Category Archives: Blogging

Driving Blog Traffic – A Beginner’s Guide

Blogging, content marketing, Small Business Marketing, Social Media Marketing, Web Traffic

drive blog traffic“There’s an art to increasing a blog’s traffic” Rand Fishkin, The Moz Blog

I have blogged in the past – travel blogs, interest articles and personal online journals – but I was never truly aware of the power of driven blog traffic.

I have realized, though, that it is all very well churning out high quality, human content on a daily basis, blogging about your passion – writing freely about that which makes you tick – if no one is around the read it.

Unfortunately, unless you know how to maximise traffic to your blog, you might as well be shouting from the top of Everest. No one is going to hear you!

If your blog posts are ever going to have an impact on the online community or generate any revenue, it’s vital that lots of people read it!

So, how do you do it?

The experts have proven that great writing and great content is at the heart of SEO.

SEO, done right, should never interfere with great writing – SEO 101, The Moz Blog

Great writing leads to lots of fans and followers who will then create a buzz through links, tweets and shares. None of this can be achieved without making your site accessible and choosing good keywords, and only all together can you achieve great SEO and a great blog site.

A Hard-Hitting Title

It all starts with a hard-hitting and SEO-rich title. It needs to be clear and instantly recognizable to get people to click on it.

The Right Keywords

Blog content that is well written, but also rich in keywords is very SEO friendly. Do your research as to what people are typing into Google and Bing search boxes and tailor your keyword placement accordingly.

The more you understand the habits and behaviors of searchers, the higher you will rank in search engines, and the more traffic your blog will receive. Google Adwords is a fantastic tool for finding out about people’s search habits.

Encourage Links

Search engines also look at who is talking about you and linking to your blog page. Blogs with other sites linking to it are considered more valuable to search engines than those who don’t. Carefully chosen “anchor text” carries the links in your content, allowing it to blend naturally into the text.

Advice from the experts is to not overdo it with links and keywords to keep your blog content organic.

Use Social Media

It’s time to spread the word! Social media channels like Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and LinkedIn are the best tools you have at your disposal for publicising your blog and its content. Choose one or two that best suit the feel and content of your blog and then go for it. Create an engaged, loyal community and interact with them at every opportunity.

Analytics

You have done all the ‘driving’ you can, and your blog is ‘out there’, but how do you know if it is working? It is important that you run constant analytics on your blog, in order to gauge its reach, which posts attract more traffic and where you are ranking in search engines. Try Google Analytics for a start.

So that concludes our journey to discover the basics of driving targeted traffic to your blog. Learning how to drive traffic is an integral and vital part of the blogging process. Just as important, if not more, than crafting brilliant prose.

Our guest blogger, James Roberts, is an avid blogger and a professional copywriter. He loves travelling and takes his laptop with him wherever he goes. Why not follow him on Twitter?

Content Marketing – More Than Just Text

Blogging, Content creation, content marketing, Infographics, SEO, SEO video, Small Business Marketing, Video marketing, YouTube Marketing, , , ,

The hidden power of alternative content marketing

alternative content marketing

Content marketing is a very powerful tool. It can be used to bring in new customers, retain existing customers, and help your brand to establish its authority. All in all, content can do a great number of beneficial things for your brand when it is marketed correctly.

Beyond the blog

There is more to content marketing than simply posting in a blog. Content marketing extends far beyond basic text content – if you want to reach as much of your market as possible, you will need to explore alternative types of content marketing. With different types of content you can appeal to people with different learning styles and those who prefer to receive information from sources other than plain text.

Why alternative content rocks

alternative-content-ideasFor a visual learner there isn’t much that’s more difficult to get through than a wall of text, regardless of how much they need the information it contains. For someone who learns best when someone else is demonstrating a process, text isn’t going to do much good unless it is accompanied by images or a video of some kind.
Alternative content appeals to individuals like these as well as others with similar learning styles.
Examples of alternative content include:

    • Infographics – An alternative to typical text-based content, an infographic can provide consumers with a more visually appealing representation of the information that they need. Infographics are ideal for visual learners and are well-suited to instances where the information that needs to be shared can easily be illustrated by a knowledgeable professional.  Take for example the infographic below, the idea is to take a subject matter of expertise and create something unique and entertaining that has never been done before.

    • Videos – Videos can attract consumers and can be used alone as well as in combination with test, images, and more. Videos appeal most to visual and auditory learners because they can simultaneously show and explain an idea. Video marketing is very popular, and there are even video search engines (think YouTube) to help locate just the right video for your needs.

Video: Why Use Video Marketing?

Alternative content allows you to diversify the content that you offer and broaden your brand’s appeal by reaching out to a wider audience. There is no more need to worry about alienating anyone by not providing the right kind of content; now you can build your audience with as much content as you can afford to create.

Your takeaway

your-takeaway-bags
In the early days of the internet there were no alternatives to plain text. The most that could be done at the time was basic formatting; text could be bold, italic, or underlined. Lists could be made, and text could be separated by headings and subheadings, but that was the extent of a brand’s ability to make their content stand out and be easier to consume.
Fast forward to today and there are so many more options than the early founders of the web might have ever dreamed of.
Now is the perfect time to invest in an alternative form of content and see where the experience will take you and your customers – who knows what your first infographic or video series will bring to your brand?

infographic-about-infographics_5089d6abbf593

Our guest blogger, Kris Dietz, loves creating something amazing then spreading the word about it! My mission is to develop and mold SEO into an amazing outlet of sharing valuable resources. I enjoy networking and meeting like-minded individuals.

