by running AdSense advertisements on your blog. Businesses pay Google to run ads, and Google pays you. You just need to set up an AdSense account (it takes minutes), wait for Google to approve it (takes a day) and then insert the ads into your blog. Check the Blogger Help file for all the information you need.
Keep adding information, and collect cash
The next step is to keep adding information - blog entries - to your blog. The rate at which you add entries is up to you. You'll find that the first few days of creating entries take longest. This is because you're building your blogging muscles. Within four days, you'll have gotten into the swing of it, and you'll find that it just takes minutes to create a blog entry.
As you add entries, they will be indexed in Google, and when readers visit your blog and click on the AdSense ads, you earn money. The more visitors, the more you earn. It takes around a month for you to start seeing consistent income from your blog. Then, as you keep blogging, your income will rise steadily.
There are many other ways to earn income from your blog.
So there you have it: your one-minute business. No other business is as easy or as simple. And very few other businesses are as profitable.
Angela Booth is a veteran copywriter and blogger. Her ebook, Blogging For Dollars: How to become a career blogger -- in your PJs, if you want, is available at http://www.abmagic.com/Blog/blogging.html You can visit the book's blog at http://www.dollars2blog.com/blog/ Angela will show you how to turn a humble blog into a great career, or a lucrative business.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Angela_Booth
Have you ever wanted to work for yourself? Imagine - you could decide when and where you work, how much you want to earn, and best of all, no one could ever fire you.
What if I told you that you could start your own business in less than one minute?
You can.
You can start your own business in less than one minute by creating a blog. A blog is essentially an instant-publishing solution. Think of it as creating your own magazine. If that sounds intimidating, it's not. You're a mine of information and knowledge, but you're using all that know-how for someone else. When you create a blog, you're using that information for yourself.
You can create your blog today, and start adding entries to it. You can even monetize your blog today. Tomorrow, and for the next few weeks, you add more information to your blog. And then - you can make your blog your business, sooner than you thought possible.
Thousands of others are already developing their blogs into low-cost, instant businesses. Would you believe that some bloggers earn tens of thousands of dollars a month? They do. You can do it as well.
Start your blogging business today
You can start your blog in less than one minute. Go to Blogger.com (which is owned by Google) and create a blog. This blog is your new business.
Choose a topic for your blog on which you're an expert. Not an expert? Of course you are. You're an expert on what you do. If you're a mother, you're an expert. If you're a student, you're an expert. If you're a bricklayer, you're an expert.
Or, choose a topic that's your favorite hobby: sports, cooking, eBay auctions - the choices are endless. What do you love? Create a blog based on your passion.
Monetize your blog
Once you've created a Blogger blog, monetizing the blog is easy. Google does it for you, by running AdSense advertisements on your blog. Businesses pay Google to run ads, and Google pays you. You just need to set up an AdSense account (it takes minutes), wait for Google to approve it (takes a day) and then insert the ads into your blog. Check the Blogger Help file for all the information you need.
Keep adding information, and collect cash
The next step is to keep adding information - blog entries - to your blog. The rate at which you add entries is up to you. You'll find that the first few days of creating entries take longest. This is because you're building your blogging muscles. Within four days, you'll have gotten into the swing of it, and you'll find that it just takes minutes to create a blog entry.
As you add entries, they will be indexed in Google, and when readers visit your blog and click on the AdSense ads, you earn money. The more visitors, the more you earn. It takes around a month for you to start seeing consistent income from your blog. Then, as you keep blogging, your income will rise steadily.
There are many other ways to earn income from your blog.
So there you have it: your one-minute business. No other business is as easy or as simple. And very few other businesses are as profitable.
Angela Booth is a veteran copywriter and blogger. Her ebook, Blogging For Dollars: How to become a career blogger -- in your PJs, if you want, is available at http://www.abmagic.com/Blog/blogging.html You can visit the book's blog at http://www.dollars2blog.com/blog/ Angela will show you how to turn a humble blog into a great career, or a lucrative business.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Angela_Booth
Friday, September 22, 2006
OneWebDay
By Peter Hale
This OneWebDay celebration is something worth being part of because it's a small part of the history of the web. I hope this event happens every year, as the organisers plan.
