12 habits of successful social media pros

Great post by By Becky Gaylord.

My favorite?

 9. Blog

It’s nearly impossible to be effective with, on, and around social media without blogging. This is a vital way to stay engaged with your audience and to maintain and build a social presence. Pros blog. Period.

See the rest here. 
 

25 business blogging tips from a 10-year-old

I found this over at the blog for Joan Stewart, the Publicity Hound. Check out here blog here.

No more excuses about why you aren’t blogging for your business.

If 10-year-old Tyler Duswalt can start and maintain a blog, so can you.

Tyler is author of The Short Book on How to Become a Blogging Expert—A 10-Year-Old’s Top 25 Easy Tips to Help You Start an Effective Blog (Craig Duswalt International, $9.95).

He published it last year, after his blog, CPCheats, became a go-to source for kids who wanted to cheat at Club Penguin. The online role-playing game, published by Disney Online Studios, involves a virtual world containing a range of online games and activities. Players use cartoon penguin-avatars and play in a winter-set virtual world.

One of the criticisms of the game is that it allows players to cheat. Hence, Tyler’s blog which has had more than 85,000 views.

I learned about Tyler recently when I spoke at Author U in Denver and met his dad, Craig Duswalt, who also was on the program and taught authors about how to market like a rock star.

Craig says Tyler wrote the book himself. No professional editors. No book coaches. No picky proofreaders. Just sage advice from a 10-year old blogging expert who use phrases like “And that’s all I have to say about that” at the end of a chapter.

Here are some of the questions that people typically ask about blogging, and Tyler’s responses, excerpted from the book:

Q. How many times should you post to your blog?

A. ”As much as you can every week. Try to post at least once a day. I post about three times a day…But here is one thing not to do: do NOT Blog if you know you won’t have enough time to make posts. It’s useless.”

Q. How can you get traffic to a blog?

A. ”One way to get more hits is to Comment on other blogs and typing in your blog’s domain name at the end of your comment.”

Q. What’s the very best way to get traffic?

A. ”Contests! You can make a POST for a contest that will go on for a certain amount of time. I had one before. I used to play an online game called Club Penguin (Disney MMO game) and I bought a gift card for a membership. Then I had a contest where if you commented on my blog you would get entered in a drawing. Very fun. I got 1,000 hits in one day because of that contest.”

Q. What does a blogger need to do so that the search engines can find a blog post?

A. ”When finished with a post, and before publishing it, go to the area that says tags, and type in a few things that will get people to find you on the search eninges.”

Q. How do you sell products on a blog?

A. “All you need to do is to set up a lnk to the website where you want to sell the thing that you are selling. For example, your post might look like this:

TITLE: Buy my product!

POST: Hello! I just bought a T-shirt and was wondering if you guys want to buy it. If you want it, click the link: http://ebay.com/pinktshirt

Tyler also covers polls, how to post photos and audio, how to add pages, copyright, video/picture galleries, widgets, blogrolls and more.

He doesn’t blog anymore because he doesn’t play Club Penguin. But his tips are perfect for anyone who wants a quick overview of what’s possible with a blog.

Yes, it’s a lot of work. But as Tyler explains in the Bonus Tip on the last page of his book:

“Have Fun With Your Blog! Well, this is the end of the book. I hope you enjoyed these easy tips, and I wish you luck on your blog.”

Convinced? Ready to start your own blog? See “Time-saving Tips for Smart Business Blogging,” a grown-up’s guide to blogging. It comes with 23 pages of handouts that include 101 ways to find content for your blog, and tips for writing better and faster.

Crush It by Gary Vaynerchuk

Crush It by Gary Vaynerchuk

A client suggested this marketing book, so I figured I'd better read it.
It's been well over a year since I've read any marketing books. Since I work by myself from home, I don't get to learn from other professionals as often as I would if I worked in an office setting. I always appreciate reading good, inspirational marketing books.

Crush It by Gary Vaynerchuk was very inspirational!

I've already suggested the book to many of my clients.

He basically explains how to build your brand using the power of social media.

He has emphasized a concept I've tried suggesting to my clients in the past. While I'm the "social media editor" (cool term he used to describe folks like me) for my clients, and my industry articles and perspectives are important and beneficial, they can only go so far. It's even more beneficial for clients to get into their social media accounts and post inside information as well.

