Introduction To Blogging - How To Build Customer Relationships
The term blog comes from the word iweblog. Blogs have been around for approximately 6 years in their current form - as a digital journal maintained by one or more authors. The blogosphere is the portion of the Internet where the websites are blogs. Anyone who blogs (writes blog entries) is referred to as a blogger.
Part of the charm of a blog is that the writing voice is very personal, one-on-one. This is much more palatable to readers, making it easier for them to trust the writer. Research shows that the most popular blogs also have a photo of the writer, even if the blog ultimately exists for promoting the services or products of a business. This also builds trust, and would seem out of place on a regular website, unless it was a regular column - and thus similar to a blog anyway.
Another advantage that a blog has over a regular website is that Search Engines currently love indexing them, since the content is typically updated very regularly. In fact, successful bloggers say that you must write and post blog entries at least daily, if not multiple times daily, if you want your blog to rank high in the Search Engines and blog directories for relevant keywords.
An ongoing experiment of mine shows that my blogs get indexed by the Search Engines more frequently than my regular websites. If you have both a website and a blog, you can then use the relative popularity of your blog to advertise your website, thus drawing traffic.
Another use for a blog is to develop Google PR (Page Rank) for your main site. If you write and post quality content to your blog frequently, you will eventually draw links from other arwebsites and blogs. This in turn helps increase your blog’s PR - a relative measure of popularity - which helps your visibility in the Google SERPs (Search Engine Results Pages). Similarly, if your blog links back to your main site, the site’s PR will eventually increase as well.
On the issue of using a blog to promote your business, you have to tread carefully. Your blog has to offer informative content without hard-selling your products and services. (But there is one blog, Woot.com, which exists solely to sell a new product every day.)
If you do publish a “business” blog, offer tips relevant to your business and its industry. Build trusting relationships. For example, if you selling antique furniture to consumers, offer useful do-it-yourself tips on refinishing, hints on how to save money by bargaining, materials to use for fix-it projects, and so on. Show the reader that you are interested in their well-being and finances, not just your bottom-line sales.
On the other hand, if your business caters to wholesale furniture buyers for chain or department stores, your blog content will have to be different. Such buyers are not interested in the same information as the average antique buyer. Target your blog content appropriately.
You can also add advertising to your site, which should be relevant to your blogging topics. Many of the ad networks provide “contextual” ads by scanning your blog (or website) and checking for keywords. The delivered ads will be thus be relevant.
While some people view ads as an annoyance, there are others who are searching for information. They may find your website via a Search Engine, but they may still be looking for additional information, or even product-specific information. The intent of contextual advertising is to provide links to sites with such information. And you get rewarded for (legitimate) clicks on ad links.
The truth is, there are millions of blogs out there, and blogging services report that number is growing rapidly on a daily basis. Carve out a niche relevant to your business. Exercise the leverage that Search Engines give to blogs. Post surveys and comment boxes so that readers can interact with you. In other words, build a relationship with readers. It takes time and effort to develop regular traffic to your blog, and quality content and frequency is the key.
(c) Copyright: 2005-present, Raj Kumar Dash, Chameleon Integration Systems
Raj Kumar Dash is a writer, author, and Internet consultant. Visit his hubsite at http://www.chameleonintegration.com/ to find the full introduction to blogging. (A free ebook on blogging is in the works.) Newbie bloggers can also visit Raj’s BlogSpinner blog at http://blogspinner.countwordula.com/ for a “how-to guide to blogging”.
Posted by: Wade Sonenberg | Wednesday, March 12, 2008 | no comments | 
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RoswellOfficeCondos.com goes Live
We just wrapped another site this morning, RoswellOfficeCondos.com. It’s a rather simple yet elegant little site, based on the Cleaker 2.1 theme by Adam Walker Cleaveland. Time was money on this one, and by going with a premade WP theme (with some modifications of course) we had it out on the web in 48 hours.