This event is outlined in OneWebDay, and bloggers are being encouraged to talk about this in their posts.
Research into End User Programming using web technologies would have been difficult without the underlying technologies based on XML (eXtensible Markup Language), developed as part of the semantic web. Tim Berners Lee's work has been a big influence. Particularly important is research to take technologies from the Semantic Web, and apply this to web applications. Web 2.0 - Now people are also creating Rich Internet Applications using Ajax (Asynchronous JavaScript and XML) the whole area of world wide web research is so interesting and fast moving.
In the BBC article it says
'Susan Crawford, the founder of OneWebDay, said she wanted people to reflect on how the web had changed their lives.'
'The organisers are also encouraging people to post entries to their blogs on Friday which reflect on how the web has changed their lives.'
'This is the first OneWebDay, and the organisers plan for it to become an annual event.'
OneWebDay http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/5368190.stm
I am a Researcher in the final year of my PhD. I specialise in applying Semantic Web techniques. My current research is on a technique of 'User Driven Modelling/Programming'. My intention is to enable non-programmers to create software from a user interface that allows them to model a particular problem or scenario. This involves a user entering information visually in the form of a tree diagram. I am attempting to develop ways of automatically translating this information into program code in a variety of computer languages. This is very important and useful for many employees that have insufficient time to learn programming languages. I am looking to research visualisation, and visualisation techniques to create a human computer interface that allows non experts to create software.
I am a member of the Institute for End User Computing - http://www.ieuc.org/home.html.
My Home Page is http://www.cems.uwe.ac.uk/~phale/.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Peter_Hale
This OneWebDay celebration is something worth being part of because it's a small part of the history of the web. I hope this event happens every year, as the organisers plan.
This event is outlined in OneWebDay, and bloggers are being encouraged to talk about this in their posts.
Research into End User Programming using web technologies would have been difficult without the underlying technologies based on XML (eXtensible Markup Language), developed as part of the semantic web. Tim Berners Lee's work has been a big influence. Particularly important is research to take technologies from the Semantic Web, and apply this to web applications. Web 2.0 - Now people are also creating Rich Internet Applications using Ajax (Asynchronous JavaScript and XML) the whole area of world wide web research is so interesting and fast moving.
In the BBC article it says
'Susan Crawford, the founder of OneWebDay, said she wanted people to reflect on how the web had changed their lives.'
'The organisers are also encouraging people to post entries to their blogs on Friday which reflect on how the web has changed their lives.'
'This is the first OneWebDay, and the organisers plan for it to become an annual event.'
OneWebDay http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/5368190.stm
I am a Researcher in the final year of my PhD. I specialise in applying Semantic Web techniques. My current research is on a technique of 'User Driven Modelling/Programming'. My intention is to enable non-programmers to create software from a user interface that allows them to model a particular problem or scenario. This involves a user entering information visually in the form of a tree diagram. I am attempting to develop ways of automatically translating this information into program code in a variety of computer languages. This is very important and useful for many employees that have insufficient time to learn programming languages. I am looking to research visualisation, and visualisation techniques to create a human computer interface that allows non experts to create software.
I am a member of the Institute for End User Computing - http://www.ieuc.org/home.html.
My Home Page is http://www.cems.uwe.ac.uk/~phale/.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Peter_Hale
Wednesday, September 20, 2006
Why Businesses Should Blog
By Christian Del Monte
If your business could gain a direct connection to individual customers in the largest customer pool on earth, informing and relating personally to each of them through a medium centered on your business, wouldn’t that be great? Better yet, what if it was free of cost except for the time you invest? Not only is it possible, for many businesses, Blogs have proven to be one of the most powerful ebusiness-customer communication tools capable of producing just that. For this reason alone, at least considering a blog as a strategy for your business should be a priority. Communication and efficiency both stand to benefit.