Here's how Vaynerchuk explains this point:

"My business already has a Twitter account and a Facebook page, we’re set in the social media department.

This is the equivalent of claiming twenty years ago that just because your business bought a TV spot and a few ads in the newspaper, you didn’t need to pay attention to your advertising department. Social media isn’t about joining in, it’s about being involved."

Share your surgery schedule, share birthday photos of staff members, share what your diet coordinator is eating for lunch, share what your dental staff gives out at Halloween, share the exercise techniques of your cosmetic surgery staff, share your experiences during a hair training class.

A cool point about blogs from the book, "A website is for communicating logistics and facilitating sales; your blog is for communicating the essence of your brand. It allows you to expand your topic in ways that a static website simply can't.

Vaynerchuk gives a step-by-step marketing strategy that is easy to follow and will help readers "Crush It."

From the Amazon link:

Learn: Why social media has evened the playing field, destroying the “gate-keepers” who had previously dictated the distribution of content.

Learn: How to beat unemployment and create wealth-building opportunities by building and maintaining a personal brand.

Learn: Why storytelling is the most important business concept in the current marketplace.

Learn: How you can build an online business around your passion without quitting your day job.

Learn: Why Twitter and Facebook are just tools and not a social media strategy.

Learn: How to take advantage of the half-billion dollars in advertising that are moving to the internet.

Learn: Why transparency and being true to yourself are now winning marketing formulas.

Learn: How to build and maintain an online community around your passion and brand.

Learn: Strategies for turning attention into money.

Learn: Why the legacy element of the internet era is so underrated.

13 fun, easy ways to find content for your blog

13 fun, easy ways to find content for your blog

7 ways blogging makes you and your employees smarter

7 ways blogging makes you and your employees smarter

Book Bloggers

Here is a long list of book bloggers that the Publicity Hound included in her recent newsletter. It was found in the Publisher's Weekly ezine.

Some of them discuss books. Many write book reviews.

The timing couldn't be better, as more newspapers and magazines are eliminating book review sections.

Check them out if you need to promote a book.

Reprinted from "The Publicity Hound's Tips of the Week," an ezine featuring tips, tricks and tools for generating free publicity. Subscribe at http://www.publicityhound.com/ and receive by email the handy cheat sheet "89 Reasons to Send a Press Release."

More Reasons to Blog

Reprinted from "The Publicity Hound's Tips of the Week," an ezine featuring tips, tricks and tools for generating free publicity. Subscribe at http://www.publicityhound.com/ and receive by email the handy cheat sheet "89 Reasons to Send a Press Release."


--A blog establishes your credibility and expertise.

--It's like a giant magnet that pulls in traffic.

--It can impress visitors and turn them into buyers.

--Many of your competitors are blogging.

--Unlike Twitter, you can use your blog to discuss topics in-depth.

--You can engage visitors and carry on a conversation with them in the comments section.

--A blog can give you a huge online presence, even if you can't afford a website.

--It can help you gain more traction than publicity in traditional media because, unlike most media people, bloggers love to link to each other. Get in front of just one influential blogger and you can be all over the Internet within minutes.

Dumbest Excuses for Not Blogging

Reprinted from "The Publicity Hound's Tips of the Week," an ezine featuring tips, tricks and tools for generating free publicity. Subscribe at http://www.publicityhound.com/ and receive by email the handy cheat sheet "89 Reasons to Send a Press Release."

If you aren't blogging yet, or you've stopped blogging, you can't use these three excuses:

--It takes too much time.

--I don't know what to say.

--Nobody comments at my blog.

Let's address them one by one.

Of course it takes time. But if I had to choose just one social media tool, I'd probably choose a blog. It positions you as an expert in your field far better than noisy sites like Twitter and Facebook can.

You don't know what to say?

Finding content is one of the biggest complaints I hear from Publicity Hounds. But once you know about shortcuts like creating Google Alerts and checking them each day for topics you can write about, you'll have more content than you'll ever need. That's what I do.

Nobody's commenting at your blog?

It could be because your content isn't compelling. Or perhaps you aren't feeding your blog into sites like Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn, where thousands more people can share your information with friends, followers and fans. Or maybe you aren't ending your posts with questions like "Am I wrong?" or "What's your take?" or "Share your best tip here and let's see how long a list we can create."

