BroadVision Marketing Blog

Ask a Realtor what’s one of the most important factors in selling a house and all of them would have “Location, Location, Location” as a factor. When we apply that same question to internet marketing I’m convinced all internet marketers would say “Content, Content, Content.” Although there are many tools available to make your content available online, the most important tool is blogs. So, what is a blog? None better than Wikipedia to answer the question. “A blog (a portmanteau of the term web log)^[1] is a discussion or information site published on the World Wide Web consisting of discrete entries ("posts") typically displayed in reverse chronological order so the most recent post appears first.” Now that you know what a blog is, did you know that according to current estimates there are over 133 million blog readers in the US alone! In other words, if you are not blogging, you are missing a big chunk of readers.

Interestingly enough I have visited several blogs that are missing vital elements, example, several have no comment areas, social media icons, or calls to action. Therefore it seems like a good time to offer some internet marketing tips and talk about what a blog has to have.

Since you are going to the trouble of writing this blog, you really want to make sure that you embrace and include these elements to maximize your positioning, brand, visibility, ability to share, entice visitors, get subscribers, encourage engagement, capture leads, and prove the value of your product or service.  

1. What’s your mindset: Most of the time it is not our skill level or knowledge that stops us from blogging. It is our mindset. Whether the mindset is a fear of failure or fear of success mindset, it’s maybe the biggest reason blocking people from blogging. I can’t change your mindset with this blog but I can give you a few things to consider:
   1. Just start. That’s right, just start. And, instead of wanting to write a perfect blog the first time, get some scratch paper or an online application where you can dot down notes. Do this every day and soon you’ll be surprised by the amount of content and ideas you have amassed.
   2. Be a ferocious reader. Yahoo senior executive, Tim Sanders, wrote in “Love is the Killer App” that if we want to fix our future, we have to start by fixing ourselves: “In the face of war and recession, what the business world needs is less greed – and more love.” He argues that now more than ever, the road to prosperity is paved with a commitment to generosity.
   3. I can see you frowning, what’s generosity got to do with being a ferocious reader. He goes on to say:“Here, then, is my definition of love business: the act of intelligently and sensibly sharing your intangibles with your bizpartners. What are your intangibles? They are our knowledge, our network, and our compassion. These are the keys to true bizlove.”
   4. Getting the picture? The more we read, the more we learn and the more we have to share with others. When we share we have an opportunity to add value.

• An interactive approach: Most popular blogs are interactive. These blogs allow visitors to interact with the message through comments. An interactive approach gives visitors an opportunity to share their voice and a reason to return. The more interaction the higher the possibility that they will share your message with their friends and co-workers. When that takes place your social networking is taking off!
• Does your blog have a title?Why do you want to have a blog title? Isn’t calling it “Blog” enough?
  1. First of all, the title helps in branding. Your title will help prospective readers find out if they want to read this blog or not.
  2. Second, your title will show up on your subscribers’ RSS readers or in their email inbox.  Your blog is in competition with everyone else’s blog that your subscribers look at. Your title will help it stick out.
  3. Third, your title should contain your keywords. Without the right keywords in your heading how will your readers find your blog? Of all the internet marketing tips, keywords is the one you should strive to master fast.
• Share buttons:How do your readers share your blogs without share buttons on your blog? In order to get recognition and more people coming to your site, you have to empower your readers to share the information they found valuable. Did you know that share buttons can potentially increase your distribution by more than 10 times? Share buttons are available on many plugins and maybe the easiest of all the internet marketing tips to implement.
  1. RSS vs. Subscribing by Email: Remember, not everyone is going to want to subscribe using an RSS feed. Actually, the latest statistics indicate that only about 17% of internet users read their favorite blogs that way. So offer another subscription method—let them subscribe to your content using email.
• Fresh Content: How many times have you followed a link excited about what you are going to learn …, just to discover the content is two years old? Maybe you can’t post daily but make sure you post regularly. Old content is not only an indication of your consistency; it’s also an indication of the value you bring to your visitors. This is one of my favorite internet marketing tips, be consistent in your blogging!
• What do you want them to do? There are many ways people can respond to your blog. However, the onus is on you to tell them what to do.  If you do not tell your visitors what you expect of them they will bounce off, very fast. Whether you sell online or want to create more leads, if you don’t tell your readers what you need for them to do, don’t expect them to volunteer. Your blogs need a clear CTA – Call to Action. If you want them to download your latest white paper, your CTA needs to state it. If you want them to comment and interact on your blog, you need to ask a question and be sure to tell them to leave a comment.
• Shared Media: Having share content counts towards your SEO. Having your social media tools linked to your blog content makes it easy for your social media followers to re-tweet, post, or bookmark your blogs.
• Blog Categories: Your blog becomes a resource to your readers when it is easy to search and navigate. Using blog categories to index your content do just that, it makes it easy for people to search for the content they need. Take time to index your material logically.

The above internet marketing tips just scratch the surface. There are literally hundreds more available. Therefore, I would not only love your feedback, I would also appreciate if you could add to this list. Let’s see if we can make it to fifty tips?

For more information:

• Fishing for Clients (BroadVision Marketing Blog)
• Be Social: Four Insider Facts for Promoting Your Business Blog (BroadVision Marketing Blog)
• The Five Part Skeleton of a Business Blog (BroadVision Marketing Blog)

Jaco Grobbelaar is the owner of BroadVision Marketing. BroadVision Marketing works with business owners to put in place inbound and outbound marketing strategies that consistently secure new clients. The BroadVision Marketing Training Center is located in Petaluma, CA and primarily serves companies in the San Francisco Bay area.

Jaco can be reached at jaco@broadvisionmarketing.com or 707.766.9778 or connect with Jaco on Facebook - www.facebook.com/broadvisionmarketing - and LinkedIn - www.linkedin.com/in/JacoGrobbelaar.He can also be found at Jaco+.