Screenshot:
RoswellOfficeCondos.com includes:
- All the basic info on the park
- Suite specific pages
- Virtual tours
- Photo Galleries
- Map & custom directions form via mapquest
- Embedded youtube video
- Contact form
Visit Roswell Office Condos
Posted by: Wade Sonenberg | Tuesday, March 11, 2008 | no comments | Email This Post
Free Bonefish Fishing Web Site & Blog
I love fishing.
I like designing websites. Is it too big of a dream that I can combine these two?
Rainmaker Web Design is giving away a beautiful Bonefish Fishing themed website, with no strings attached. If interested, please read on to discover why and what one lucky captain will get.
Screenshot below, please read on for features, etc.
Click image to see a live demo…
Why free, and what does Rainmaker get out of it?
I’ve been fishing since I could carry a pole. Bass & trout fishing in my native state of Georgia, and also in Key Largo where my grandparents lived for quite sometime. In addition, I’ve been designing websites for about four years, and have had some success with internet marketing and SEO for small businesses. I want to combine the two, and truly do what I love, all day every day.
The problem is, there are no fishing sites in my portfolio!
So when I talk to fishing guides & charter services, and offer my services, all I can show them is real estate sites, small business sites, and the like.
So help me help you which actually helps me, if that makes any sense at all….
The Deal
I’m giving the whole design away to one bonefishing captain, but not just any. I need a partner who is willing to put in a little work (non-technical) to achieve high rankings in Google, and therefore much greater traffic and hopefully more bookings. This system has worked very well for me, personally, and for many clients in achieving marked improvements in their search rankings - but you have to work the system for it to work for you. That said, you won’t pay me a penny.
How it works:
- You periodically have to add content to the site through your new blog “The Bonefishing Report.” Don’t worry, blogging is as easy as creating a word document, or checking your bank account online. You can even try it out before hand if you have any reservations.
- Trade links with other fishing sites and fishing blogs, again, it’s very easy and no need to write any code or other geek stuff.
- Lastly, you’ll need a domain name and Linux OS hosting (3rd party) if you don’t already. And if not, I’ll even help you set it up.
About the site
- Tested with all major internet browsers
- Built-in Wordpress blog
- Flash header with six custom bonefishing graphics
- Contact form (hides your email from spammers)
- Reservations management system
- Built in photo gallery
- Embedded weather, water temp., moon rise/phase, tide charts (location can be changed), and wave height.
- Other standard charter service pages, such as “What to Bring” - all you have to do is enter the information.
Any interested parties, please contact me through our “Contact” page, or give me a buzz at 770.377.6345.
Posted by: Wade Sonenberg | Sunday, March 9, 2008 | 3 comments | Email This Post
A Great RSS Primer
For those of you who haven’t run across RSS feeds & readers, or if you’ve heard the name but you’r not sure what RSS is exactly - check out this introduction post. It’s non-technical, and RSS is going to cause some fundamental changes in how we use the web over the next few years, especialy those of us using the web as a marketing platform.
Posted by: Wade Sonenberg | Thursday, March 6, 2008 | no comments | Email This Post
Forum Posting: Clients, Links, and Search Engines
Gone are the days when online forums were “geek-only” territory. Now, not only is there a deluge of forum posters for every possible subject, but even more people are finding & reading forum posts - and they may be your customers.
Building Business through Forum Posts
Knowledgeable posts and interesting discussions on forums and message boards can benefit your business in four ways:
- It helps establish you as an authority. Think about someone searching for family trust or tax issue that you answered back in 2006. You had it answered, think they may want to give you a call if estate planning is on their mind?
- Direct Web Traffic. And it’s targeted too. Let’s say you answered the question “What’s the best time of year to fly fish for tarpon in the Florida Keys?” Potential clients can follow the link in your signature to check you out your charter operation.
- Search Engines Love Them. Posting on boards that allow you to include a link to your website is a cheap and non-technical way to increase your search engines by building relevant, in-bound links to your website or blog.
- It keeps working for you. Although message boards normally list current topics first, your post content still shows up in the message board’s search function as well as search engines proper. The post is still their linking to your website, so the in-bound link isn’t going anywhere. Lastly, on many forums, when a visitor comments on an old post - it jumps right back up to the top for it’s category!