Results of my customer profile survey earlier this year show many Publicity Hounds are hungry for time-saving tips on how to blog. So I asked Patsi Krakoff of The Blog Squad to join me for a teleseminar at 4 p.m. Eastern Time on Wednesday, Jan. 13, called "Time-saving Tips for Smart Business Blogging."

Make 2010 the year you finally commit to a blog and build in efficiencies that will make the job go faster. Read more about what you'll learn and register.

CEOs, Get Your Blog On - Article About Corporate Blogging in the Latest Issue of D CEO

Here

"Blogging moms exercise marketplace muscle" article in today's Dallas Morning News

There's a great article in today's Dallas Morning News about the "marketplace muscle," moms have. But moms are exercising it like never before with the help of the Internet.

A few tidbits from the article:
Retailers and consumer product makers are listening to mom blogs, and responding.

"We see [moms who blog] as a vital force for our brand strategy," said Gap spokeswoman Louise Callagy. "They are the voice of our customers, and we are working harder to develop and maintain their trust and respond to their feedback."

Companies and bloggers are mutually benefiting. Consumer product companies such as home appliance maker Frigidaire and Unilever, maker of Suave shampoo, are hoping to enhance their brands by giving free samples of their merchandise to key women bloggers to test and chat about on their sites, though many bloggers say it's essential to disclose such freebies to maintain credibility with readers.

"Moms are turning to their new set of online friends and families to make all kinds of purchasing decisions," said Kelley Murray Skoloda, a partner at Ketchum's Global Brand Marketing and the author of Too Busy to Shop. "Women are trusting of women bloggers. They do them a real service without commercial interest."

This is very true. Personally, I have purchased quite a few things because they were recommended by mom bloggers including Weiman e-tronic wipesa and Comet Spray Gel. I'm in the market for a new printer/scanner/fax and I just may look into a Hewlett Packard office jet printer suggested on The Mom Entrepreneur website.

If you have a product that can make moms' lives easier, I highly recommend you tap into the marketing power of mom blogs. Sponsor a contest, offer your product for reviews, grant a mom's wish list with your product as the solution.

Click here to read, "Blogging moms exercise marketplace muscle"

Media Hit!

A media hit for one of my new clients. Lori Vann, Licensed Professional Counselor, who has started a support group for teen girls who practice self injury.

I'm so honored to be able to help her the word out about this important support group that is the only one of its kind for teen girls in the DFW area.

Click here to read 5 Things Parents Should Know About Self Injury. This media hit is on the North Texas Natural Family Blog, a wonderful resource for local parents.

Lori will also be featured in a future interview on the CW33 later this month.

Free eBook about Blogging for Women

Over at the Scribbit Blog, you can download a free book about blogging, "Blogging in Pink: A Woman's Guide."

This is what writer Michelle Mitchel has to say about her new book:

"If you're interested in starting a blog or in improving your existing blog this 24-chapter guide gives you tips for organizing yourself, getting started, focusing your efforts and taking things to the next level."

Chapters include:
Basic blogging etiquette.
Ten Housekeeping Tips for Your Blog
How to Make Money Blogging
How to Promote Your Blog

Click here for the free blogging book.

In Defense of Blogging by Paul Gillian

Paul Gillian, social media expert, recently posted a great blog called "In Defense of Blogging."

Here are a few points that I really liked:

*The blog is the Swiss army knife of social media. Simple to use and easy to update, it accommodates every type of media: words, images, video and sound.
* Blog entries can be of Twitter-like brevity or can go on for thousands of words.
* Content can be displayed in a wide variety of formats and designs.
* Visitors don’t have to register to read.
* Blogs rock on search engine performance.
* For businesses, blogs provide a critical element of control. They’re the social media equivalent of speaking to an audience.
* Blogs are the building block of nearly every form of social media. They are the tool you need to master in order to understand the rich nuances of other media that are available to you.

Visit Paul's blog to read the full article to learn how blogs are becoming more and more useful.

Real Life Wonder Women: Mompreneurs

Traci Bisson of The Mom Entrepreneur blog and support group recently posted a six part article by Guest blogger: Christine Janssen (written with Erin Higgins), denken Research & Consulting.

