Posts Tagged ‘Blogging’
Saturday, February 6th, 2010
Every day there are thousands of new blogs launched, but only a few get read by more than a several hundred people. What is it that makes the most successful blogs a success? There are many variables to that equation. One thing's for sure, the most successful blogs don't become a hit overnight. The most successful blogs require creativity, consistency, and just plain hard work.
A blog can be your company's hub for communicating with its' target audience. It is where ideas and opinions are exchanged. Think of it as your opportunity for gaining feedback directly from your customers on your products and services. A blog can be your vehicle to gain valuable insight into your customers' wants, needs and desires.
When used strategically, blogs can exponentially amplify the effectiveness of your offline advertising. Your blog is an integral part of your online presence and allows you to demonstrate thought leadership in your industry. Your blog is a platform that allows you to add value to your online community and be perceived as a trusted resource.
Successful blogging is just as much an art as it is a science. At Proteus Design Studio, we have put together a guide to building a successful blog. In the guide you'll find tips for creating useful content, strategies to maximize content distribution, and valuable resources for making social connections. Please share this information with anyone you know that may find it beneficial.
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Tags: amazing blogs, blog strategy, Blogging, business, creating, successful blogs
Posted in Blogs, Social Media Marketing, viral marketing, web strategy | 5 Comments »
Friday, January 15th, 2010
 I can’t think of anything to blog about today! This is a very frustrating feeling that most everyone who writes has experienced at one time or another. Your blog already has a general theme, but for your next post, where do you begin? Coming up with the right topic can be the toughest part of writing. Blogging is supposed to be an enjoyable experience, not a nightmare that you avoid. Yesterday you came up with a great topic, what about tomorrow and then the next day? Does this have to be a constant battle?
When we speak with our clients, we find this to be the biggest killer of what should otherwise be successful blogs. In this post I am going to provide you with a strategy that you can use over and over again to create "Great Blog Post Topics". I’m sure people may have other names for this approach, but I’m going to call it the “Opposites” Chart. The concept here is to draft two lists at the same time, side-by-side of each other. The lists should be based on opposites. Here are some examples to explain better:
Like/Dislike - things you like and dislike about your career, hobbies, or personal life
Usual/Unusual - Things that happen all the time and things that happen rarely.
Fun Things/Things that Suck - Things you do that are enjoyable and things that suck.
Residential Construction
Things I like
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Things I hate
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Using Nail Guns
Working with Concrete
Working with Electrical
Reading Blueprints
Hanging Doors
Driving Bobcat Tractors
Camaraderie
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Clean Up
Rainy Days
Working with Heights
Installing Drywall
Shopping for Supplies
Digging Holes
Wearing Safety Gear
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Your lists should help to quickly produce enough topics to last an entire year. Just make sure you save them for future reference. Not all topics are going to be clear winners. Remember to ask yourself these 4 questions when choosing your next Blog Post Topic:
- Do you have extensive knowledge on the subject?
- Do you feel strongly about this topic?
- Do you think your audience will relate with this topic?
- Is the topic providing something of value to your readers?
I wish you much success with your blog. As with everything in life, you will only get better with practice. If you would like more information on blogging or the use of social media for business, please contact our web design company. ![]()
Tags: blog post, blog topics, Blogging, content, copy, copywrite, Copywriting, ideas, writing
Posted in Copywriting | 4 Comments »
Thursday, January 7th, 2010
I hope this list gives you some useful ideas so that you can create an amazing blog.
- Create a good, unique design
- Easy to navigate site
- Posts that are Consistent and regular
- Content that is helpful and useful
- Create blog posts on niche topics that aren’t oversaturated
- Original content using your, unique voice
- Easy to share content- social media sharing tools/widgets
- Comment on other blogs to become known
- Make it easy for readers to subscribe
- Organization with categories and sub-categories
- Content variety including multimedia
- Functionality- the ability to interact
- Announce your latest blog posts on Twitter
- Write powerful headlines for your articles
- Don’t sensor yourself- Be You!
- Monetize your blog- Banner Ads, Text Ads, etc.
- Reference and link to other blogs
- Engage with commenter’s
- Who, what , where, why, when format
- Use storytelling
- Conciseness and brevity
- Inspirational thoughts and ideas
- Accuracy, sourcing, and references
- Provide examples and demonstrations
- Blog Post Topic diversity
- Imagery and Illustration
- Humor and occasional fun
- Quotes and Acknowledgement
- Controversial discussion
- Sticky CTA’s (Call-to-Action) Entice visitors to return
- Participate on LinkedIn “Answers”
- Distribute posts using social bookmark sites (Digg, StumbleUpon, Reddit, Etc.)
- Proofread, Proofread, Proofread
- Scannable Posts
- Create relevant “Top 10” Lists
- Create “How To” articles
- Write a “series” post
- Don’t duplicate other people’s content
- Provide a picture of yourself and an “About Me”
- Optimize the blog for the Search Engines (SEO practices)
- Use Squidoo and Hubspot to write articles that point back to your blog
- Use Youtube to host and embed video to your blog
- Use Google Analytics to Analyze and Improve Traffic Demographics
- Write content that will still be relevant tomorrow
- Offer a download (free E-book or Guide) to build a e-mail distribution list
- Develop a personal brand
- Add your Blog Link in your E-mail Signature
- Tweet useful news articles on Twitter besides your blog posts
- Don’t over promote yourself or your products
- Submit your blog to blog directories
If you have questions on blogs, blogging, or social media in general, please contact our website design company. ![]()
Tags: Blogging, Blogs, help, ideas, inspiration, marketing, social media, tips
Posted in Blogs | 20 Comments »
Tuesday, June 10th, 2008
Many companies call us inquiring about lead generation over the internet, only to find that pay per click is extemely expensive for their industry. Pay per click is a great program when used properly. It can be very expensive for certain markets, but it can generate immediate results.
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Tags: Blogging, Blogs, business leads, internet leads, internet marketing, lead generation, leads, marketing, Search Engine Optimization, social media
Posted in General | No Comments »
Thursday, May 22nd, 2008
Here are just a few social media sites I like to use to market other websites with:
You Tube – I think everyone has seen or heard of YouTube by now. In order to succeed on YouTube and have your video shared, you may want to upload video content that is funny or has some other type of value to your potential audience. A sales pitch about your stuff probably won’t get a large response. The best example I can think of at the moment is a series of videos by a company called, “BlendTec”. The videos are titled, “Will It Blend”. The videos have seen over 20 million views. Now that’s market reach!
Facebook - Facebook is one of the most Web 2.0 social networking tools. You can join a group of people that all have a similar interest. You could provide that group with valuable information that relates to your services and or products and draw them to your website.
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Tags: Blogging, Blogs, consulting, Facebook, internet marketing, san diego, social media, web 2.0, Web Video, YouTube
Posted in General | 1 Comment »
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Are you ready to get busy and build a nice stream of blog traffic? Just remember that in social media, meaningful content is king. The following is a list of actions of what you’ll need to do to see the first 100,000 blog visitors in 30 days and hopefully many more thereafter!