Pick Your Forum Wisely
Nearly all forums and message boards are free, with few exceptions, skip any that have membership fees. There are three criteria you should evaluate before joining a forum and posting on it regularly.
Subject Matter
Sounds like a no-brainer, huh? Well, back up for a minute and think about where your customers or clients might lurk. Are they going to be in a national fishing forum discussing redfish and marlin, or are they more likely to be zeroed in on a Florida fishing forum before they book their next outing? Every business niche will have a different posture on this, but take a look at who’s posting around the message board and ask yourself is the subject matter relevant to your customers?
Popularity
Nobody likes talking to themselves, and web forums are no different. Look for vibrant, active communities to join, it will help you more in search engine rankings and human trafficNobody likes talking to themselves, and web forums are no different. Look for vibrant, active communities to join, it will help you more in search engine rankings and human traffic.
Signature & Linking Policies
Last, but most important. Make sure to read the message board’s terms/rules/guidelines and find out if you are allowed to add link(s) to website in your signature. Without links, it may be fun and/or informative, but it’s not doing anything for your business. Even if you can put your company name in a signature, will the interested parties “Google” it? If they do, will they find you? Speaking of Google, and all major search engines for that matter…. The web is a democracy, and think of links as votes. The more votes, the better the rankings. If you write an excellent post or tutorial on tying salt water flies, they won’t know who wrote it if your link isn’t in the signature.
How do I find them?
A simple search on your favorite search engine should suffice. Just enter your trade or industry name, along with geographic keywords if appropriate, and take a look at the top results.
What is a signature? What’s the best setup?
A signature, in forums speak, is text, links, and even images that are automatically inserted underneath your forum post as shown below:
Each forum may be different, but somewhere under “Profile” or “User Control Panel” or the like, will be an option to set up your signature. While adding your name, company name, an image, or anything else is up for debate - you certainly want a link (or more if allowed) to your website. If possible, you want to include keywords into the actual text of the link (called anchor text), because it tells search engines what your site is about. Links will most likely be inserted in one of three ways:
- Bulletin Board Code. Just copy this code, making the necessary changes of course: [URL=http://yourwebsiteaddress.com]Your Website OR Keywords[/URL]
- HTML. Again, copy this code making the necessary changes: <a href=”http://yourwebsiteaddress” mce_href=”http://yourwebsiteaddress”>Your Website OR Keywords</a>
- Code Editor. There are many variations on this, but anything that pops up and asks you the name/text and address for a link that you wish to insert. Just enter your website’s name or keywords in the name/text box, with your website’s URL in the link box.
Tips on Posting
- Don’t be a spammer! Nobody likes spammers, and quickly posting “Have boat, can fish, call me” will annoy board members, potential clients, and possibly get you banned from the forum.
- Do make worthwhile contributions. You don’t have to give up the farm, or for example, list GPS waypoints of your favorite fishing hole. But lending your knowledge or perspective on an issue can demonstrate your command of the subject matter, and build a solid foundation for building personal relationships and sales.
- Strong, concise titles. A great title is half the battle in getting readers to check out your post. It should be as concise and descriptive as possible, and never post generic titles such as “Fishing?”
- Provocative posts are actually good. Controversial posts are often replied to more, and also linked to more often from external websites. This keeps your post up at the top for longer, and increases the value of that signature link in the eyes of search engines.
Posted by: Wade Sonenberg | Wednesday, March 5, 2008 | 3 comments | Email This Post
Create a Business Blog - 10 Steps to a Better Blog
Building a business blog is a great online marketing tool for finding new customers and networking online. Once you have set up your own blog, either on your own domain name and website or off site like http://www.blogger.com, it’s time to start posting effective blog entries that draw visitors.
How?
Follow these 10 steps to a better business blog!
Strong Post Titles
Title your posts for grabbing readers attention and help search engines find your blog. Every blog post has a title. Make each title strong, concise with your most important key word first in the title. This title is the heading that others see first through RSS readers so make it a grabbing headline.