“Real Life Wonder Women” is about Mompreneurs.

You can read the entire article on Traci’s Blog.

Here are some points that really stood out for me.

• In their own right, being a new business owner and a new mother are some of the greatest challenges any woman can face. Doing both at the same time requires a certain set of skills and characteristics including lots of determination, patience, and multi-tasking. A lot of prayer helped me!
• Today, a large percentage of new moms are highly educated, ambitious career women and want to be professionally challenged, so they are finding ways to stay connected with the business world.
• When asked to explain a day in the life of a mompreneur, we found these women to be extremely organized and they crammed an incredible amount of tasks into each day, constantly swapping hats. Most do this methodically; seamlessly switching from “mom mode” to “work mode.”
• ...the thrill of small accomplishments. Signing on a new client or finally grasping the ins and outs of SEO were positive reinforcements that they were moving in the right direction. Another one for me it's securing a media hit for my clients!
• Remind yourself that most people spend their lives in jobs/careers that they absolutely despise. Be grateful that you are wise enough to follow your heart and your passion.

I am very thankful for my husband and my clients who support me in being a work-from-home-mom!

Blogging Success Story: Author Carol Platt Liebau

On my personal blog, I reviewed the book, Prude: How the Sex-Obsessed Culture Damages Girls (And America, Too!).

Well, the author of Prude, Carol Platt Liebau, read my review and emailed me shortly after I posted that blog. I was so honored and amazed that the author contacted me!

Carol saw that I am a publicist, reviewed my website and professional blog and asked we could talk because she “had some projects in the works.”

After a few emails and phone conversations, Carol Platt Leibau is now my client!

What an amazing blog success story. I’ve been contracted to do some media relations for her and have already secured her a couple of interviews.

One of my first projects was to help Carol create an on-line press kit. You can click here to see all the media she’s already secured for herself and her book.

So, if you need an expert to comment on America’s sex-saturated culture, lessons the culture teaches girls (from Black Canary Barbie to "Gossip Girl”), Teen pregnancy including the Gloucester, Mass., pregnancy pact, contact me at lori at lbpublicrelations dot com.

Not only is Carol Platt Liebau a culture commentator, she’s also a political commentator. She has guest hosted the Hugh Hewitt national radio show and can provide the following

Political Analysis & Commentary:

• Presidential election 2008


• US Senate campaigns, 2008


• The Barack Obama I Knew


• Women in the Political Process 2008


• A New Agenda for Conservatives


• Rescuing the GOP

Prude: How the Sex-Obsessed Culture Damages Girls (And America, Too!)
Prude is an in-depth look at the forces telling young women that being sexy trumps intelligence and character every time. For those who aren't aware of just how sexualized teen-oriented fashion, reading, movies, television and music have become and why, it's a wake-up call. For parents who want their daughters to understand the physical, emotional and psychological dangers of giving too much, too soon, it puts all the facts at their fingertips. And for anyone who cares about the impact that teen sexuality has on America's economic and social life -- and believes it's time for a more wholesome teen culture -- it's a call to arms. http://www.prudethebook.com/.

Blog Success Story: KABOOST

KABOOST is a company that knows the power of social marketing.

Yesterday, on my personal blog, I wrote about how my 18 month old daughter would rather eat at the dining room table than in her high chair. Of course, her chin is just at table height.

I wrote how the KABOOST is a brilliant invention and now on my wish list. KABOOST is a compact and portable chair booster that raises the height of kitchen and dining room chairs so your child can sit at the table just like a big kid.

I also linked to the funny videos KABOOST has on their website. You can click here to see them. Creating videos using your products and placing them on your website, on YouTube and on your MySpace/FaceBook pages is another powerful marketing tool. KABOOST’s videos have been emailed to me from other moms.

I mentioned the “wish list” because we have a couple of family members who periodically send us care packages and this could be an idea for a gift.

Well, this morning I received this email from KABOOST. They obviously have a Google alert set up to let them know whenever their company is mentioned online. Your company should have one too. Click here to set it up.

Here’s the email:
"We saw your blog today and see that KABOOST is on your wish list. Well we want to make that wish come true and send you a complimentary KABOOST. All we ask is that we see “after” picts of your daughter using KABOOST. Your images would make great before and after shots. Please let me know where to send your KABOOST."