Bloggers are often likened to preachers or evangelists, which compares favorably to the weak communication loops that are typically problematic between many businesses and their clients. Honest and balanced timely customer feedback can be elusive even with focus groups. The delay in a company reacting to a small problem may allow that problem to gestate into something much larger. Blogging is a savvy way to make up for input gaps from customers by allowing for real-time, voluntary responses from individuals who are enthusiastic about your business or field. This may come in the form of thoughtful suggestions or criticisms of existing aspects of your business that enlighten you to improvements, which you may never have considered. The connection between yourself (as the blogger) and your customers is comfortable and informal, allowing for a conversation that is personal and intimate. As a result, your clients and advocates can respond with no pressure with friendly conversations that you never would have had time for in person.
Business blogging can create buzz that is humanized with one tool and also boost the efficiency of your business in other ways. Insofar as marketing and advertising, a blog has several of the qualities of an internet campaign or other profile-booster. It can compliment (or even serve as) your website, which makes it easier for search engines to find your business. Blog service providers are constructed to be search engine-friendly, and the more sites your blog links to (or that link to your blog), the more traffic your website is likely to attract. Because blogs deliver all of the news of your business in a concise form, it can also serve as an e-newsletter, which can be subscribed to or syndicated with RSS. By making your business available on new syndicatable fronts, your business can attain a frequency and reach with a new level of targeting for business prospects.
Another aspect of the blog that many executives who have turned to blogging espouse is the self-examination of your business that occurs when you blog. The business blogger is compelled to crystallize, organize and define every aspect of the business, both for themselves and for others. In doing so, not only can your business become more refined, it can also “know itself” better. To compliment this, a blog can also be made to work internally (known as an intra-blog) as well as externally, operating as an inter-office communication tool that offers many advantages over e-mail. Best of all, by making communication readily available to anyone with an Internet connection, your business can position itself as a leader in its industry. Additionally, even if your business website is lacking (or if you don’t have one at all), the icing on the cake is that blogs organize information in a way that is easy to read and while remaining attractive to the eye.
Keep in mind that blogging is not a replacement for advertising. It’s a different kind of tool that requires a formal strategy. The good news is that being a great writer isn’t necessary because the personalized impromptu nature of a blog is an appeal to the culture itself. Blogging also does not require babysitter to work. To the contrary: the blog is a tool that is cooperative, intimate, and personal. Moreover, it can give your business the chance to build powerful trust-based relationships with your clientele along as well as endless self-promotion that go hand in hand.
Thinking about blogging but not sure what to blog about? Here are just a few possibilities:
· Use it as a forum to discuss updates on products, services of business activities, and solicit input from new and prospective clients.
· Kick around untested ideas that your customers might be willing to share insight.
· Replace your printed company newsletter or bulletin board with a blog that can serve the same functions. Share information on events, changes in your business, updates on special projects.
· Depending on the nature of your business, you might find numerous other ways to improve the efficiency of your business with a blog. Many universities, for example, now showcase a handful of student blogs on their websites to show prospective students a glimpse of what campus life is like – an effective and cost-free recruiting tool. You’ve likely also heard of the guy who used his blog to barter from a red paperclip to a house in one year.
· Blog about your business industry itself. Network with other professionals from similar businesses and learn from them – all businesses have their own experiences. Still looking for ideas? Consult the web's largest Business Blog Search Engine and Directory by iBlog Business. Browse by industry or search to see what some of your competitors are doing.
Summary
Business blogging presents a great opportunity to tap into one of the largest communication networks at a fraction of the cost in maintaining a regular Website. To do it effectively for your business, blogging must become “center plate” even though initial rewards come slower and at the expense to traditional mediums. However, with invested time, the fruits of hard work will pay off in the forms of improved customer intimacy, priceless core industry knowledge, and brand equity just to name a few. Best of all, its free for the taking!