So, What Does It Take To Be An Online Expert?

Blogging, Business Tech, Content creation, content marketing,

what does it take to be an online expertMany people profess to be an expert but very few actually succeed and it’s not always through lack of talent, in fact the opposite. There are a lot of hugely talented people out there who have yet to be noticed and the reason for that is technological ignorance. The internet is a pretty incredible creation and it has proved to be the greatest tool to help budding freelancers.

There are lots of online platforms that are there solely for freelancers to show their expert talent to the world. It is such a shame that so many people, whose talent is obviously there, just don’t take advantage of the internet.

There are so many simple ways in which you can increase the effectiveness of your online profile and thus dramatically increase your employability. This article will highlight the main points and provide some guidance about how to do it well.

Grit and Determination

It takes grit and determination to be successful in any career (unless you are an heiress or royalty). You have to have a passion and desire to succeed and provide for your family and yourself. If you have this in your armory then your chance of success is great so long as you have the talent to back you up.

Being a freelance, online expert you have got to be willing to market yourself properly. Your portfolio has to be flawless and innovative, don’t stop until it is perfected, it’s pretty much the easiest way to get noticed so take the appropriate care and ensure that it is constantly updated and kept relevant.

You can’t be successful as a freelancer with grit and determination alone, the natural talent and flare and passion has to be there but if you have that, then its the way you promote yourself online that will secure you work.

In Depth Knowledge

This is a given but I feel it needs to be mentioned. You have got the make yourself the best in the business, the go to guy in your field – you know what type of person I mean. If you select the freelance route in your life then you have got to make sure you won’t make a fool of yourself when questioned by potential employers.

If you know everything there is to know about your area then you will provide a confident and reassuring face for the people who are paying you. It is so important to be transparent on your portfolio, ensure the work is totally yours and make sure that you don’t state anything on there that you can’t answer a detailed question about.

An understanding of your Market

Knowing your competition is important, check out similar experts in your field and assess what you can offer that makes you more employable. If there is nothing, do something about it. Also it may be wise to look through the websites that employers will use, such as Enthuse.me, and see what your profile looks like to them.

Ask people what they think and whether it stands out enough compared to the rest of the market. It’s all about refining the detail and if you do this well it can kick start your career as an online expert.

Our guest blogger, Andrew, is an online author with over 5 years freelance experience. He loves to write advisory texts aimed at young professionals.

Sales Coach, Business Coach, Executive Coach; Which should I Choose?

Blogging, Business Tech, Small Business Marketing

Small business coachLooking for a business coach is a process that no entrepreneur or manager should take lightly. Choosing the right coach can mean a significant difference in the company’s bottom line as well as the business owner’s satisfaction with his or her company. Selecting the wrong coach can lead to wasting money on advice that isn’t particularly helpful. Sales coaches, business coaches, and executive coaches all are people who can assist business owners, but each has pros and cons that should be considered carefully.

Looking for a business coach is a process that no entrepreneur or manager should take lightly. Choosing the right coach can mean a significant difference in the company’s bottom line as well as the business owner’s satisfaction with his or her company. Selecting the wrong coach can lead to wasting money on advice that isn’t particularly helpful. Sales coaches, business coaches, and executive coaches all are people who can assist business owners, but each has pros and cons that should be considered carefully.

Sales Coaches

A sales coach’s job is to help people learn to sell. Often business owners believe very much in their company’s mission and product or service but are unable to determine the best way to convince others to make the purchase. A good sales coach is someone with a background in sales and marketing and the ability to teach others how to work on their pitch and how to deal with clients. The downside of working with a sales coach is they are focused solely on how to make a sale and cannot provide information about other aspects of business. Someone who is not entirely sales-focused may not be a good fit for a sales coach.

Business Coaches

A business coach can aid business owners in making their business ideas work. An entrepreneur who is having trouble putting together a solid business plan or executing ideas can use a business coach to flesh out those issues. The primary benefit of a business coach is as a sounding board. Business coaches can help to put an idea into motion. The downside of using a business coach is that many of these coaches dictate the way that a person starts his or her business. If a business coach is not intimately familiar with the industry in which an entrepreneur’s idea is situated, he or she may give advice that is not beneficial to that person. A medical supply company has significantly different needs from a software company, for example, and the wrong business coach could lead to poor advice for the business owner.

Executive Coaches

The executive coach is in many ways the “advanced” level coach for business owners. Once a company is up and running, the needs of the company change. The business owner, whose true interest likely lies with the company’s initial mission, has to switch gears to working on staffing, networking, and maintaining the company’s assets. An executive coach is able to work with business owners to help them transition their thinking to these issues and understand how best to organize the company in order to   succeed. Executive coaches work only for people who want to adopt a specific management style. People who are still evolving their companies would not do well with an executive coach because the goal is to learn to manage a business, not to build it.

Conclusion

Before committing to a specific type of coaching for business owners, be sure to consider exactly what your needs are and then how each type of coach can provide help for you as you grow your business.

Peter Marino, is a business consultant  for SocialMediaMarketing.co, a full service creative coaching and social media training company based in NYC.