Of course I’ll be glad to post some before and after photos! What a brilliant company. Many moms read my blog and may be influenced to buy a KABOOST after seeing my post!

Thanks KABOOST!

Webgrrls International Has a Great Blog Blogging Basics Document

I just downloaded this wonderful resource from Webgrrls International.

The PDF has links to learn things like...

• How to set up RSS feeds for your blog.
• How to increase your blog traffic.
• Tips for Blog Design.

Click here to download the "Blogging Basics FAQ Resource Document."

Blogs I Blog For

Click here to read about the benefits of blogging for business.

Here are two of my clients' blogs that I post to regularly.

BabySlingBlog
What do I post?

• Babywearing photo contests
• Promotions
• Babywearing/natural parenting tips
• Media hits

Plano Aesethitics Blog
What do I post?

• Promotions
• Patient success stories
• Product spotlights
• Interviews with their mineral makeup rep
• Media hits

Blog Success Story: Dentist

I subscribe to the weekly E-Centric newsletter from Chief Marketer. You can subscribe by clicking here. I enjoy the articles about social marketing.

In this week's newsletter they featured a story by Beth Negus Viveiros called "Tooth in Advertising: Blog helps Dentist Bite into Search Rankings."

It was about a group of dentists (Comfort Dental) who receive about 5 - 8 new patients a month because those patients found them through their blog!

Here are some highlights from the article...

"It seems like every dental practice on the planet now has a Web site," says Dr. Dean Stratman, owner of Comfort Dental. "A blog was a way for us way to differentiate ourselves."

"...we saw blogs as the easiest way to get at the top of Google listings," he says. "If somebody types in 'dentist, Anderson, IN' I want to be on the first page."

The dentist are getting questions via e-mail from patients and prospective patients. "It helps them to feel like they have a relationships with us before they walk in the door."

Congrats Comfort Dental! This is a wonderful story on the power of blogging!

Click here to read the full article.

Log Cabin Blogging

My family and I just spent five nights at a cabin in the towering pines of Broken Bow, OK. Log cabin owners who rent their places should have a blog. It would be such a powerful marketing tool – like an on-line guest book!

This cabin did have a traditional guest book, but all the entries sounded the same: The cabin was great….We loved the hot tub….We loved the deck…etc.

Create a questionnaire to probe their minds and really learn what they liked about the cabin and about the area. What did they do on their vacation? Let them know that their answers may be used on your blog (have them sign the form for permission to use their answers for marketing purposes). Also provide the guests with your email and encourage them to send you a vacation photo.

You’re not just renting a log cabin, you’re providing relaxation, family time and vacation memories. A blog will bring the cabin to life and will really give potential guests a sense of what it will be like to stay at your cabin.

Here are the questions I came up with and they are categories I would use to organize the blog. I also provided my answers based on my experience this past week.

What I wish I would have brought…a high chair! My daughter was walking around dropping her food on the floor. We bought a portable high chair at the Wal-Mart the very next day!

What I wish they would stock in the cabin…A first aid kit and a phone number/directions to the nearest hospital. We didn’t need either, but the idea crossed my mind. (Log cabin owners could respond/improve their cabin with these suggestions.)

Thank goodness they had…Pickles! We forgot our jar! We love pickles on our burgers!

During our stay, we really enjoyed _________ at the cabin. The hot tub! Especially after hiking.

In Broken Bow: The library – what a charming place! My daughter loved holding the baby dolls and stuffed animals they have for kids.

At the State Park: The Natural Trail Hike – It’s fairly flat and follows the river. It was very manageable with our 14-month old daughter.

Tell us about your trip. What did you see and do? Where did you go? What did you think of it all?

Tell us something funny that happend during your stay.

Then, as the cabin owner, I would blog about the following to further provide detailed information for future guests:

Things to do in Broken Bow (or whatever city your cabin is in).
Restaurants (talk about your favorite meals, don’t just give a general description.)
Broken Bow State Park Stats (or whatever area your cabin is in)
Bios of the log cabin owners
Stats about the log cabin
Reservation contact information

Need a blog for your vacation property? Contact me at lori at lbpublicrelations dot com.