Christian Del Monte: Director of Operations for TMA E-Marketing has a B.S. degree in Marketing from Minnesota State University, Mankato.
He has directed and worked on Internet marketing projects for mid to large-scale clients including several fortune 500 companies. Christian continues to head up the operations for TMA as well as lead research and development on vertical search markets and business blogging.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Christian_Del_Monte
If your business could gain a direct connection to individual customers in the largest customer pool on earth, informing and relating personally to each of them through a medium centered on your business, wouldn’t that be great? Better yet, what if it was free of cost except for the time you invest? Not only is it possible, for many businesses, Blogs have proven to be one of the most powerful ebusiness-customer communication tools capable of producing just that. For this reason alone, at least considering a blog as a strategy for your business should be a priority. Communication and efficiency both stand to benefit.
Bloggers are often likened to preachers or evangelists, which compares favorably to the weak communication loops that are typically problematic between many businesses and their clients. Honest and balanced timely customer feedback can be elusive even with focus groups. The delay in a company reacting to a small problem may allow that problem to gestate into something much larger. Blogging is a savvy way to make up for input gaps from customers by allowing for real-time, voluntary responses from individuals who are enthusiastic about your business or field. This may come in the form of thoughtful suggestions or criticisms of existing aspects of your business that enlighten you to improvements, which you may never have considered. The connection between yourself (as the blogger) and your customers is comfortable and informal, allowing for a conversation that is personal and intimate. As a result, your clients and advocates can respond with no pressure with friendly conversations that you never would have had time for in person.
Business blogging can create buzz that is humanized with one tool and also boost the efficiency of your business in other ways. Insofar as marketing and advertising, a blog has several of the qualities of an internet campaign or other profile-booster. It can compliment (or even serve as) your website, which makes it easier for search engines to find your business. Blog service providers are constructed to be search engine-friendly, and the more sites your blog links to (or that link to your blog), the more traffic your website is likely to attract. Because blogs deliver all of the news of your business in a concise form, it can also serve as an e-newsletter, which can be subscribed to or syndicated with RSS. By making your business available on new syndicatable fronts, your business can attain a frequency and reach with a new level of targeting for business prospects.
Another aspect of the blog that many executives who have turned to blogging espouse is the self-examination of your business that occurs when you blog. The business blogger is compelled to crystallize, organize and define every aspect of the business, both for themselves and for others. In doing so, not only can your business become more refined, it can also “know itself” better. To compliment this, a blog can also be made to work internally (known as an intra-blog) as well as externally, operating as an inter-office communication tool that offers many advantages over e-mail. Best of all, by making communication readily available to anyone with an Internet connection, your business can position itself as a leader in its industry. Additionally, even if your business website is lacking (or if you don’t have one at all), the icing on the cake is that blogs organize information in a way that is easy to read and while remaining attractive to the eye.
Keep in mind that blogging is not a replacement for advertising. It’s a different kind of tool that requires a formal strategy. The good news is that being a great writer isn’t necessary because the personalized impromptu nature of a blog is an appeal to the culture itself. Blogging also does not require babysitter to work. To the contrary: the blog is a tool that is cooperative, intimate, and personal. Moreover, it can give your business the chance to build powerful trust-based relationships with your clientele along as well as endless self-promotion that go hand in hand.
Thinking about blogging but not sure what to blog about? Here are just a few possibilities:
· Use it as a forum to discuss updates on products, services of business activities, and solicit input from new and prospective clients.
· Kick around untested ideas that your customers might be willing to share insight.
· Replace your printed company newsletter or bulletin board with a blog that can serve the same functions. Share information on events, changes in your business, updates on special projects.
· Depending on the nature of your business, you might find numerous other ways to improve the efficiency of your business with a blog. Many universities, for example, now showcase a handful of student blogs on their websites to show prospective students a glimpse of what campus life is like – an effective and cost-free recruiting tool. You’ve likely also heard of the guy who used his blog to barter from a red paperclip to a house in one year.