Example: Stuffable Teddy Bears with Noah’s Ark Workshop or AmeriPlan - Latest Bonus Opportunity.
Strong Post Introduction
Start your actual blog entry with the same key words, phrase as your title. Think of it as reinforcing your theme of your post to your readers but it will also help with search engines and RSS readers that display your blog may include the first few lines of your latest post.
Make your blog informative.
Teach your readers and consumers. Share your knowledge to help them make informed decisions. No Hype - avoid making your blog post an advertisement. Avoid sounding like an advertisement ~ internet surfers are wise to the language of SALES.
Become a resource.
Through consistent effective blogging, you will establish yourself as an expert in your area whether it’s about cooking or candles, home decor or direct sales. Present your blog posts in a way that invites discussion with an email address for readers to contact you for more information or answer questions.
Create a Dynamic Blog
Encourage feedback. A blog with comments, feedback, discussions will create more visitors and establish your blog as dynamic and interactive. A static blog that simply has post after post of self discussion is much less effective as a marketing tool so work to make your blog shine. Within your post invite your readers to click-thru for more information on whatever you are discussing. This will bring visitors to your own website to see product, read more and potentially create sales.
Make your business blog a big part of your marketing
Discipline yourself to blog frequently. Essentially, train yourself in the same manner you use to post your ads through your online groups. Create a new blog entry even 2-3 short paragraphs several times a week. At a minimum, blog weekly. Publishing a new blog entry 3-5 times a week will keep your blog being read, crawled by search engines and creating headlines on the RSS feeds which is what you want.
Think Search Engines when blogging
Work to use a few important key words over and over within each blog entry. Consistent use of the same key words that internet surfers use to search will build up page after page of these search relevant key words in your blog. When you have a blog with 15 posts in your blog with titles and blog entries about soy candles, scents, safety and specials - search engines will read your blog as it would a website.
A blog with several posts (pages) on the same subject with the same key words but unique content will give you search engine traffic that you can learn to funnel to your own website or direct sales company website.
Publish your own articles on your business blog
Post your own articles to your blog, complete with resource box and permission to publish with resource box intact. Your own articles will give you further credibility and build readership. Other than your own website, your business blog is the perfect venue to you to publish your thoughts, ideas, and business plans through articles and business writing.
Use your blogs links section
The links section of your blog give your readers the opportunity to explore your websites, your newsletter, services and products further after they have read your latest post. Make sure your blog links section clearly directs readers to your own website but also to sign up for your newsletter or read other blogs you have online.
Be sure to PING!
Finally, take the time to understand how to ping your blog. Whether you are using a ready made blogging system like Blogger or your own blog set up on your website - every time you publish your blog you have one more step before your work is done! The absolute minimum is to submit your blog each time to Ping-o-matic http://www.pingomatic.com Your latest blog will be sent out to a number of feeds and blog services for online publication.
When you are ready to begin actively promoting your blog, you will move beyond using only Ping-o-matic as your announcement for your business blog.
Remember to keep your business blog ever focused on your readers, your target market. Your blog will be found by both RSS readers AND search engines following these 10 steps to a better blog!
Tammy Ames is the owner of WAHM Connections bringing home business learning to striving entrepreneurs. You can visit her blog at WAHM Connections here WAHM Blog for home business owners.
Posted by: Wade Sonenberg | Wednesday, March 5, 2008 | 2 comments | Email This Post
Every Business Needs To Blog
Blogging is a weblog or online journal where people write their daily (or at least frequent) adventures, sentiments, or whatever other ideas they want to express online. What started out as more of a personal commentary about one’s own life events and beliefs, has taken the internet by storm and is now used for both personal and business agendas alike.
With the steady progression of online businesses, blogs have become an inexpensive, yet very effective method of advertising. Business blogs are basically created to advertise the services or products of a certain web site or online business in order to increase online sales. Here are 5 reasons why blogging should be included in your arsenal of internet marketing tools.