· Blog about your business industry itself. Network with other professionals from similar businesses and learn from them – all businesses have their own experiences. Still looking for ideas? Consult the web's largest Business Blog Search Engine and Directory by iBlog Business. Browse by industry or search to see what some of your competitors are doing.
Summary
Business blogging presents a great opportunity to tap into one of the largest communication networks at a fraction of the cost in maintaining a regular Website. To do it effectively for your business, blogging must become “center plate” even though initial rewards come slower and at the expense to traditional mediums. However, with invested time, the fruits of hard work will pay off in the forms of improved customer intimacy, priceless core industry knowledge, and brand equity just to name a few. Best of all, its free for the taking!
Christian Del Monte: Director of Operations for TMA E-Marketing has a B.S. degree in Marketing from Minnesota State University, Mankato.
He has directed and worked on Internet marketing projects for mid to large-scale clients including several fortune 500 companies. Christian continues to head up the operations for TMA as well as lead research and development on vertical search markets and business blogging.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Christian_Del_Monte
Tuesday, September 19, 2006
Powerful Nonprofit Blogging via The Corporate Blogging Book
By Nancy E. Schwartz
So if your nonprofit is blogging, or going to blog, (and you should be), I urge you to plunge into Debbie Weil's just-published guide to organizational blogging, The Corporate Blogging Book.
Debbie is my guru on many things online, and a truly original thinker in terms of blogging. Here's what I like about The Corporate Blogging Book:
Covers all core topics relevant to launching, and maintaining, an organizational blog.
So this guide, along with Getting Attention's nonprofit-specific blogging tips, is all you need to get blogging.
Stays accessible, and relevant to, bloggers-to-be, nonprofit leadership, and experienced bloggers alike.
I don't know how she does it but Debbie writes and organizes content so that it's universally accessible. She starts by answering the top 20 questions about corporate blogging, and digs in from there. The reader can go as deep, or stay as shallow, as she likes.
Addresses the oh-so-daunting fear of blogging that keeps too many nonprofits away.
Fear of blogging (takes too much time is the greatest fear) is the barrier to entry I hear from nonprofits time and time again. Debbie confronts fear straight on, acknowledging its frequency and providing clear, practical guidelines on how to avert whatever your nonprofit fears most.
Her anti-fear strategies include interviewing peer nonprofits that are blogging before you start, and drafting comprehensive organizational blogging guidelines.
Outlines how blogs can benefit your organization, and how you can measure their impact.
ROI, ROI, ROI. That's all I've heard for the last few years as the framework for blog impact. Now Debbie suggests that ROB (return on blog) is what you're looking for, and demonstrates what that'll do for your nonprofit.
By the way, the ROB your nonprofit should focus on is continued conversations with your target audiences. Remember, its conversing with the right audiences, not the sheer volume of traffic, that matters.
Guides you through blog implementation, which is a frequent stumbling point once nonprofits decide to blog.
Debbie's coverage includes:
Top ten blog writing tips. How to find the right blogging tools and technology that are right for your nonprofit. Selling your leadership on blogging. Provides corporate blogging models – at both Fortune 500 and small-business level, that serve as real-life inspiration (and proof) of how blogging will benefit your nonprofit.
The Corporate Blogging Book, paired with the nonprofit-specific blogging guidance I provide in the Getting Attention blog and e-newsletter (links below), will take your nonprofit to blogging success.
Move forward. Order Weil's guidebook today:
http://tinyurl.com/hofml
Nancy E. Schwartz helps nonprofits succeed through effective marketing and communications.
Subscribe to her free e-newsletter "Getting Attention," at http://www.nancyschwartz.com/getting_attention.html and read her blog at http://www.gettingattention.org for more insights, ideas and great tips on attracting the attention your organization deserves.
Article Source: ttp://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Nancy_E._Schwartz
Whenever I'm diving into something new, I like to have some guidance on hand. Whether I cobble that together from several online sources (of course, I have to know which ones are reliable), a peer or workshop, or a handbook, I just need that guidance. Guidance seems to be a basic human need for most folks.
So if your nonprofit is blogging, or going to blog, (and you should be), I urge you to plunge into Debbie Weil's just-published guide to organizational blogging, The Corporate Blogging Book.
Debbie is my guru on many things online, and a truly original thinker in terms of blogging. Here's what I like about The Corporate Blogging Book:
Covers all core topics relevant to launching, and maintaining, an organizational blog.
So this guide, along with Getting Attention's nonprofit-specific blogging tips, is all you need to get blogging.
Stays accessible, and relevant to, bloggers-to-be, nonprofit leadership, and experienced bloggers alike.
I don't know how she does it but Debbie writes and organizes content so that it's universally accessible. She starts by answering the top 20 questions about corporate blogging, and digs in from there. The reader can go as deep, or stay as shallow, as she likes.
Addresses the oh-so-daunting fear of blogging that keeps too many nonprofits away.
Fear of blogging (takes too much time is the greatest fear) is the barrier to entry I hear from nonprofits time and time again. Debbie confronts fear straight on, acknowledging its frequency and providing clear, practical guidelines on how to avert whatever your nonprofit fears most.
Her anti-fear strategies include interviewing peer nonprofits that are blogging before you start, and drafting comprehensive organizational blogging guidelines.
Outlines how blogs can benefit your organization, and how you can measure their impact.
ROI, ROI, ROI. That's all I've heard for the last few years as the framework for blog impact. Now Debbie suggests that ROB (return on blog) is what you're looking for, and demonstrates what that'll do for your nonprofit.
By the way, the ROB your nonprofit should focus on is continued conversations with your target audiences. Remember, its conversing with the right audiences, not the sheer volume of traffic, that matters.
Guides you through blog implementation, which is a frequent stumbling point once nonprofits decide to blog.
Debbie's coverage includes:
Top ten blog writing tips. How to find the right blogging tools and technology that are right for your nonprofit. Selling your leadership on blogging. Provides corporate blogging models – at both Fortune 500 and small-business level, that serve as real-life inspiration (and proof) of how blogging will benefit your nonprofit.
The Corporate Blogging Book, paired with the nonprofit-specific blogging guidance I provide in the Getting Attention blog and e-newsletter (links below), will take your nonprofit to blogging success.
Move forward. Order Weil's guidebook today:
http://tinyurl.com/hofml
Nancy E. Schwartz helps nonprofits succeed through effective marketing and communications.
Subscribe to her free e-newsletter "Getting Attention," at http://www.nancyschwartz.com/getting_attention.html and read her blog at http://www.gettingattention.org for more insights, ideas and great tips on attracting the attention your organization deserves.
Article Source: ttp://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Nancy_E._Schwartz
Monday, September 18, 2006
Freelance Blogging: Get Hired To Blog And Earn Thousands A Month
By Angela Booth
Blogging gives you a great way to learn some extra cash. You can even turn blogging into a full-time career, or a new business. Getting started as a freelance blogger is simple. All you need to do is create a blog, make a few blog posts (these are your work samples), and then look for blogging gigs.
Create a blog
If you don't already have a blog, creating a blog is your first step. You can do this very quickly. Creating a new blog at blogger.com (which is owned by Google) only takes a minute or two. This is your "sample" blog. Think of this blog as your blogging portfolio.
Your blogging topic can be in any subject area that you choose, but give some thought to your potential clients - don't make your blogging topic too personal. If you have expertise in a particular area like finance, technology or health, make this the subject area of your blog.
Write some blog posts
Now your blog has been created, it's time to make some blog posts. Your entries are published in reverse chronological order, with the most recent entry first. Your first entry can be a brief statement (no more than 100 words) about the general topic of your blog.
For example, if your blog is about dieting, you could summarize the areas (recipes, weight lost tips, health tips) you intend to cover. Or your first post could be an introduction: tell your readers who you are, and why the topic of the blog concerns you. Or you can skip the idea of an introductory post altogether, and just jump into your topic.