* Blogging is pretty straightforward and non-technical. It’s like having a virtual piece of paper where you can make it known to the world (or at least to your readers) your ideas, experiences, products and services. With no particular writing format to follow, bloggers have the freedom to express themselves creatively and use what ever individualistic writing style they feel comfortable with. This opens the door for just about anyone who has access to a computer to tap out a few words and exploit a blog for all its benefits.
* Blogging is authentic and personal. Real people share their real-life experiences, unscathed by paid advertising. Reading blogs about products or services has a much more personal appeal. Reading a blog can be like talking to person first hand about their experiences.
* Blogging is free. Blogging sites offer free services with minimal restrictions. Within 10 minutes after registering for an account, you can easily be up and blogging. Any opportunity for free web time is definitely a bonus, especially for businesses that are just starting up. Paid blog sites are not bound by the same restrictions and have the potential to generate more income for your seriously growing business.
* Blogging builds credibility. Consistently posting quality content will gain you notoriety as an expert and can position you and your company as a leader in the field. Readers who benefit from what you post will not only continue to return, but can increase your readership by providing links to your blog.
* Blogging builds relationships. As a forum where your main objective is not to sell, you can establish a more personal relationship between you and your customers. Blogs give your readers an option to leave comments and a way for you to measure the value of what you are offering. Feedback can be used to determnine the needs and wants of your customers.
A major difference between a blog and a conventional website is that a website needs to be promoted in order for it to bee seen. Blogs on the other hand, have a unique quality which allows them to announce themselves and can keep doing so with every posted update. These are just a few of the many benefits blogging can bring to your business. Give your business a boost by effectively using blogging as an internet marketing tool.
Andrea Chin surrounds herself with like minded people and learns from the best. Get the Truth about this business and partner yourself with a Team that is already achieving the success you desire.
Posted by: Wade Sonenberg | Wednesday, March 5, 2008 | no comments | Email This Post
DIY SEO: Which Keywords?
Before getting into the intricacies of how to rank well in the search engines, we need to first discuss what we want to target. First a quick example, our family’s commercial real estate website. We started by targeting terms like “commercial real estate” and “commercial property” along with our trade areas of “Roswell,” “Alpharetta,” and “North Fulton”. We quickly ranked #1 in Google, MSN, and Yahoo for the terms “North Fulton Commercial” and others similar. Great, right? Nope, because nobody was typing the search term “North Fulton commercial property” into the search boxes!
Target Keywords that will generate Traffic
But how? Below you’ll find some tools to check search volume for a list of keywords, that way you won’t go into you’re DIY SEO campaign blindly.
Start by making a list of possible keywords for your business, and don’t forget - if your business has anything to do with a geographic area, make sure to include the place names.
For example, if I were running a guide outfit for bonefish in the Florida keys, my list might look like this:
- Fishing
- Bonefish
- Tarpon
- Permit
- Florida Keys
- Key Largo
- Islamorada
- Upper Keys
- Flats Fishing
- Backcountry Fishing
- Charters
- Guides
Great, now we have our keyword list, here’s what to do with it.
Google Keywords Tool
Log onto the Google Adwords Tool, and enter in one of your keyword phrases.
Feel free to experiment with the columns list, showing search trends, cost per click, but it all comes down to the “Search Volume” and “Advertiser Competition” columns. Anything with no data under the search volume column, put a big red line through it.
Pay special attention to terms or phrases that have a relatively high search volume, and low advertiser competition. These are the terms you can rank well with easily, and have high search volume for traffic generation.
Notice the difference between the term highlighted in red and the ones in green.
*Please note, I’m not saying you should disregard highly competitive keywords, we’ll focus on them once we have the DIY SEO techniques down. Do disregard keywords that have little or no search data, you’ll be wasting time that could go into better keywords.
Posted by: Wade Sonenberg | Monday, February 25, 2008 | no comments | Email This Post
Fishing And Hunting Guides - Blogging Will Increase Bookings and Revenue
Hunters and fishermen are increasingly using the internet to find pros and guides on their next outing. Blogging is the most effective way to reach these potential clients, whether used separately or in conjunction with an existing website. Hunting and fishing guides who blog will consistently do two things: 1.) Get more eyeballs on their company, outfit, or organization and 2.) Convert more of these viewers to clients. Read on for the how and why this concept works:
1.) You’re the expert, prove it!