Look for blogging gigs
Great - you've created two or more blog entries. Now it's time to look for your first blog-job. Your first step is to write a blog post about your availability to blog. You can make this entry detailed, or extremely brief.
If you wish, you can add a link to your online resume or CV.
Where do you find blogging jobs? You'll find that several sites have already been set up to match bloggers with companies that want to hire them. Enter "blog jobs" into a search engine to find your initial leads.
You'll also find companies looking for bloggers at out-sourcing venues like guru.com. However, be aware that on these sites, you're competing against others for gigs - don't be tempted to underbid others. Under-bidding is a bad idea because it's terrible marketing. Once you set your price low, it's hard to lift it. Have an awareness of what blogging is worth, and set your price appropriately. Companies which want bloggers don't want the cheapest option - they want the best they can afford.
So there you have it: everything you need to know to get started as a freelance blogger today. Create a blog, make some entries, get a gig. Good luck with your blogging career. If you're a born blogger, you can turn your freelance blogging into a full-time career.
Good luck, and happy blogging.
Angela Booth is a veteran copywriter and blogger. Her ebook, Blogging For Dollars: How to become a career blogger -- in your PJs, if you want, is available at http://www.abmagic.com/Blog/blogging.html You can visit the book's blog at http://www.dollars2blog.com/blog/ Angela will show you how to turn a humble blog into a great career, or a lucrative business.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Angela_Booth
Blogging gives you a great way to learn some extra cash. You can even turn blogging into a full-time career, or a new business. Getting started as a freelance blogger is simple. All you need to do is create a blog, make a few blog posts (these are your work samples), and then look for blogging gigs.
Create a blog
If you don't already have a blog, creating a blog is your first step. You can do this very quickly. Creating a new blog at blogger.com (which is owned by Google) only takes a minute or two. This is your "sample" blog. Think of this blog as your blogging portfolio.
Your blogging topic can be in any subject area that you choose, but give some thought to your potential clients - don't make your blogging topic too personal. If you have expertise in a particular area like finance, technology or health, make this the subject area of your blog.
Write some blog posts
Now your blog has been created, it's time to make some blog posts. Your entries are published in reverse chronological order, with the most recent entry first. Your first entry can be a brief statement (no more than 100 words) about the general topic of your blog.
For example, if your blog is about dieting, you could summarize the areas (recipes, weight lost tips, health tips) you intend to cover. Or your first post could be an introduction: tell your readers who you are, and why the topic of the blog concerns you. Or you can skip the idea of an introductory post altogether, and just jump into your topic.
Look for blogging gigs
Great - you've created two or more blog entries. Now it's time to look for your first blog-job. Your first step is to write a blog post about your availability to blog. You can make this entry detailed, or extremely brief.
If you wish, you can add a link to your online resume or CV.
Where do you find blogging jobs? You'll find that several sites have already been set up to match bloggers with companies that want to hire them. Enter "blog jobs" into a search engine to find your initial leads.
You'll also find companies looking for bloggers at out-sourcing venues like guru.com. However, be aware that on these sites, you're competing against others for gigs - don't be tempted to underbid others. Under-bidding is a bad idea because it's terrible marketing. Once you set your price low, it's hard to lift it. Have an awareness of what blogging is worth, and set your price appropriately. Companies which want bloggers don't want the cheapest option - they want the best they can afford.
So there you have it: everything you need to know to get started as a freelance blogger today. Create a blog, make some entries, get a gig. Good luck with your blogging career. If you're a born blogger, you can turn your freelance blogging into a full-time career.
Good luck, and happy blogging.
Angela Booth is a veteran copywriter and blogger. Her ebook, Blogging For Dollars: How to become a career blogger -- in your PJs, if you want, is available at http://www.abmagic.com/Blog/blogging.html You can visit the book's blog at http://www.dollars2blog.com/blog/ Angela will show you how to turn a humble blog into a great career, or a lucrative business.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Angela_Booth
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