If you’re the guy that knows Florida flats bonefish, or how rocky mountain elk react to early fall snow, give tips and advice. Potential clients will recognize you as an expert and wonder what other tricks you have up your sleeve. Give teasers, but you don’t have to give away that favorite fishing hole.
2.) Fishing/Hunting Reports
First thing potential clients are going to want to know is what fish are running at that time of year, or when the rut starts. Give them an idea of when their target species is doing what through periodic updates.
3.) Regulations
Second thing potential clients are looking for: what bag limits are in place, when is the season for a particular game, how would one draw permits for such a beast or is this something the guide can handle for me? Note, a link to the state DNR web page will do, but covering them your self is even better.
4.) Profile Fish and Game
Detail what’s out there to hunt or fish. Give photos, describe what kind of trip is involved, and list what options are available for bagging their dream or game.
5.) Search Engines Love Blogs
Not all websites are created equal. Search engines love blogs because they are text heavy, deliver fresh content, create unique titles, and a number of other SEO factors not within the scope of this article. What’s important is that blogs can consistently outperform traditional websites for target search terms, but also maximize the effect of long tail search terms (google “long tail seo”). You’ll be surprised at how many people find you and your blog by seemingly random search terms such as a particular mountain you hunt, or a reef you mentioned last spring.
6.) Pictures are Your Friend
Potential clients want nothing more than to be the face in that picture of a 32″ redfish, trophy rainbow, or a 400 class elk. Photo galleries are a great idea, but also feature a trophy from time to time with a very ecstatic client in the background.
7.) Testimonials
If you’re really making people happy, they will love to give you great feedback. Email some past clients for a testimonial, or better yet ask a happy client to write a note on the boat ride or hike back from your outing. Most clients are happy to help, and you wouldn’t believe how far testimonials go to build credibility.
8.) It’s Easy
Anybody who can use the internet and make complete sentences can do it. Potential clients aren’t looking for Pulitzer Prize awarding writing; they are looking for the scoop on their next destination and somebody who can take them to where the “big ones” are located. Most blogging platforms offer an easy to use web interface to write, edit, and change the look of the blog very easily.
9.) Low Cost or No Cost
Setting up a domain name with a new blog (or paying somebody to do so), isn’t expensive at all, usually running around $80 to $200 a year depending on hosting, features, etc. since software packages such as Wordpress and TypePad are free. An even easier, and free option is to host your blog on a free blogging platform such as Wordpress.com, TypePad.com, Blogger.com, or even OutdoorsBlogger.com.
Posted by: Wade Sonenberg | Monday, February 25, 2008 | no comments | Email This Post
The Search Engines are Hungry- Feed Them
One of the three pillars of SEO strategy is of content, specifically relevant text that is search engine readable. We’re going to take a look at what is search engine friendly content, what is not, and how to find out what your site or blog looks like to search engines.
Search Engine Readable - What is it?
Search engines index your web page and everybody else’s by scanning the HTML code contained within it. They scan looking to determine the content and context of the page, and also consider relevant HTML tags (H1, H2, H3, em, strong, etc.).
Search Engine Readable - What’s left out?
Search engines do not, however, load images, CSS styles, and animation (including Flash). Text that is written in images, including navigation menus, are invible without using the “alt” tag, which by the way is a poor substitute. This means anything written in these images or animations will not be indexed, and won’t influence your search engine rankings accordingly.
Examples: Good & Bad
Here’s an example of a full Flash site, loaded in a frame set. Notice how there are no written words to give search engines a clue as to what this page is about?
On the other hand, the following page offers lots of written text, links, and HTML tags:
See what the Search Engines see
To view what content the search engines can index, simply enter your web address in the following page address in the tool below.
http://www.willmaster.com/library/tools/What_Search_Engine_Spiders_See.php?dlperry
Posted by: Wade Sonenberg | Wednesday, February 20, 2008 | no comments | Email This Post
